I've been following the dark antics of self-proclaimed "gypsy pirate" and gothic jack-of-all-trades Voltaire for various years, and it seems like every time I go around he's putting his unique stamp on yet another art form. He's probably better known for his fun and folksy macabre tunes, but he's also written several popular books and comics, launched a note of eerie plush toys, actively participated in online gambling and directed several acclaimed stop-motion animated films.
and those are simply a few of the many flavors in his ever-expanding ice cream parlor of the damned. But music is where he first made his bones (pun intended) as an image of goth culture, and thankfully he's never left that behind.
While lots of Voltaire's musical output is targeted at adults (his X-rated Star Wars country-western ballad "Cantina" is still my personal fave), he's alsobeen a big hit with younger audiences, having contributed music to theCartoon Network series The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy (where he also supplies the part of the Evil Meteor). But he'd neverpreviously collected all his kid-oriented songs in one place. untilnow, that is, and thankfully just in time for Halloween. I took a listento this new compilation Spooky Songs for Creepy Kids, and whileit's certified sing-a-long material for the younger set, you'll verylikely find yourself humming these devilish ditties no matter what yourage. Flip the page and get out more!
Several of the songs compiled here have appeared on other albums or collections, or were licensed for particular projects, and where necessary the lyrics have been slightly reworked into kid-friendly mode. "I have fans who now have kids and they assure me that their kids love my songs, but they get to jump over the ones that are not allow for the wee ones," Voltaire explains. That same motivation led to a slight reworking of about of his earliest hits to give them age-appropriate. He likewise discovered how his many Cartoon Network appearances have gained him "a growing legion of 12-year-old fans. so I actually felt it was time to create a book that was good for them."
Most of these fourteen tracks were already aimed at audiences with a decidedly darker sense of fun; I definitely count myself among that group, and I'm sure a lot of you reading this are nodding in agreement. But some of Voltaire's biggest fan favorites were actually aimed at young folks to start with, including the bouncy Danny Elfman-esque numbers "Land of the Dead" and "Brains!" from Billy and Mandy, and the lush tango version of the call "When You're Evil" found here is reworked for a television game starring his popular creation Deady - a deeply disturbed (but still kinda cute) zombie teddy bear that has been a huge hit with younger horror fans.
Speaking of games. the artist and his stuffed pal have likewise made regular appearances as characters in the online role-playing game AdventureQuest Worlds, and Voltaire has contributed several songs - some new created, some adapted from previous singles or soundtracks - to the game scenarios. Voltaire's avatar even performed on a virtual stage in the back for a live Friday the 13th concert last November, and this class he contributed the darkly comic lullaby "Goodnight Demonslayer" (my personal favorite on this album). Several of those songs made their way into this compilation, including a new Caribbean-style version of "Day of the Stagnant" and a quaternion of pirate-themed tracks - the toe-tapping "Tempest," an accordion-driven pirate waltz called "This Ship's Going Down," the light ska-beat ditty "To the Seat of the Sea" and the spooky campfire ballad "The Creature of Pirate's Bay" - all of which originally appeared on his 2008 album To the Bottom of the Sea in somewhat different lyrical versions.
Also resurfacing on this collection (though some in slightly cleaned-up form), are the songs "Cannibal Buffet," which appeared with more graphic lyrics in 2007's Ooky Spooky; the colorfully folksy march/madrigal "Crusade" from his 2004 album Then and Again; and a really clever update of his 2002 track "The Vampire Club," which now includes a smart satiric twist on the characters from Twilight.
If mischievous but festive Halloween tunes make you smile, there's at least two benefits to pick up this little holiday treat: first, those of you with kids of your own planning to train them up in the ways of the macabre, this is a pure property to begin; but if you're only a big monster kid at heart like me, you don't even want to guess you're buying this one for a younger member of the family - this is one record you'll enjoy at only about any age, no excuses necessary. It's available now from Voltaire's site and through Projekt Records, so go see it out pronto. Your own spooky kid will dig it. even if that kid is you.
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