Ready for a spooky Halloween soundtrack?

The Grand Scream of Things by Andy Z is best described as a Halloween musical – part narrative fairy tale, part song. It tells the story of Andy Z, his talking chihuahua Reggie and their hunt for the Sandy Witch. Along the way they meet all sorts of weird characters including Danger Dude, Pleadia, Blue the Rat and Jam Master Z.

Don’t sweat – this CD isn’t the stuff of nightmares. Instead there’s a broad mix of musical styles that are cleverly used to create vivid characters and scenes – from Cockney Brits thrashing out the punk track Punkin’ Patch to the smooth swing tune, Pleadia. There’s also rap, rock and a reference to the Bee Gees.

The music is original and a great demonstration of how certain beats and sounds can conjure a scene. The opening track, Which Witch is This?, has a grand Andrew Lloyd-Webber quality to it and sets a marvellous theatrical tone for the dialogue and music that follow.

There’s lots to love about this CD. It fills a tricky spot in the tween market in a creative and engaging way; it uses language and music that is relevant (without coming across as ‘trying too hard’); and the format is unusual – reminiscent of ‘radio dramas’, this style of story-telling is all too rare these days.

The Grand Scream of Things is suitable for children over seven years of age and is available from CD Baby for US$12.99. CD Baby ship internationally.