Must the music for Halloween often become frightful? We kept this principle in mind for our series Music for Haunted Houses, which ran from 2014-20, in the year without trick-or-treaters, we concluded that” the whole world ( had ) become a haunted house”, and lamented that the old-time monsters had lost some of their power. Halloween, however, had a different history even before the pandemic, moving from a belief evening with semi-religious origins to the second most widely celebrated mature holiday of the year. Enter Plïnkï Plønkï, who lovingly suggest that they might be rechristened Spookï Pookï for this discharge, and a collection that attempts to reef the barren elements of October 31 with a mixture of past and fun.

Happy Halloween is amazingly knowledgeable, having done its research in terms of myth and legend. The album’s opening track is” Each-Ulsge,” which pays tribute to the vicious ocean creature that frequently appeared as a handsome gentleman but actually was a Scottish liquid horses that carried riders to their deaths, consuming everything but the liver. The excited children who mutter throughout, a warning that children are frequently drawn to frightful stories without themselves being scared, offset any despair. And of course, given their apparent passion for flowers, the” Gnome of the Lock” were never going to get that frightful. The Phookah, also known as the Pika or Pooka, is a shapeshifter that plays tricks on people (especially if they live in Ireland ), and the track with the same name also has a shapeshifter, built on a basis of slowed-down pitcher cries, evolving into a shocking bout of post-rock before returning to its humble beginnings. ” Halt! That Spirit really wants to Dance” highlights piano and bells, although the notice of the ring is the same as an incoming text, so maybe that ghost really wants to text, it’s a fresh ghost, and died before it learned how to torment in the right, time-honored way. When synths surface in” 幽霊”, one thinks, this is how it is done, the ancient Yurei educating the young. One even wonders, do spirits watch 80s dread comedies, or just sit in our ancient, large TVs and VCRs, waiting to be summoned?

If” Toogras”, the album’s least scary track, seems particularly benign, it’s because it refers to” an ancient Nordic spell written on one’s hand before sunrise to invite true love and goodness”. ” Come go now”, says a kid as the musician plays a song. But what does the child understand of passionate love, or of the dread of grief? ( Sorry, just trying to make it more scary. ) Finally, in the middle of” Alarms”, the recording turns a corner, the ripples joined by the increasing amount of an appealing contact. One high-pitched singing notice signals the diver’s demise, after that, simply waves. ” The Bregdi”, even scarier than sirens, strike ships that are pulling into dock, shaking the passengers in their fangs, this lurking, black external part is the most suited for a haunted home. The” Rusalka” is a mean Russian mermaid, but it was n’t always so, earlier versions were benign, watering crops in spring, or sad, having committed suicide to escape from abusive husbands. Plïnkï Plønkï leaves room for all interpretations.

The rain is falling in” Will-o-the-Wisp” as the pianist plays again, it’s beginning to feel a lot like Halloween. We have n’t heard from the children for a while, are they okay? Evidently so, as the album concludes with” You are home! You are safe”!, our only concern being the exclamation points. Are they really safe? The words reflect the heart of Halloween: one wants to be scared, but not terrified, comforted, but not sheltered. Happy Halloween to all our readers! ( Richard Allen )