Night Clerk Radio: Haunted Music Reviews

Night Clerk Radio: Haunted Music Reviews

Author: Ross Payton, Birk McBirkinson Language: English Episodes: 100
Ever find yourself drawn to a melody that feels like it's echoing from an empty mall or a soundtrack for a forgotten dream? That's the territory explored on Night Clerk Radio: Haunted Music Reviews. Hosts Ross Payton and Birk McBirkinson act as your guides through the often-overlooked corridors of sound, focusing on genres like vaporwave and dark ambient where nostalgia and unease intertwine. Each episode is less a standard review and more a deep dive into the history and emotional resonance of this "haunted" music. You'll hear curated selections of tracks, but the discussion goes much further, unpacking why certain retro aesthetics or melancholic tones hold such power over us. The podcast regularly features interviews with artists and enthusiasts, adding layers of context and personal insight to the commentary. It’s for anyone who’s ever wondered about the stories behind the strangely comforting, sometimes unsettling music that exists just outside the mainstream. Tune in to discover not just what to listen to next, but to better understand the quiet pull of the shadows in our playlists.
Episodes
End of Summer Jams [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:46
In this episode, we’re heading into the end of summer with two recent releases from artists we love. Join us as we check out the latest albums from Blank Banshee and 2 Mello. No clever meta commentary. Just great music.
The Music of VILL4IN Records [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:40
Accidental record label month both continues and concludes with the music of VILL4IN Records, a record label that focuses on releasing independent and experimental vaporwave-adjacent music from barber beats to sovietwave…
The Music of Eighth Tower Records [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 33:24
In this episode, we’re digging into the music of Eighth Tower Records, a record label that focuses on “dark music and fiction.” We selected albums that were inspired by influential horror artists, Zdzisław Beksiński and…
Vaporwave Up & Comers 2023 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:03
We’ve often lamented that it can be difficult to keep up with everything happening in a scene, especially one that is as actively evolving as vaporwave. Thankfully, Halcyon Tapes just released their “Vaporwave Up & Comer…
Folktronica Exploration [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:31
In this episode, we’re exploring the world of Folktronica, a genre that unsurprisingly features traditional folk instrumentation set against the rhythms and timbre of synth-driven electronica. To top it all off, it’s a g…
Chopping for Tapes at K-Mart [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:02
The K-Mart tapes are a collection of 56 cassette tapes that were used to provide in-store music and announcements in the late 80s and early 90s. They were kept and archived by K-Mart employee Mark Davis who uploaded them…
Summertime is for Summer Jams [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:14
Summertime is for summer jams, so in this episode we’re checking out two recent albums from podcast favorites luxury elite and Limousine. Both albums, while being very different stylistically, capture particular emotiona…
Signalwave Redux [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 40:44
In this episode, we’re revisiting Signalwave, one of our favorite subgenres of haunted music. Specifically, we’re discussing the evolution of the genre as more new releases focus on the music and media of the late-90s/ea…
Vaporwave and Virtual Reality [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 36:20
Virtual reality, despite its recent success, has been a perennial retro technology for the majority of our lives. It represents a technological future that may never arrive and a past that never really happened. The haun…
The Music of Terror Vision [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:01
The folks at Terror Vision, a boutique shop focused on preserving obscure genre films, recently released Copperhead, an early direct-to-video film made by Ross’s parents, on blu-ray. This release includes a restored vers…