New Music Friday: The best albums out Oct. 31

Summary

All Songs Considered – New Music Friday: The Best Albums Out Oct. 31 (October 31, 2025)

Episode Overview

This Halloween edition of New Music Friday, hosted by Stephen Thompson (NPR Music) with guest DJ Julie B. (Marfa Public Radio), serves up a jam-packed rundown of fresh releases dropping on October 31st, 2025. The episode features in-depth discussions on highly anticipated albums from both indie darlings and inventive outsiders—plus a rapid-fire lightning round of other notable releases tailored for spooky-season listening. Julie also provides a glimpse into the DIY spirit of Marfa, Texas, and celebrates Marfa Public Radio’s recent milestones.

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Main Albums Discussed

1. Snocaps – Snocaps (Surprise Release)

• [02:07–07:07]

Key Points & Insights

• Who & What: Snocaps is a surprise collaboration between sisters Katie and Allison Crutchfield (Waxahatchee, Swearin', P.S. Eliot).
• The album is described as fun, upbeat, and packed with strong, catchy pop songs—“no fluff here. Every song is really a winner.” (Julie, 03:52)
• The sisters’ harmonies stand out, and the record draws from their feminist roots in male-dominated punk scenes (04:57).
• Stephen highlights the track “Coast” for its dynamic quiet-loud formula and quotable lyric: “Can’t we just coast?” He notes, “These are not artists who have any interest in coasting.” (04:33)
• Standout lyrics from “Avalanche” underscore sharp, feminist songwriting:

  “I've got a lot riding on this next gentleman. His mythology's like a vitamin. He might wobble, but he always wins. He always runs circles around me while running in the right circles.” (Julie, 05:20)

• The arrangements may feel ambling and “a little shaggy,” but the lyric writing shines. Metaphors on “Heathcliff” evoke bigger ideas in sharp, memorable ways (06:00).

Notable Quotes

• “This album is rich. There’s no fluff here. Every song is really a winner.” — Julie [03:52]
• “It really feels like they’re at the top of their games… very, very sharp songwriting.” — Stephen [06:00]

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2. Guided by Voices – Thick, Rich & Delicious

• [07:07–13:19]

Key Points & Insights

• Over 40 years and 42 full-length albums in, GBV returns to “power pop, with lots of hooks”—Stephen calls them “indie rock royalty.”
• Robert Pollard’s prolific output is highlighted: “He's always looking for that perfect combination of a lyric and a chord pattern that gives you a chill at the back of your spine.” (Julie quoting Pollard, 08:06)
• Discussion of how fans engage with such a vast discography: many “drop in and out,” but longtime devotees “hang on their every word.” (Stephen and Julie, 10:01)
• Stephen’s pick: “You Can’t Go Back to Oxford, Talawanda” for its irresistible hooks (11:11).
• Album closes with “Captain Kangaroo Won the War,” a “strange, gnarled thumper” that left Stephen instantly wanting more (11:28).
• Julie’s favorites include “Phantasmagoric Upstarts,” “Our Man Syracuse,” and “A Tribute to Beetle Bob.”

Notable Quotes

• "This album is getting a lot of buzz for kind of being a return to power pop for this band with lots of hooks. Bob, the king of hooks…” — Julie [08:06]
• “Each album will serve up a few kind of extra special highlights… hooks that are so indelible that you can’t resist them.” — Stephen [10:39]

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3. Chat Pile & Hayden Pedigo – In the Earth Again

• [16:28–21:01]

Key Points & Insights

• A surprising—and successful—Oklahoma City pairing merges Hayden Pedigo’s haunting guitar work with Chat Pile’s sludgy, noise-heavy post-metal.
• The album ebbs and flows dramatically: starts atmospheric (“Outside”), then “Demon Time” gets darker, then with “Never Say Die” metal energy kicks in (19:23).
• The closing track “A Tear for Lucas” is noted by Julie as especially moving: “Make sure you’re alone the first time you hear the song, because it’s gonna make you cry.” [20:13]

