Dead Man's Bones: S/T

Comprising two Hollywood actors - Ryan Gosling and Zach Shields - and born out of an all-out addiction of the Haunted House ride in Disneyland, Dead Man's Bones have been a strange musical story since the off.

After abandoning a horror/love story set for the stage, the twosome decided to make the soundtrack instead; learning new instruments and meeting up with a children's choir along the way. A couple of years later and Dead Man's Bones was finally announced, building hype as if it was made of Lego and raising eyebrows worldwide. Luckily, whilst the band seem like an uneven and slightly random combination of various influences on paper, it's actually rather brilliant in the flesh. 

A thick, heavy heart-beat of classic 1960s doo-wop thumps throughout the entire journey (just listen to "Paper Ships") and it really adds to the authentic sound the duo strive and succeed to create over the three-quarters of an hour. Echoed, tinny, almost underwater production swallows every track, tinting it with creepy, aged, almost abandoned atmosphere. It can only really be described as a soundtrack fit for a zombie ballroom dance on a sunken ship, hundreds of feet beneath the ocean's surface. 

"In The Room Where You Sleep" has changed since it's original video surfaced a few months back; mainly the backing children's choir has been removed and replaced by more ethereal, looming male vocals from the main two members. Gone as well is the subtle, moody piano of yonder and in its place shines a new, almost Transylvanian-styled keyboard warble set distinctly to the eerie church-organ option. Again, it's the production values which shine more than the song; taps and echoing claps fidgeting in the background like a house too old for its foundations and smothered, flooded vocal distortion that sends shivers down the spine. It's all very theatrical and that notion flows strongly throughout the entire album's duration.

It's pretty experimental too, never following a strict structure or overall outline, instead choosing to wander freely as it pleases, following a route that might not sound as impressive as what lay before it, but never fading into something entirely forgettable. You may say a little tightening was in order but the record actually benefits from it's unpredictable nature. "Young & Tragic" builds instrumentally into a choir-only burst of tender youthfulness whilst it's successor, the aforementioned doo-wop heavy Paper Ships is a sun-drenched, laid back, barely three-minute ditty which manages to pay homage to 1960s rhythm 'n' blues as well as include a choir section and sound like a beach-side Hawaiian acoustic daydream all at once.

Without letting the listener pause for a moment to regain their composure, the album then leads directly into "Lose Your Soul", a clapping, bleeping affair filled with melancholic vocals - "You're gonna lose your soul tonight. You're gonna lose control tonight" - and airy, choir backing chants. The rhythm collects like dense mist around a towering, dilapidated house, only the tallest spire managing to poke its tip out of the thick, impending cloud. Then, it's time for "Werewolf Heart", a genuine highlight and with another hairpin turn into new and unexpected territory. It's mournful, creepy, drenched in regret and something you just don't expect from an album created by two musical newcomers.

It's definitely a unique journey, especially to witness in 2009. Everything seems so old and creaky, tattered and crumbling and yet fully collected at the same time. It's not exactly as if it's the deepest and most cohesive thing we've ever heard but coming from two actors who had no real experience in the music industry, it's a pretty impressive (and more importantly, unique) effort into classic B-Movie soundtrack with a gospel twist.

Highly recommended, even if you don't like scary movies.