Three years ago, I recommended the 101 Strings version of "Psycho: The Murder" somewhat reluctantly. I wrote, "I was on the fence about recommending this. Saying this is a departure for one of the best known easy listening ensembles is an understatement. Still, it's appropriately grim and tense, which shows the orchestra has range beyond its generally sedate repertoire."
After hearing it again yesterday on Stingray Music, my review would now read, "An easy listening ensemble takes a dark turn. The repeated opening note reminds me of a smoke detector." Honestly, though, I don't think I'd recommend it now. In the midst of the pandemic, a decline in civility, and a precarious democracy, frights don't need to be contrived. That same thought occurred to me when Stingray played Billie Eilish's "Bury A Friend" and "Psycho Killer" by Talking Heads. While both songs have musical merit, it's odd to hear them on the Holiday Hits station.
This Halloween, I'm inclined not to stray too far past Vince Guaraldi's "Great Pumpkin Waltz." Does anyone really need to be scared past the point of what the world has already thrown at us?