Notable Quotes

• "They find ways to allow this album to ebb and flow from track to track, but also within an individual song…” — Stephen [17:54]
• “This album is really incredible.” — Julie [17:08]

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4. KeiyaA – Hooke’s Law

• [21:01–26:15]

Key Points & Insights

• KeiyaA (pronounced “Kia-A”)—Chicago-born, now NYC-based—delivers jazz, hip hop, R&B, and soul, with all writing, producing, and performing done herself.
• The follow-up to her acclaimed debut is “a little more daring, a little bolder… more dissonant sounds… themes of self love and self care are all over the lyrics.” — Julie [21:54]
• Stephen notices a recurring theme in many albums discussed: “Artists who pivot within songs, artists whose songs don’t take an entirely linear journey.” [23:00]
• On “Be Quiet,” Julie loves the demand for personal space:

  "Place me in your bread and take a bite / Let the juices fly and while you’re chewing try to be quiet." [24:56]

Notable Quotes

• “It’s so listenable. This record just drew me in and I listened to it over and over again.” — Julie [24:56]
• “You just get a record that you can’t turn away from.” — Stephen [24:20]

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5. Anna von Hausswolff – Iconoclasts

• [27:02–32:16]

Key Points & Insights

• Swedish singer-songwriter known for her grand, avant-garde, organ-driven soundscapes returns with her most expansive album yet (73 minutes).
• Features Iggy Pop and Ethel Cain as collaborators.
• “Not as scary and somber as I was expecting,” notes Julie. But still eerie—“Struggle with the Beast” recalls the controversy of her church performances (Julie, 29:27–30:06).
• Stephen highlights how well this fits into the evolving “Halloween music canon”: “If you’re looking for a track to add to your Halloween playlist, make it ‘The Mouth.’” [31:07]
• Julie compares her approach to art-pop icons: “She was kind of almost channeling… Kate Bush and Laurie Anderson.” [32:03]

Notable Quotes

• “Such an otherworldly voice—so strong, clear, and really pretty.” — Julie [29:27]
• “She’s just a fabulous artist. So inventive. Really creates this very, very distinct sound world.” — Stephen [32:16]

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Lightning Round: Other Notable Releases

• Florence and the Machine – Everybody Scream: Big, dramatic, Halloween-perfect bangers. “The title track from this record truly belongs in the still developing Halloween music canon.” — Stephen [32:16–33:29]
• The Charlatans – We Are Loved: Lush and dancey with standout single “Deeper and Deeper.” Tim Burgess says it’s their best record yet – “Super dancey. It’s an earworm, for sure.” [34:09]
• Saintseneca – High Wallow and Supermoon Song: A long-awaited return—21 tracks of “brooding, idiosyncratic, catchy” indie folk pop. [35:00]
• Hilary Woods – Night Crew: Moody, immersive, Lynchian-inspired sound (with production input from Lynch’s sound designer Dean Hurley). [36:13]
• Lily Lyons – Reopen the World: Delicate, forceful English folk in the tradition of Laura Marling and Joan Shelley. [37:08]

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Memorable / Notable Moments

• Julie’s Top Song: “A Tribute to Beetle Bob” by Guided By Voices—“I love this joyful celebration of a man who devoted his existence to celebrating music. He was a true music fan.” [38:15]
• Stephen’s Top Song: “Everybody Scream” by Florence and the Machine—Stephen embraces the expanding world of Halloween music: “More and more artists are really trying to tap into Halloween music the way so many artists have tapped into Christmas…” [39:05]
• On Marfa’s Halloween DIY Scene: Julie describes Halloween in Marfa, Texas as “very DIY”—homemade costumes, local Misfits cover band, and candy from the Dollar General (01:00–01:42).

