Life OST: Spooks' time!

Hello, sweethearts!

You probably know from the title, what I want to talk about: music for Halloween! I love this holiday and everything connected to it. So, why not gather songs perfect for listening during spooky time? In this episode of "Life OST" we'll have creepy melodies, scary lyrics, dark atmosphere and much, much more!

 

Little warning: some of these songs may contain disturbing themes and imagery, so proceed with care.

Let's go!

Type O Negative "Halloween in Heaven"

 

 

Let's start with a classic. I've been listening to Type O Negative since primary school and, while my music taste has changed, I still love them. This song is one of my favourites. Of course, it's a little bit sad to listen when you remember Peter Steele died three years after release of "Dead Again" (may he rest in peace), but, to be honest, it applies to Type O Negative's music as a whole.

"Halloween in Heaven" not only has Halloween in the title. It's lyrics talk about various dead musicians partying in Heaven during this holiday. Despite rather grim theme, it's cheerful and very catchy, great for a spooky party.

카네린 feat. 巡音ルカ "Reddish Waltz"

 

 

Horror is great. Dubstep is great. Vocal synthesizers are great. And what happens when we mix it? Epic shit happens! "Reddish Waltz" has become lately one of my absolute favourites when it comes to vocaloid music in general. I love how dark and heavy it is. Also, 카네린 did wonderful job, while rendering Luka's English vocal. She sounds clear, smooth and beautiful, just the way she should.

Steampianist feat. Gumi "The Experiment"

 

 

Another vocaloid song I just adore, this time based on a very popular creepypasta, "Russian Sleep Experiment". Steampianist is an expert when it comes to horror music and it shows. Chilly instrumental is accompanied by creepy noises, which match song's overall theme. Also, Gumi's voice sounds amazing, especially the way her vocal was mixed. Generally, if you like vocal synthesizers and creepypastas, you should definitely give "The Experiment" a listen.

 

The Crüxshadows "Insomnia"

 

 

The Crüxshadows' music is usually pretty positive and catchy. However, this song is an exception. To be honest, "Insomnia" is one of the creepiest songs I know. The instrumental is mostly made of athmospheric noises, like bells and knocking. Scariness is amplified by lyrics sung in rather monotonous voice – an unusual thing in this band's music. However, despite being so different "Insomnia" works in all ways it was intended. Another example of how amazing The Crüxshadows are.

GHOST feat. UmbraticForest and B.a.D. "Apotropaism/apple the pagan's son"

 

 

 

Okay, how can we celebrate Halloween without this gem? It's been four years and I still remember how excited I was when listening to it for the first time. GHOST is a horror music pro with a very distinctive style. Also, while they usually make vocaloid songs, this one is a collaboration with two skilled vocalists: UmbraticForest and B.a.D. And let me be honest: GHOST's instrumentals and Umber's vocal blend incredibly well (like, really. Just check out Umber's covers of other GHOST's song, they are amazing).

I'm quite fond of the concept "Apotropaism" (don't ask me, why the song is called "apple the pagan's son" now, I have no bloody idea). It tells a very interesting story about fanaticism and how it destroys people lives. The theme is emphasized by inclusion of Latin prayers in lyrics. And I love it.

Ester Peony "On a Sunday"

 

 

This piece absolutely slayed on ESC 2019 and it still does. The mix of Ester's mesmerising vocal and hypnotising instrumental makes wonderfully dark, sensual song about love and obsession. It's a shame it didn't qualify to the final.

 

Also, I love the music video. Okay, special effects look a little bit cheap, but damn, it's still awesome. I like the little glitches when Ester moves, they add a nice creepy vibe.

 

Creep-P feat. 初音ミク "Not as it Seems"

 

 

Another amazing creepypasta-themed vocaloid song. I adore Creep-P's electropop. It's glitchy, emotional and very intense, just perfect. I'm also in love with how vocaloids sound in their songs (unfortunately, they stopped using them a while ago... But their vocals are also very nice, so no problem). "Not as it Seems" is one of the best pieces with Miku's English voicebank. She's easy to understand and has really pleasant vocal there.

 

BlutEngel "The Lost Children"

 

 

One of my favourite tracks from "Tränenherz", "The Lost Children", combines all the best aspects of BlutEngel: catchy rhythm, vampirism-related themes and Chris Pohl's sexy vocal. I also love how both creepy and mesmerising this piece is – perfect for a Halloween party!

