HALLOWEEN,
ALASKA is an American rock band. This site will be updated in the
coming weeks.
There have been two albums so far: this
one and this
one. You can find them on iTunes,
Amazon and elsewhere.
A new album has been recorded and will surface sometime in 2008.
There is a MySpace page here.
Booking queries and other questions can be directed to thewatertowntrust [at]
gmail.com
Below are some press clippings:
RE: the
self-titled debut ...
"[FOUR STARS] ... Halloween, Alaska's emotive verve and electro-organic
poise is so accomplished, you'd think you'd got your hands on The Blue Nile's
mislaid comeback album. Melancholy stains every measured note, but HA reside
slap-bang in the heart of America's Mid-west, and the atmosphere of low, distant
horizons and isolation is palpable. James Diers can conjure up images to match
his lovelorn burr (All the Arms Around You: "into some forgotten space
[sic]/where the envy and the hate/swim around in figure-eights"), and
a cover of Springsteen's State Trooper perfectly nails the bloodshot, restless
mood." -- MOJO
"[FOUR STARS] ... carefully crafted atmosphere, with all extraneous nonsense
removed to make room for the quiet, soulful vocals. The sounds -- whether
gravelly bass riffs or lighter-than-air background washes -- are so carefully
picked and programmed that you dwell on their texture in the same way that
you'd run your finger over the grain in a piece of wood ... Mesmerising stuff."
-- Sunday Times (UK)
" ... startlingly fresh ... electronic moods, muted tones and lush yet
sparingly applied sonic textures." -- Amplifier
" ... lush, atmospheric pools of sound ... meticulously crafted songs,
with plenty of atmosphere, but also with plenty of emotion to go right alongside
it. ... full of drowsy synths, shimmering guitars, and tasteful programming
that can be either dancey or skeletal." -- Opus
"Somehow this band was able to make an album with synths and loops and
electronic drums as real and organic and warm as one of Bob Dylan's pre-electric
albums. ... The atmosphere is so thick you can practically drink it."
-- Sponic
"From its first track, the album drowns the ears in alien lullabies,
though Diers's candid lyrics about living-room clutter make everyday things
just as song-worthy as these strange soundscapes. ... King combines his traditional
drum kit with electronic pads that sound just as they should: beautifully
artificial." -- City Pages
"Shimmery keys and gleaming guitar washes are ideal for floating around
in the pool as jet contrails scar the darkening summer sky. ...'Telling Me'
and 'Call It Clear' radiate a misty, last-week-of-winter vibe, while the icy
post-punk rendition of Springsteen's 'State Trooper' casts a chilly, unsettling
shadow. Finally, the spring thaw has a house band." --Splendid
RE: Too Tall to Hide ...
"A lot of bands claim not to fit in any preexisting pop music genre,
but few can back up these claims as convincingly as Minneapolis-based Halloween,
Alaska. ... jittery-jungly and swooningly melodic ... sonically large and
weirdly cathartic ... Highly recommended." --All Music Guide
"Having laid out a defining blend of lush electronica and spare, somber
emo-rock on its debut, this time out the foursome explores the territory further
-- it's soaring and introspective by turns. There's a penchant for offbeat
pop-cultural references, too: Diers puns on Madonna titles in the line 'am
I a lucky star, or am I like a prayer,' and reworks LL Cool J's aggressive
'I Can't Live Without My Radio' into a soft-voiced, heartfelt ballad. In other
hands, that might have been a painful experiment, but here it's worked deftly
into the overall sonic texture." -- The Onion AV Club
"...passionate and entrancing journeys with multi-layers, polyrhythm,
and velvety smooth vocals ... easily a contender for the best electronic album
of the year..." -- ARTISTdirect
"Like the first album's reinvention of Springsteen's 'State Trooper,'
the standout track on the follow-up disc is a delicate and surprisingly soulful
version of LL Cool J's 'I Can't Live Without My Radio.' Oh man, is that a
keeper. But the eight original tunes are even stronger than before..."
-- Star Tribune
" ... songs yo-yoing between hope and despair, blankets of sound and
emptiness and electronic and analog ... the plea for security of 'The Light
Bulb Does' gives way to the appropriated swagger of LL Cool J's 'I Can't Live
Without My Radio.' If there's one must-hear track on the disc, it's 'Radio'
... it displays all the charms of this band: sentimentality tempered by a
wink and masterful musicianship uncluttered by virtuoso-style wankery."
-- Pulse