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Notable Quotes and Timestamps

• “This album is rich. There’s no fluff here. Every song is really a winner.” — Julie, on Snocaps [03:52]
• “He's always looking for that perfect combination of a lyric and a chord pattern that gives you a chill at the back of your spine.” — Julie, quoting Robert Pollard [08:06]
• “Make sure you’re alone the first time you hear the song (‘A Tear for Lucas’ by Hayden Pedigo), because it’s gonna make you cry.” — Julie [20:13]
• “Place me in your bread and take a bite / Let the juices fly and while you’re chewing try to be quiet.” — KeiyaA, discussed by Julie [24:56]
• “She’s just a fabulous artist. So inventive. Really creates this very, very distinct sound world.” — Stephen, on Anna von Hausswolff [32:16]

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Flow & Tone

The show balances deep musical analysis with conversational warmth and plenty of good humor (especially about Halloween traditions and the quirks of Marfa, Texas). Both Stephen and Julie bring a deep love of music and a knack for highlighting not only standout tracks, but also the talent and intent behind each release.

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For New Listeners

This episode is a stellar primer on what’s hottest and most inventive in the indie/alternative scene right now. The deep dives into new records provide insights into their sound, context, and emotional impact—a perfect Halloween treat for music fans hungry for discovery. Whether you want thoughtful lyrics, genre-bending artistry, or simply some fresh songs for your haunted playlist, this episode has something for you.

Transcript

[A]

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[B]

Happy Friday everyone. From NPR Music. It's New Music Friday. I am Stephen Thompson here with DJ Julie B. From Marfa Public Radio in Texas. Welcome back to the show, Julie.

[C]

Hey, Stephen. Hey, it's great to be here.

[B]

It is such a pleasure. So, Julie, my first question right off the bat, before we even talk about the amazing new albums that are out today, Halloween. How do you celebrate how Halloween in Marfa, Texas, one of the most kind of art intensive locations in America.

[C]

Yeah, it really is. And it's also a location with no stores, no major stores. So Halloween here is very diy. People have to make their own costumes. We don't have a Halloween store, much less a Walmart to get costumes at. So yeah, people get really creative on Halloween. There's always big parties and we actually have a local Misfits cover band called the Nightmares that play a show every year. They're playing again this year, so it's going to be lots of fun.

[B]

And so in terms of no stores, like you have a way of acquiring candy. You're not, you're not making your own candy.

[C]

Yeah, no, we don't make our own candy. We do have the Dollar General and you know, there's always a Dollar General. Yeah, yeah.

[B]

And if the Dollar General fails, they can put up a spirit Halloween.

[C]

Well, that would be the dream, right?

[B]

All right. Well, we've got an amazing array of new records out today, October 31, kicking off with a surprise release totally unannounced prior to today. But you know, we heard it new album by a band called Snocaps, which is members of Waxahachie and P.S. elliot. Their new album is self titled.

[D]

See through the Box. I got let it go Know we.

[C]

Don'T know.

[D]

We don't know we don't know each other. So.

[C]

The Crutchfield sisters, Katie and Allison, are twins. They had a pop punk band together until about 2011 called P S Eliot. Katie went on to perform under the name Waxahachie while her sister started the indie rock band Swearin. And new music from either of them is really a reason to rejoice in. A collaborative record with them is really exciting. The this album is so great. It's really fun. A lot of really upbeat pop songs. Super catchy, really strong sing along energy. This album is rich. There's no fluff here. Every song is really a winner.

[B]

Yeah, I really agree. And you just get such a welcome dose of those Waxahachie vibes, right? Just really smart singer, songwriter with kind of an edge, kind of a crunch to it, and like little quotable nuggets along the way. You know, these. These are such excellent songwriters. There's a. A track called coast, you know, early on. Just totally has that broody, crunchy, quiet, then loud, then quiet, you know, formula. Just down to perfection. Kicking the album off with some really welcome bluster. And the song kind of builds as it goes, you know, with. With this line, can't we just coast? Which obviously this album is an answer to that question that these are not artists who have any interest in coasting.

[C]

Yeah, I love the indie rock instrumentation on this. The harmonies are so beautiful on the chorus. These two women being sisters and twins, you know, they have that thing that siblings have where their voices just blend so beautifully in their band. P.S. elliot, they had a lot of kind of feminist songs about their experiences in the male dominated punk scene. And I found that there were some really cool feminist gems on this album too. The song Avalanche has some really great lyrics. One of the lines is, I've got a lot riding on this next gentleman. His mythology's like a vitamin. He might wobble, but he always wins. He always runs circles around me while running in the right circles. Some really great songwriting on this album.

