Today is the first official day of fall, which means it’s time to bust out the flannels, grab a PSL and put on… Ryan Gosling’s Halloween album?
Back in 2009, Hollywood’s objectively best Ryan dropped Dead Man’s Bones, a spook-tastic album named after the band he formed with friend Zach Shields. (The pair met while dating the McAdams sisters — as in The Notebook star Rachel McAdams and her sibling Kayleen.) According to Rolling Stone, the friends bonded over their love of ghost stories and the Haunted Mansion ride at Disneyland.
They were inspired to make a “spooky doo wop” sound, which sounds ridiculous but accurately describes the music of Dead Man’s Bones. Gosling and Shields collaborated with the Silverlake Conservatory of Music Children’s Choir to create a hauntingly beautiful 12-track album that’s an excellent blend of Arcade Fire and Fleet Foxes, which is to say it’s good.
While there are plenty of actors-turned-singers who have completely bombed their musical attempts, Gosling’s project is actually worth the listen. You can hear the full album below.