Kid Congo Powers has the prestigious past of being a member of The Cramps, The Gun Club and Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds so Haunted Head being a solid listen isn’t all that surprising. The past bands influence Kid Congo’s sound but what the band created is really quite unique.

From the opening eeriness of “Lurch” right through the Halloween-worthy hidden track, the album is different enough to grab your attention and reveal new layers with each new listen. The smooth, boomy groove of “Su Su” serves a big role on the album as does the following track “Killer Diller.” The more aggressive “Killer Diller” has an upbeat jam driven by a clean, roaring guitar hook. The creepiness hits its peak with the title track, “Haunted Head” possessing the truly creepy chorus of “What’s inside your haunted head? Are you alive or are you dead?” The track proves to be the most provocative of all the 50s style, greaser, horror songs.

The album serves as an adult version of “Monster Mash” type music. Some songs sound like a prom theme from Frankenstein and others just flat out get weird. Either way The Pink Monkey Birds have brewed up a pretty timeless batch of songs that could have been recorded in 2013 or 50 years before that. It really doesn’t matter, it’s a fun record either way.

Key Tracks: “Su Su” Haunted Head” “Killer Diller”