[D]

You look past me, you see nobody might see me as the enemy. Keep me close, babe.

[B]

Yeah, and that's part of where you get the sense of like, this doesn't just feel like a side project. There is a certain kind of ambling quality to a lot of the arrangements where it can feel a little shaggy, but the songwriting and as you. As you said, the lyric writing just really, really jumps out. It really feels like they're at the top of their games. You know, there's a track early on the record called Heathcliff, which is deploying kind of a series of sturdy metaphors. The Cat in the Window is kind of a metaphor for Devot. You know, just these different. These different turns of phrase that are kind of calling to mind bigger ideas. It's very, very sharp songwriting and it's set against arrangements that I think really, really work for them.

[D]

When you go down, you take me down with you when you go down, you take me down with you when you go down, you take me down with you I'll be the light at the.

[B]

That is Snow Caps, their new self titled Surprise album. This one was not previously announced out today, October 31st. Next up, Julie, I know this one is near and dear to your heart. Yes, there is a new album. Believe it or not, there's a new album by Guided By Voices. But it is like their 105th album. It is called Thick, Rich and Delicious.

[E]

Lucy's world is not designed to guide you to the church on time Lucy's world conceals your fate Crystal clearance is not too late can change your mind and all the time you cross your eyes, your dotted lines and watch out for optical illusions.

[C]

This one is so good. GBV they've been around for over 40 years. They are indie rock royalty and they are so prolific. This latest album, Thick, Rich and Delicious, is their second of 2025. It's the 42nd studio album and Robert Pollard, the leader of that band, is so prolific, he's got thousands and thousands of songs to his credit on well over 100 full length albums. When you add in his solo material and his many side bands, this album is getting a lot of buzz for kind of being a return to power pop for this band with lots of hooks. Bob, the king of hooks, has said that he really kind of uses that to base his songwriting on. He's always looking for that perfect combination of a lyric and a chord pattern that gives you a chill at the back of your spine. That is a quote from Robert Pollard.

[E]

Union rise at 48 took that many years to still look great.

[B]

I would imagine a lot of people who have loved and celebrated Guided By Voices over the course of this decades long, very prolific output. A lot of people drop in and out of this band. I wonder and maybe you can answer this question, like how many Guided by Voices superfans and you are like literally wearing like a niche Guided by Voices T shirt for this conversation.

[C]

One of many.

[B]

Yeah. And I assume that is not your only Guided by Voices T shirt, but do you, do you kind of drop in and out with this band or are you hanging on their every word?

[C]

Oh, no, no. I have been a fan since the mid-90s. They have been my favorite band, literally since the moment I first heard them. So in the mid-90s is sort of when, I don't want to say the height of their popularity, but they would.

[B]

Put out an album and people would pay attention? Well, yes, like, like, like the press would pay attention?

[F]

Oh, yes.

[B]

In ways that I don't think the press has paid as much attention to this band in recent years.

[C]

I think you're right. So for fans like me who have followed them all along. And there are new fans coming in. Definitely. You know, we have been hanging on their every album as far as favorite.

[B]

Songs from this record. I mean, there were several that really jumped out to me. And, you know, I have long thought of Guided by Voices as, you know, an extremely sturdy band, an extremely prolific band, but a band where each album, you know, will serve up a few kind of extra special highlights, right? Songs with hooks that are so indelible that you can't resist them. And I definitely found that here. There's a song called you'd Can't Go Back to Oxford, Talawanda, where, like it was. It's just like beating you with that hook.

[E]

You can go back to Oxford Talawanda can't go back to Oxford Ali Wonder Never go back to Oxford Talawanda.

[B]

And it closes with this song, Captain Kangaroo Won the War, which is very, very Guided by Voices song title. But, you know, the song is just this strange, gnarled thumper. And I got to it, kind of listening through to this record in the car and my immediate thought was like, I can't wait to hear what's next. And then I realized that the album was over. And it's like I just said, I can't wait to hear what's next with Guided by Voices, who have like 7,000 hours of music.

