Audio•Files

spotlight! A psychobilly hoedown

By Megan Carneal
mcarneal@mscd.edu

Beware, the HorrorPops' second album, Bring It On, is filled with zombies, and ghouls, and psychos, oh my!

Following up an album like their 2004 release Hell Yeah could have posed a very thorny proposition for the HorrorPops, but they bring it all back with Bring It On. This album delivers even more of their spine-tingling, feminized brand of rockabilly/psychobilly.

Psychobilly is a mixture of several different genres. Its origin is 1950s rockabilly and surf music-think the Beach Boys and Dick Dale. Psychobilly takes rockabilly and makes it darker and faster. The lyrics often deal with the supernatural and the dead. The biggest characterization of rockabilly and psychobilly is the use of an up-right bass, which gives an eerie, clicking percussion sound when the strings hit the fret board

The first album showcased the band's diversity from one song to the next. This album does not disappoint. The vocals are ethereal in one track, and in-your-face in the next.

Patricia Day croons for zombie love, snarls for revenge, and gives frantic tales of booze-induced misery, all while slapping away on her upright bass.

The upright bass gives a nervous, frenetic feeling, worthy of a background score in a low-budget horror flick. Adding to the bass are surf-inspired guitar solos that are creepy, forlorn and sexy all at once.

This album is also full of musical effects usually found only on Halloween soundtracks. Mix in the punk-rock-style drumming and the result is an album that is dark, sinister and surprisingly upbeat.

The finest track on Bring It On is "S.O.B.," which follows the story of a scorned desperada seeking revenge. The guitar gives the mood of an old western showdown. Day feverishly plucks at her bass, and cries for fiery vengeance from the man who "done her wrong."

Take this album to a cemetery, turn the volume up all the way and give the dead a reason to dance.

If the album gets your ghoul, check out the HorrorPops live at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 17 at the Bluebird Theater. Doors open at 7:00 p.m. Tickets are $10.

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[an error occurred while processing this directive]	Volume 28, Issue 05, September 22, 2005 Audio•Files spotlight! A psychobilly hoedown By Megan Carneal mcarneal@mscd.edu Beware, the HorrorPops' second album, Bring It On, is filled with zombies, and ghouls, and psychos, oh my! Following up an album like their 2004 release Hell Yeah could have posed a very thorny proposition for the HorrorPops, but they bring it all back with Bring It On. This album delivers even more of their spine-tingling, feminized brand of rockabilly/psychobilly. Psychobilly is a mixture of several different genres. Its origin is 1950s rockabilly and surf music-think the Beach Boys and Dick Dale. Psychobilly takes rockabilly and makes it darker and faster. The lyrics often deal with the supernatural and the dead. The biggest characterization of rockabilly and psychobilly is the use of an up-right bass, which gives an eerie, clicking percussion sound when the strings hit the fret board The first album showcased the band's diversity from one song to the next. This album does not disappoint. The vocals are ethereal in one track, and in-your-face in the next. Patricia Day croons for zombie love, snarls for revenge, and gives frantic tales of booze-induced misery, all while slapping away on her upright bass. The upright bass gives a nervous, frenetic feeling, worthy of a background score in a low-budget horror flick. Adding to the bass are surf-inspired guitar solos that are creepy, forlorn and sexy all at once. This album is also full of musical effects usually found only on Halloween soundtracks. Mix in the punk-rock-style drumming and the result is an album that is dark, sinister and surprisingly upbeat. The finest track on Bring It On is "S.O.B.," which follows the story of a scorned desperada seeking revenge. The guitar gives the mood of an old western showdown. Day feverishly plucks at her bass, and cries for fiery vengeance from the man who "done her wrong." Take this album to a cemetery, turn the volume up all the way and give the dead a reason to dance. If the album gets your ghoul, check out the HorrorPops live at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 17 at the Bluebird Theater. Doors open at 7:00 p.m. Tickets are $10.
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Volume 28, Issue 05, September 22, 2005

Audio•Files

spotlight! A psychobilly hoedown

By Megan Carneal mcarneal@mscd.edu

By Megan Carneal
mcarneal@mscd.edu