Various Artists - Chilling, Thrilling Hooks And Haunted Harmonies: The Big Stir Records Halloween Grimoire [2LP Green]

Chilling, Thrilling Hooks and Haunted Harmonies gathers nineteen songs and roughly two dozen artists from the Big Stir Records roster, pressed to eerie green vinyl in a gatefold that unfolds into an actual playable board game.

Big Stir has built its reputation on power pop and pop-leaning indie rock played completely straight, hooks first, and this Halloween compilation is the label having genuine fun with its own house style rather than abandoning it. Nobody here is chasing actual horror atmosphere so much as writing perfectly serviceable pop songs about monsters, ghouls, and outer space, which turns out to be a much better joke than straight-faced spookiness would have been. The range still runs wider than expected, folk-horror textures and goth-adjacent post-punk sitting alongside the straightforward jangle the label is known for.

Librarians with Hickeys contribute Ghoul You Want, all hooks and no genuine menace, exactly as it should be. Sparkle*Jets U.K. bring Eyeball Eater (From Outer Space), which commits fully to its own absurd premise without ever winking too hard. Splitsville round out the roster with the kind of pure power pop songwriting that makes the whole compilation cohere despite its scattered cast.

Two dozen bands, one shared sense of humour, and a board game hiding inside the sleeve. Halloween records rarely earn repeat listens after October. This one might.