[C]

That's what it does to your mind.

[E]

With the Dying Star Corporation.

[B]

Do you have a favorite song on this record?

[C]

You know, it kind of changes every day. The first one that really hit me, well, Phantasmagoric Upstarts was one of the singles that they released. Love this song. I think Bob's vocals sound really fantastic. I love Our man Syracuse. I love a tribute to Beetle Bob. Lots of great songs on this one that I like. A whole lot.

[E]

Of noise, a whole lot of shame and primitive action. You're coming. Attraction.

[B]

That is thick, rich and delicious. The new album from Guided By Voices, one of many great albums out today, October 31st. We've got more terrific, terrific music to get to, but first, let's take a quick break.

[F]

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[A]

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[F]

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[B]

From NPR Music. It's New Music Friday. I'm Stephen Thompson here with DJ Julie B. From Marfa Public Radio in Marfa, Texas. Julie, I already asked you at the top of this show, you know, kind of how do they celebrate Halloween in Marfa? But what else is going on with Marfa Public Radio?

[C]

Oh, yeah. Well, here at Marfa Public Radio, let's see, we have a new executive director, Anne Marozos, and we had a very successful fall membership drive under her leadership. So that's really good news in this time when public radio stations need all the support that they can get. My music show Amplified just had its 100th episode and you can find it on Mixcloud. Just look for DJ Julie B.

[B]

Wonderful. Congratulations. Many happy returns. That's a great milestone. I mean, I often say the secret to success is to have a good idea and then execute it a thousand.

[C]

Times or a hundred times or a.

[B]

Hundred times, you know, so you're 10% of the way there. Nice. Well, next up, we have a new album by Chat Pyle and Hayden Pedigo. It is called in the Earth Again.

[E]

So I'm sitting now half in the ears with the ghost and my friends and the ghost of the world and the echo's endless so I share my song with the angels of the soil. The angels on the.

[C]

So this is seemingly an unlikely pairing. Musically, these two acts are pretty opposite. Chat Pile is kind of a sludgy edge noise rock band. They incorporate a lot of topics that reflect the ugliness in their world. It's dark and heavy. Their name actually refers to toxic piles of gravel from abandoned lead mines in what is now a ghost town in their home state of Oklahoma. And Hayden Pedego just has these beautiful, intricate, sparse, and haunting guitar songs. They are both from this DIY music scene of Oklahoma City. For whatever reason these two came together on. So Glad they did. This album is really incredible.

[B]

Yeah, they find really effective ways of meeting in the middle. I mean, if you've ever listened to a Hayden Pedego record, you know, he makes these kind of vibey southwestern rambles, you know, this beautiful kind of American primitive style guitars, but also, you know, kind of atmospherics on top of that. And then Chat Pile is so much more discordant, so much more kind of conflicted sounding. And they find ways to allow this album to ebb and flow from track to track, but also within an individual song where you get a feel for what Hayden Pedego does. You get a feel for what Chat Pile does, and you find these kind of surprising bits of connective tissue that hold them together. It kicks off with a track called Outside, which is kind of reflective, atmospheric, kind of instrumental meandering. It feels like a Hayden Pedigo song. And then, like, the next track is called Demon Time, which gives you a sense that this record's getting a little darker. It is Halloween and you start to hear, you know, guitar bluster kind of coming up underneath him as this song kind of builds to more and more of a ruckus.

[E]

Hey, stupid eyes hey, stupid eyes.

[B]

And then your third track, it's called Never say Die. And that's where you start to get the feel of actual metal. You hear big chords, big chords, shouty vocals. It's a little more unhinged. The pace is quickening by about a minute in. It's gotten really wild. And so I was like realizing as I was listening that it is all hanging together even when it's all happening within an individual song.

[C]

I have to say, one of my favorite songs on this, the one that really moved me was the final song, A Tear for Lucas. This one is so intense. It's a beautiful Hayden guitar song. It has the most heartfelt, personal, sad vocals I've ever heard. I would say, like, make sure you're alone the first time you hear the song, because it's gonna make you cry.