 

Arkadiusz Reikowski "You're Not In Control" from ">observer_"

 

 

Is putting here a horror game soundtrack cheating? Maybe a little bit, but damn, this track is actually really scary – I dare you to listen to it in the dark. It has everything: eerie vocals, unidentified noises, distortions... Bonus points if you played the game and remember the scene fragments of this song was in. (Okay, I was less scared and more pissed off during it, but it was gameplay's fault, music was actually doing really good job with keeping me creeped out).

-MASA Works DESIGN- feat. 初音ミク and Gumi "狐の嫁入り"

 

 

Let's finish with an absolute classic by our Lord and Saviour, MASA! I love all his songs so much, I really had a problem choosing one for this post – he's master of horror music and gory themes. I finally settled for old, but gold "狐の嫁入り". It's bloody, unsettling and hypnotising. MASA's characteristic way of tuning vocaloids is just perfect, especially the fast vocals – they add to the madness this piece is. And let's not forget about the PV, illustrated and edited by MASA too. This guy is a true one-man band. A fucking awesome one.

 

By the way, "狐の嫁入り" was my first MASA's song. I don't think I would love him as much today, if I haven't had found it.

Of course, there are much more creepy songs, but if I were to put them all there, this post would be incredibly long. Also, I have to leave something for the next year.

And what horror songs do you like to listen? Don't forget to drop some recommendations in the comments!

Take care, sweethearts! Happy Halloween!

Be gay, do crime!

Hello, sweethearts!

Winter is coming. It's gradually getting colder and darker, which means leaving home isn't a good idea (also, we still have pandemic on the loose). But what can we do, while staying inside? Watch TV series, of course! Well, actually, I'm horrible at it and if I finish one season, it's a great success. However, I have a crime series fan club at home, which means I watch a lot of them on daily basis. So, why not gather my favourite ones in a post?

Enjoy a collection of titles that hold special place in my heart. Long runners, shorter ones, Caribbeans, English villages, noir, feminism – choose whatever you like. And because my short queer legs will go everywhere, where the rainbow is, I also rated amount of queerness.

The order is random. Let's go!

Bones (2005-2017)

I think everyone knows this one. Thanks to its "one body per episode" formula, "Bones" can be enjoyed without knowing everything about the main storyline. I mean, it's nice to know, who the characters are... But not necessary. The cases are interesting and the investigations are enjoyable. Also, there is a lot of humour, which blends well with rather gruesome episodes. However, I would definitely not recommend this series to people with weak stomachs – when it comes to showing decaying corpses, it's very realistic and graphic.

While I've never followed all subplotes, I like the characters, especially main heroine. Dr Temperance "Bones" Brennan is independent, extremely intelligent and cute. She is also quite serious and very down-to-earth, which makes a nice contrast to her partner, Seeley Booth – an upbeat and sociable FBI agent. Brennan's lack of social skills and straightforwardness hint on her being neurodivergent (the character is based on a person with Asperger syndrome), however, she is never shamed on it (although it serves sometimes as a source of humour, but not in a hurtful way). I love that, positive representation of neurodivergency is always welcomed.

Queerness: One of secondary characters, Angela Montenegro, is bisexual and dates a woman for some time. There are probably some episodic plots too, but I can't recall anything now (come on, "Bones" has 246 episodes, it's a lot!).

Murdoch Mysteries (2008-ongoing)
 

Another long runner (211 episodes and growing!), that I haven't watched whole, but still enjoy. This one is set in Toronto at the turn of 19th and 20th centuries. Thanks to that the show has amazing atmosphere. Also, it's interesting to see investigators solve cases with old methods. Another nice touch is including sometimes real historical figures in the episodes.

Surprisingly, despite focusing on male lead "Murdoch Mysteries" has a lot of feminist undertones. There are many strong female characters and whole subplot about suffragettes. I hope I don't have to say how much I like it.

Queerness: Motives appear from time to time in episodes. There is also a lesbian romance in seasons 8 and 9 (SPOILER it ends sadly).

Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries (2012-2015)

 

If I were to describe this series as shortly as I can, I'd say "detective show meets feminism". Phryne Fisher is a textbook example of a perfect strong female lead: independent, intelligent, open-minded and, probably the most important, she knows her own worth and doesn't give a flying fuck about other's opinion. Also, when it comes to fighting patriarchy, she has no qualms and would do everything to help deliver justice, even if it means doing something dangerous or even illegal.

