by Dan Goldin (@post_trash_)
Some people just aren’t into Stranger Things. For Brooklyn’s Franklin Ligh, better known musically as Karaoke Mood Killer, he’s not into it and he’d like you to stop trying to change his mind. Set to release (the fittingly titled) Demos on November 8th via Spirit Lust (Should’ve), the eight songs were captured in his Bushwick basement studio on a Tascam digital 8 track. The album’s first single, “Stranger Things," addresses these TV themed concerns and in way reflects on the entire idea of the collective consciousness which has become engrained in our culture. The music takes somewhat of a breezy classic rock approach and flips it with a crooning and baroque sounding new wave vocal, slightly awash in reverb. Ligh delivers lines such as “how can I can tell if you’re my friend or if you’re gonna tell me to watch Stranger Things” with a serious bellow and romanticized 80’s post-punk flare, the song eventually picking up the tempo with a weary refrain.
Speaking about the song, written back in 2016 during the height of Stranger Things’ first season, Ligh shared:
“Everyone was acting as if they were paid a commission if they could get me to like what they like. The evangelical nature of the show's fan base felt suspect. How or why it is "so good?" I don't know, they never tell me."
Karaoke Mood Killer will celebrate the release of Demos on November 5th at Alphaville in Brooklyn with Dead Tooth, Should’ve, and Johnny Dynamite.
Ed. note: full disclosure, I like Stranger Things just fine, but to each their own.