[E]

And we begin to believe that we don't on the edge of time and space of boundless chance and inherent grace.

[B]

That is in the earth again New album by Chat Pyle and Hayden Pedigo. Next up, the singer songwriter Kia that's K E I Y A and then a capital A. Her new album is called Hooke's Law.

[G]

But I'm supposed to prove I know you wanna be me Takes a lot to keep from crashing out and leaving Takes too much to keep it all together these days Fake and tough from bleeding Giving too much leaving Do I want to die or damn I just hungry Do I want to cry or do I need Sloan Everybody think they know what's best for me Everybody think.

[C]

They ignoring what they seeing Kia comes from Chicago, an art city that's steeped in jazz and blues. She's now based in New York, where the struggle to survive also had a hand in her lyrics. She combines soulful vocals with beats that she creates. She blends jazz, hip hop and R B to create her own style of neo soul. She cites influences from Chaka Khan to John Coltrane to Nirvana and Hooke's Law is the follow up to her 2020 debut album, Forever your Girl. That album received a lot of critical acclaim. It landed on multiple year end lists. Unlike that first album though, this one was completely, completely produced by Kia. She wrote all the songs and plays all the instruments and it feels a little more daring to me than her debut, A Little Bolder. It's got more dissonant sounds. The sounds aren't all pretty and smooth, but much like her debut album, themes of self love and self care are all over the lyrics.

[B]

I think there's a kind of a recurring theme with several of the records that we're talking about this week. Artists who pivot within songs, artists whose songs don't take an entirely linear journey. That is definitely true of the Guided by Voices record, where there are several songs that have these strange codas attached to them. You know, where they're moving through different phases. It's true certainly of the Chat Pile and Hayden Pedego record, where a song really, truly contains multitudes. I need to point out my colleague Robin Hilton this week on All Songs Considered has an entire episode full of songs that contain multitudes. And this week's New Music Friday thematically fits shockingly closely to what Robin was just talking about. And on this record that comes up again and again, the song Stupid Prizes about Midway through kind of pivots into this kind of blurred out atmospheric reverie. And it's very catchy and it's very pretty, but there's also this darkness kind of burbling underneath it.

[G]

Laid on the beach was Akima and me on the salty waters of the Adriatic Sea but still our clouds I.

[B]

See you just get a sense of just how many ideas, how much training, you know, she, she grew up kind of steeped in jazz, just how many sounds and styles and ideas and themes were competing for her attention in making this record. And what you come away with from all of those ingredients, all just kind of jockeying for attention, is you just get a record that you can't turn away from.

[C]

It's so listenable. This record just drew me in and I listened to it over and over again. And each time you listen to it, you hear more things that you might have missed, like that great jazzy instrumentation, kind of a beat poet feel at times. The electronic stuff going on that's very hypnotic. The layered vocals are so beautiful. One of my favorite songs was Be Quiet. I really love the message of this one, the directness of it. She's not asking demurely. She's demanding the space that she needs. And the words that she uses to do it are so great. She says, place me in your bread and take a bite Let the juices fly and while you're chewing try to be quiet. I really love that there's a reason.

[G]

Why I keep to myself. I need lions and peace of mind. Please try not to act too caress don't be my line respecting enemy and reply yes, I be so high Every day of my life it keeps me tied up. No need to see unwind I know my beauty cries Wanna get out my mind.

[B]

That is Hooke's Law. It is the new second album by the artist Kia. We've got one more record we want to talk about in depth as well as a lightning round of some of our other favorite songs out today, Halloween. But first, let's take a quick break.

[A]

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[B]

It's NEW MUSIC Friday. I'm Stephen Thompson here with DJ Julie B from Marfa Public Radio in Marfa, Texas. Before we get to our lightning round, we got one more record we wanted to talk about, and we wanted to get something that you could basically play on your front porch to scare children.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

On this spookiest of holidays. So we're going with Anna von Hauswolf. Her new album is called Iconoclasts.

[E]

When it's you.

[D]

What'S your story? Where's your end, my sweet child?

