DEAD MAN’S BONES
Dead Man’s Bones
Released right around Halloweentime, Dead Man’s Bones could be considered gimmicky if it wasn’t so unexpectedly good. Celebrity heartthrob Ryan Gosling and filmmaker Zach Shields manage to combine all the right elements of vintage spooky sounds, raw indie cabaret tunes and the charm of an elementary school play. Featuring the Silverlake Conservatory of Music children’s choir, Gosling and Shields guide the kids through songs about ghosts, werewolves and losing one’s soul. The album often fringes on creepy macabre material with standout tracks like “My Body’s a Zombie for You.” While it might be easily dismissed as a quirky for the sake of being quirky it often strikes the right balance of creative atmosphere and rawness that is lacking in most, if not all, actor-turned-musician celebrity projects. (Yes, I’m talking to you, ScarJo.) Whether it’s the rumblings of out-of-tune children or actors not being able to play their instruments, this project has managed to summon the perfect balance of morbid allure and resourceful conception. (Anti, www.deadmansbones.net) Kent Davies