Atlanta

Despite warnings from all who have encountered these ghastly ghouls I sought them out. A few failed attempts to summon them on a Ouija board went by, but they made their presence known in a séance that gripped me with fear in the former New Street Gallery in Avondale. After a few ill-advised taunts the planchette darted violently from letter to letter, spelling the answers to my questions. Soon enough their earth-bound hosts materialized before me in a haze of dense smoke and reverb.

I am duty bound not to reveal the names of the bodies of the living whom they inhabit, out of fear of exorcism. But after some coaxing they agreed to an interview...

Can you tell me your names?

Spook1-2: No!
Spook3: Where we're from there is no need for names.
Spook4: Bodies are temporal things anyway, they just come and go. A spirit is an eternal form.
Spook5: We didn't write these songs anyway. We channeled them. Beethoven was decomposing and we stole his sheet music.

How did you die?

Spook1: In various attrocious ways.

Spook2: I was a soldier in World War II.
Spook1: I am an incarnation of Leon Trotsky.
Spook3: Tonight is De Walle, did you know that?

What's De Walle?

Spook3: It's the Hindu celebration of Bhangra ... The avatar of Vishnu came down to the earth, his skin was green and he fought tremendous battles. That's how I died.
Spook4: I got killed by hydrochloric acid. I used to work at an industrial chemical plant. There was an explosion in tank B. This is where I ended up.
Spook2: I was actually burned at the stake.

Where you a witch?

Spook4: No, he was a T-bone.
Spook5: I tried to steal cigarettes from the gas station and the clerk shot me.

Are you good spirits or bad spirits?

Spooks1-5: Bad!
Spook5: We're all pretty bad, but we think bad is good, it all depends on which side you're looking at.
Spook2: Satan was originally a saint in heaven.
Spook3: He still is in my book...
Spook5: He just tried to steal the spotlight.

Why have you come back from the grave?

Spook1: To rock...
Spook3: Demons need to rock, too.

Why has it taken you so long to put out a record?

Spook 4: Well, it's difficult to capture spirits on tape. I don't know if you have ever tried it, but we can be quite elusive.
Spook5: It may seem like a long time to you, because you're alive. We're dead ... a thousand years for the living is just like a few minutes for us. So really it hasn't been that long at all. We put this record out in no time, actually.
Spook3: Yeah, for us it came out like in the blink of an eye.
Spook4: ...and also, the first time we recorded I accidentally dropped the 4-Track on the floor and it broke into a million pieces ... of fiery sulfur.
Spook1: I also want to add that this show on Halloween is going to be just like the old days of Little 5 Points. People will be partying in the streets as they make their way from the Deerhunter show over to the Star Bar. It's going to be awesome. Ghouls running wild on the streets.

Why did you cover BTO?

Spook5: Because it's bad ass ... That song is undying!
Spook1: Many many people died listening to that song back in the '70s.
Spook4: Actually we recorded the original BTO version of that song. We had the bodies of the original members of BTO back then, so we own the copyright to "Taking Care of Business," actually. It's not a cover.

Do you have a favorite song on the album?

Spook4: I like the new version of "Mark of the Covenant." It's so raw. Halfway through it just tears in half and the frequencies are just carving themselves into your mind ... It's awesome.
Spook5: The a-side of the record is like the real record and the b-side is just bonus tracks. It's different versions of a lot of the same songs. The a-side is the new stuff and the b-side is the best of the old recordings that we did and it just so happened that the first few songs on each side match up.
Spook1: It's like two parallel universes performed by different spirits ... Mirroring each other.
Spook5: The b-side is culled from four different recording sessions.
Spook4: You could record those songs 400 years from now and they would sound the same, though. All we worry about is that it rocks.
Spook3: We recommend that you listen to it with some candles burning, and your pants off ... hopefully.
Spook1: We actually have a spirit madame who can take care of business. That's why we put that song on the record.

Do you have a message for the living?

Spook1: Die!
Spook2: Watch your back and watch the people you trust...
Spook5: Watch out!
Spook3: This ain't your parent's Halloween.
Spook4: Just remember when you're asleep and dreaming and your flying around, remember to go into the light. Just go. The first instance that you see it you need to just recognize it and go towards the light. You can't ignore it.

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