[E]

For you are doing.

[B]

So. Anna von Haswolf is a Swedish singer songwriter. Grew up in the avant garde. Her father is a sound artist by the name of Carl Michael von Haswolf. And Anna von Haswolf kind of made her name with these extremely booming, doomy, strange, eclectic, arty songs that were constructed around the pipe organization. And, you know, she has continued to be a really inventive and unpredictable artist, working with a lot of different sounds, a lot of different collaborators. And here, kind of in the spirit of the title of the record Iconoclasts, she has among her guests Iggy Pop and Ethel Cain. And I think, boy, if Anna von Haswolf doesn't meet at the midpoint between Iggy Pop and Ethel Cain, I don't know who does.

[C]

Listen.

[D]

To me, I'm stronger than I see. Cause I've been through this huge emotion Now I'm not afraid.

[C]

What a voice she has, too. Just such an otherworldly voice. So strong, clear, and really pretty. I feel like on this new album, she's really stretching out with her voice and with the instrumentation and the production. This feels like something really new from her. Not as scary and somber as I was expecting, really. On multiple listens. Although there is a song called Struggle with the Beast, which kind of reminds us why she's been described as satanic by some fundamentalist Catholic groups.

[B]

Well, and she's performed at churches that have been picketed.

[C]

Yeah. Yeah. So she's singing about struggling with this beast that seems to be within her.

[E]

Morning.

[C]

I was getting.

[D]

The feeling of losing my mind.

[B]

You know, we just did an episode of All Songs Considered. Robin Hilton, Hazel Sills, and I sat down and did an episode about kind of the Halloween music canon beyond the traditional Monster Mash, Ghostbusters, Somebody's Watching Me. You know, songs that kind of pop up on the Billboard charts every spooky season don't necessarily, first of all, aren't necessarily particularly scary.

[C]

They're not scary. Yeah.

[B]

And don't necessarily speak to the vibes that are kind of most musically interesting about Halloween. So we just have had this wonderful conversation, and I was kicking myself when I was listening to this record because I thought, man, how did I forget the previous catalog of Anna Von Haswolf, whose first album was called Singing from the Grave? Really, Anna Von Haswolf works really, really well as Halloween music. And if you're looking for a track to add to your Halloween playlist, make it the mouth.

[C]

It's me.

[D]

I'm shining.

[C]

And dry.

[D]

My mouth.

[C]

Yeah, this is a great Halloween album, for sure. I feel like she was kind of almost channeling, like, art pop icons Kate Bush and Laurie Anderson.

[B]

Yeah, she's just a fabulous artist. So inventive. Really creates this very, very distinct sound world. And I'm thrilled to have her back for a sixth album. And it's an epic 73 minutes. Give it. Give it some time. Definitely have in your Halloween rotation, that is Iconoclasts, the new album from Anna Von Hauswolf. Julie, you know as well as I that there was so much music to choose from this week. We could not possibly get to every terrific album out today. October 31st. I'm gonna kick us off, talk about your Halloween music. And I did talk about this one on that Halloween special that we did with Robin and Hazel. Just in time for Halloween, the English pop band fl Florence and the Machine, back with a sixth studio album full of grand, dramatic, sometimes scary bangers. Florence Welch's voice undiminished Undefeated. And as we discussed on that show, the title track from this record truly belongs in the still developing Halloween music canon. Both that song and the new album are called Everybody Scream.

[D]

Get on stage. And I call her by her first.

[C]

Name.

[D]

Try to stay away But I always meet her back at this place she gives me everything I feel no pain I break down and get up and do it all again because it's never enough she makes me feel I can come here and scream as loud as I want Everybody dance.

[C]

So fans of the Charlatans are going to like their latest batch of songs. Really full and rich, with lots of lushness, catchy tunes. I really love their single Deeper and Deeper. Super dancey. It's an earworm, for sure. And the band's frontman, Tim Burgess, has said that he thinks that this is the best record that they've ever done. The Charlatans latest album is We Are Loved.

[E]

I Got My Head in the Clouds.

