Dead Man’s Bones make music

Dead Man’s Bones, made up of musicians Zach Shields and Ryan Gosling, released their first self-titled CD just in time for Halloween 2009.

The pair met through their then-girlfriends and discovered a mutual obsession with all things undead and began planning a haunted musical for the stage. The production costs proved to be excessive so Shields and Gosling instead decided to record an album on the Anti label.

Theatricality oozes from the album with sound effect embellishments like horror-movie screams, foil-paper rain and shrill whispers that float out from behind the tracks.

The duo’s earnestness and passion for their project is obvious. They played all the instruments on the album, including ones they had no previous experience with. They also decided not to record more than three takes of a song or use a click track for guidance.

The result is the sweetly imperfect sound of a vintage record found in a rummage box. The smorgasbord of influences, including old zombie flicks, female soul bands from the ‘60s and even Disney’s Haunted Mansion, works wonderfully well together.

Had Edgar Allan Poe listened to doo-wop, he might have dreamed up the Dead Man’s Bones tunes to sing to his young wife. Shields and Gosling savor their personas as love-struck, sickly gravediggers and channel them through lyrics like, “When I think about you, flowers grow out of my grave.”

Interestingly, the Los Angeles-area Silverlake Conservatory of Music’s Children’s Choir is featured in every track, adding to the quirky fun of the album. Keyboard and drums crash through “In the Room Where You Sleep,” an angry monster of a song that could stir the undead into dancing the jitterbug. The sing-along, clap-along anthem “Name in Stone” tears at the heartstrings as Gosling’s cracking voice declares that he will raise his flag up into your heart.

“My Body is a Zombie for You” is another tearjerker, although the children’s choir shouting the chorus creates some discomfort for the listener. Thematically, the album could be linked to Leonard Cohen and Tom Wait’s poetic styles. However, pop tunes like “Pa-Pa-Power” shines through cheerily despite the fact that the song is an ode to burning cars.

Celebrity status has certainly helped with the band’s PR, but they definitely do not lack talent or hold back effort onstage. Dead Man’s Bones made a festive one-night stop at the Bleeker-street club Le Poisson Rouge on Oct. 15, transforming the performance space into a magical, Tim Burton-inspired graveyard.

Shields and Gosling know that nothing is as engaging as a good scare on Halloween and they used this aesthetic for a memorable performance.

The duo designed and helped set up the elaborate cloth backdrop, which depicted a dilapidated house falling apart on a lonely hill set against a shower of cutout stars. A talent show of local performers played before a children’s choir from Philadelphia filed onstage, dressed in ghost costumes embroidered with red hearts.

The deep growl of Gosling and Shield’s voices was surprising and commanding, stirring the hearts of the young girls in the crowd. Although The Dead Man’s Bones tour bus has left New York, their album is a treat that can be enjoyed year-round.

Be the first to comment on this article!

Add comment


I am not posting spam. I understand posting spam or other comments that are unrelated to this article will cause my comment to be flagged for deletion and possibly cause my IP address to be permanently banned from this server.

Enter the characters in the image above:

log out