Another thing I like this series for is positive portrayal of female sexuality. Miss Fisher finds her sex appeal very empowering and isn't afraid of showing it. She also has a lot of sex and isn't ashamed of pursuing her own pleasure and desires. It's never portrayed as something bad and only characters, who engage in slut-shaming are either negative ones or need to be educated.

While "Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries" are mostly character-driven, there is no problem with watching it in anachronic order – it follows "one body per episode" formula. The cases are complicated and fascinating. The show is set in 1920's, so if you like aesthetics of this times, you'll love this series. Also, it's full of light-hearted comedy, perfect if you need a quick cheer up.

Queerness: One of recurring characters, Elizabeth "Mac" McMillan, is a lesbian. Also, there's an episode that features a gay romance.

Grantchester (2014-ongoing)

This crime drama is much darker, than previous entries on this list. It's main character is an Anglican vicar, Sydney Chambers, who helps his friend, a DI Georgie Keating, with solving various cases of murder. While the investigations are interesting, show's mainly focuses on its characters' psychological issues and development. Questions about human's nature, morality and faith appear often. Of course, there are some humorous moments to lighten the atmosphere, but for most of the time "Grantchester" is pretty heavy.

The show is set in 1950's, so there's lot of jazz and pretty vintage interiors. Also, there's a dog living in the vicarage, which provides most of light-hearted content. However, what actually got me in "Grantchester" is...

Queerness: In second episode of first season a new character is introduced – a gay curate Leonard Finch. This adorable cinnamon roll has his own character arc, where he faces typical for these times homophobia and learns to accept his sexuality. It's very well portrayed, to the point I could relate to all Leonard's struggles. (SPOILER after three seasons of dramas Leonard finally gets a boyfriend. Tons of cuteness ensued).

Shakespeare & Hathaway: Private Investigators (2018-ongoing)

Very colourful and upbeat series set in picturesque Stratford-upon-Avon. Interesting cases, charming characters and great humour make one of the most relaxing crime shows I know. Bonus points if you are a fan of Shakespeare's works, there are lots of references to them.

Queerness: Eponymous characters' assistant, Sebastian Brudenell, is gay. Very cute, flamboyant gay. I love him.

Midsomer Murders (1997-ongoing)

One of the longest running series here, "Midsomer Murders" is also one of my absolute favourites. It has everything: two-hour, slowly unwinding episodes, relaxing atmosphere, several murders per episode and British humour. Add clever, charming characters and you get one of the most interesting crime shows of all times. And people can argue if changing main lead after 13th season was a good idea – I think both are lovable (although I'm more used to the new one, I've watched more episodes with him. And he has a dog!).

Queerness: Unfortunately, that's only thing "Midsomer Murders" does wrong. Queer characters appear from time to time, but mostly as victims. Or murderers. And first seasons tend to be pretty queerphobic (that's what internet says, I haven't seen them). It's quite sad.

Father Brown (2013-ongoing)

We're staying with peaceful British villages, this time set in 1950s. "Father Brown" is another religion-themed crime show on this list, however, thanks to its quirky main character, it's much lighter. Of course, there are some dramas, but they are never as depressing. And the murders are sometimes really ridiculous.

Queerness: Not very much. There are episodic queer characters, but that's all. However, despite being a catholic priest, Father Brown is very open and full of acceptance.

Perry Mason (2020-ongoing)

There was no way I could like this series. I'm not a fan of noir and I don't like jazz. However, it caught me with its dark, heavy atmosphere, slow burn (there is only one investigation in first season, but it's wonderfully made) and complex characters. Yes, it's brutal. Yes, it's vulgar. But let's be honest – I like shows like that.

Queerness: One of important secondary characters, Della Street, is a lesbian and has a girlfriend. They have several cute scenes together.

Death in Paradise (2011-ongoing)

My biggest favourite on this list. Despite being a crime series, "Death in Paradise" is really relaxing: it's funny, colourful and set on a beautiful Caribbean island. And murders are always extremely interesting. Another thing that makes this show stand out is, the main cast changes regularly. Characters come, characters go, but the sunny setting and atmosphere of fun remains. "Death in Paradise" is perfect if you need to unwind a little bit.

Queerness: Several episodic characters. I'm still waiting for a queer main character, then "Death in Paradise" would be perfect.


So, that was a collection of my favourite time killers. I'm so sorry, I had to. I hope I managed to encourage you to check at least some of them. Let me know if you liked them and which crime series that aren't on this list you enjoy.

PS Little reminder that I'm more active on Twitter (@kikihakanate), especially now, during academic year. Don't forget to follow me, if you want to be up to date on my shit! 💜