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Harvest moons, costume parties, cheap candy, scary movies, pumpkin carving... what's not to love about October? Especially when we're talking about music! For the October 2024 edition of Pandora Picks, we get into some spooky tunes, some new songs, and some old favorites. Here's your bag of audio treats!

Come see who was featured this month!

During this autumnal, candy-corned season of Samhain, I like to dim the lights and listen to all the “graveyard smashes” that I grew up on. But I also indulge in some horror rock. Not to be confused with gothic rock or "goth," (although it should be noted that some of today’s goth bands like Vision Video are really stepping it up, horror-wise), horror rock has existed nearly as long as rock 'n' roll has. Inspired by horror films and comic books as well as by the Halloween holiday, horror rock is often regarded as "shock rock" and many music historians credit Screamin’ Jay Hawkins as the very first shock rocker. He had a hit in 1956 with “I Put A Spell on You” and he would emerge from a coffin during his live performances that included smoke bombs going off as he howled into a skull-shaped microphone.

Come see who was featured this month!

Every August it seems like half of us are a little sad to say goodbye to the summer, while the other half looks forward to crisper days and the coming of autumn. This edition of Pandora Picks straddles a similar line with new and old songs, both warming and chill. What songs soundtracked your end of summer?

Come see who was featured this month!

Come see who is featured this month!

Did you know that July 2nd is International Mullet Day? With all the 1980s nostalgia-based programs currently playing on various streaming services, you would think that all Gen X-ers grew up dressing like Molly Ringwald and members of Duran Duran, driving Lamborghinis to exclusive nightclubs and art openings. But let’s be honest. While many ‘80s ladies flawlessly flexed that Brat Pack style, a lot of the guys were probably wearing Oakley Blades and Hypercolor tank tops while driving to the mall in a lowered truck with the Top Gun soundtrack blasting from the tape player. And they were probably en route to having their mullets frosted at Supercuts.

Come see who is featured this month!

Come see who was featured this month!

Just like all the new growth that sprouts in spring, April unearthed some blossoming new tunes! Per usual, we also found a few old jams to help score our pre-summer soundtrack. Dial up that volume, grab your garden shovel, and dig what we've been digging! 

Come see who was featured this month!

As most music nerds know (current company included!), it’s difficult to decide what show to see when there are more than a couple to choose from, so if you find yourself at South by Southwest this year, and are faced with literally HUNDREDS of choices each night, we figured it might help to have a little context – and perhaps a bit of guidance.

Come see who was featured this month on AMP: Fresh Cuts!

Come see who was featured this month on AMP: Fresh Cuts!

Long before the inception of Pandora, I can vividly recall the very first thumbs down that I gave to a song. This was during the Holiday season of the then-new decade. But it also happened to be my first-time butting heads with one of my parents on musical taste.

Good gravy, November was bountiful with some stellar songs! This decorative gourd season found us indulging in comfort food music - the kind of songs that make you want to loosen your belt and put your feet up. But also, some songs that make you want to put your feet down and groove like a new year is just around the corner. You can listen to our Pandora Picks for the month right here.

November might be my favorite month. Aside from its overall deliciousness, it offers a post-Halloween hangover hibernation, rife with shorter days, longer nights, turning leaves, comfort food, sweatpants, blankets, and of course, a cornucopia of deep dives into more music. And as someone with Indigenous American ancestry, Native American Heritage Month offers a time to reflect on my roots.

October is the month when we start to notice that the sky gets darker earlier than usual. Sometimes it’s hard to find your way in the darkness. But music can always be a guiding light. Fittingly, our favorite songs of October 2023 find us striking a balance between dark and light. All the autumnal feels are here. But listen close and you’ll also hear some radiant levity resonating from our Pandora Picks.

What songs soundtracked September for you? This time of year, it’s easy to lean into the end-of-summer blues with some fall flavored melancholy or “fallancholy,” as we like to call it. On the other hand, some of us get inspired to wear warmer clothes and crank those earbuds as we walk in a slightly crisper climate. Here’s what some Pandora people were digging on the cusp of Autumn, 2023.

Love, lust, and angst were among the biggest subjects of teen love songs back in the 50s and early 60s at a time where the idols of the day – no longer your mom and pop’s crooners – commanded the radio charts. I was luckily exposed to these at a very young age through cassette tapes, specifically the Cruisin’ Classics compilations sold by Shell gas stations in 1989 and 1990 for $1.99 a pop. 

Remembering the Compilation CD That Introduced Me to Jazz