King Night - ~this is where i come to cry~

I was introduced to Salem and the genre known as "witch house" back in 2014. I was in the hospital and was on the Songza app (now Google Play Music). I saw a station titled "Witchy Grrrl Pop". I was introduced to many artists such as OoOoo, Sleigh Bells, Grimes, and Salem. The first song from Salem I heard was "Traxx". The haunting female vocals and eerie electronic music grabbed my attention.

I eventually bought the album "King Night". I loved it. I loved every song. This was back in 2014. Let's get back to 2020. Does it hold up?

I saw many reviews, including one from Anthony Fantano, giving this album negative critiques. Some reviews were based off a poor performance from the trio during a concert at SXSW. I honestly don't think it's fair to judge a group based off of one bad live show. Many well known and beloved musicians have had less than stellar live performances.

I found myself agreeing with some of these reviews. Don't get me wrong, I still am a fan of Salem. However, not every song is as good as I thought when I first heard the album back in 2014.

Let's start with the songs I like:

1) King Night- The opening track. It's probably my favorite Salem song. The super creepy "I love yooooou" at the beginning sends chills down my spine. It sounds like a demonic Barney the Dinosaur after murdering all the children. The altered version of John Williams's "O Holy Night" amplifies the scare factor. If you want even more spooky, I highly suggest watching a music video of this song on YouTube that features scenes from old horror movies.

2) Tair- One of the few songs with rapping. The pitch of the rapping is lowered, which is common in modern rap music. The music isn't as creepy, but it pairs well with the rap verses.

3) Redlights

4) Traxx- This one and "Redlights" have the spooky female vocals. I used to listen to "Traxx" while reading Creepypastas. It made mediocre stories actually scary.

I don't hate the rest of the songs, but these stand out to me the most.

I noticed something that the negative reviews of King Night all had in common. They all didn't like the rapping and thought it made the album seem kitsch. I agree. When I first heard this album, I thought the rapping was dope, especially on tracks like "Trapdoor" and "Sick". Listening to it now, it's not too good. In fact, it does seem cheesy. Look up the lyrics to "Trapdoor" and "Sick" and see what I'm talking about. The lowered pitch and the goofy lyrics are kitsch and are really the only thing I didn't like about King Night.

I still enjoy Salem and I enjoy this album. I can look past the goofy rapping and enjoy the instrumental stuff and the female vocals. I'm not going to be as harsh as some critics because I do like this album and it did introduce me to witch house, a genre I actually like despite the memes and criticisms.

If you like electronic music, even if it's not witch house, I recommend this album. A lot of tracks are bass heavy, so if bass is your thing, you might enjoy it.

I won't say King Night is the best album of all time. It does have flaws. However, there are more good tracks than bad ones. I say give it a chance.