[B]

There are a few records this week that feel especially appropriate for Halloween. It's almost as if they timed them out that way. One I'm really excited about is the first album in seven years from the mysterious and worldly Ohio band Saint Seneca. Saint Seneca's boy been putting out wonderful music for the better part of two decades, though they've slowed down quite a bit in recent years. Fortunately, they are back with a super sized 21 song album. Runs almost 80 minutes and as always, it's brooding and idiosyncratic. It's catchy, it's alluring. I have really missed this band. Saint Seneca's new record is called High Wallow and Supermoon Song and I sing sweet.

[E]

Forever.

[G]

You say.

[C]

Hillary woods has a new album out called Night Crew. It's the fifth solo album from this Irish musician and it's another album that you want to immerse yourself in. It's perfect for this season. Hillary is influenced in part by filmmakers. She's on the indie label Sacred Bones, which also hosts releases by Jim Jarmusch, John Carpenter and David Lynch. And this album actually had additional production from David lynch sound designer Dean Hurley. That's Hilary Wood's Night Crew in the great unknown.

[D]

Leave the light.

[E]

Up.

[D]

When you wake no, you're not alone.

[B]

And finally, I don't want to get through this week's show without mentioning a gorgeous new record from the English singer songwriter Lily Lyons. Her music is delicate and forceful at the same time. There's a pretty clear through line between her songs and those of everyone from Joan Shelley to Laura Marling and farther back to classic English folk of the 60s. Lily Lyon's new album is called Reopen the World.

[G]

Casey's in school.

[D]

Building a better life, trying to get it right.

[B]

Now. Julie, you and I listen to a lot of music to prep for this conversation.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

What, what is the best song you heard? The one that you are going to remember the most after all these hours of listening.

[C]

Oh, man. I think the one that is going to be my favorite. I'm going to have to go with Guided by Voices, of course.

[B]

What band it will be?

[C]

Yeah, yeah. Which song is the question. I'm going to go with the tribute to Beetle Bob. I love this joyful celebration of a man who devoted his existence to celebrating music. He was a true music fan.

[B]

Yeah, he was a. He was a famous music fan. You would see him dancing at concerts and he had like a Beatle, Beatle.

[C]

Haircut, dressed in 60s clothes, famous for the way that he danced. Yeah. So I'm, I'm going with this one.

[E]

It's all right to sing the same old.

[B]

This is a tricky one because, you know, I'd love to pick something like Avalanche from Snow caps or, you know, one of these, one of these really expansive tracks from God from Chat Pile and Hayden Pedigo or Kia. I think I'm gonna go with the spirit of Halloween, not spirit Halloween and say everybody screaming from Florence and the Machine. Love the big kind of horror evoking video. I love the fact that more and more artists are really trying to tap into Halloween music the way so many artists have tapped into Christmas and kind of the holidays in general. Having like an actual genre of Halloween music develop, you know, beyond kind of goth subcultures or metal subcultures, but just, just to Halloween music as a genre, I think is a really cool and welcome thing. And I think Florence and the Machine bring tons and tons of drama and joy to it.

[D]

Here I don't have to be quiet. Here I don't have to be kind, extraordinary and normal all at the same time. But look at me run myself ragged blind on the stage. But how can I leave you any you scream in my name.

[B]

That is our show for this week. Thank you so much, DJ Julie B. For taking time out of your week at Marfa Public Radio.

[C]

Oh, thank you. It's been so much fun.

[B]

If you enjoyed this week's show, we always appreciate a positive review on Apple or Spotify or whatever app you're listening to right now. This episode was produced by Noah Caldwell and edited by Otis Hart. The executive producer of NPR Music is Soraya Muhammad. We'll be back next week to discuss new music with Liz Felix from WYEP in Pittsburgh. And yes, I might mention that the packers beat Pittsburgh. Until then, take a moment to be well. Keep the spirit of love alive like the charlatans said, and treat yourself to lots of great music.

[D]

Here I can take up the whole of sky and first becoming my full size and look at me burst through the ceiling. I just so glad you came breathless and begging and screaming my name.

[F]

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