(SH)OC(K)TOBER is the eighteenth album by Moes Haven, released on November 9, 2006. It is the eighth of twelve albums in the 365 Project, and was released nine days after the last day in October, making it the fifth of six 365 Project albums to come out after its intended month.
Matt Farley and Tom Scalzo were (and still are) big fans of 1970s and 1980s horror movies. Therefore, early on in the 365 Project, they decided to make the October record all about the plots of such films, focusing on those with low budgets. Because the idea of the album aligned with their interests, they would record new horror movie songs whenever they couldn’t think about anything else to write about.
Therefore, most of the songs were in the bank before the duo reached October. On top of this, Farley had recorded all of September: In Manchvegas! as a solo effort, so the band was in a more relaxed mood. This allowed them to focus on their November and December records, for which they had high hopes.
This album was recorded while Freaky Farley was being filmed, further enhancing the horror influence.
While the songs on the album are quite short and do not explain the full plots of their respective movies, (SH)OC(K)TOBER is popular with fans, with Jon Cross (of Miscellaneous Plumbing Fixtures) calling it a masterpiece. In the Motern Media No-Jokes Album Guide, Farley says the album is “nothing major, but still fun to listen to.”
The album cover features Farley on his long walk through central New Hampshire with Scalzo, Charlie Roxburgh, and Matt Sova in June 2006. (This was the same walk that inspired the cover for July: In The Sun With Me?) Some singing ghosts were hand-drawn in the background.
No songs from (SH)OC(K)TOBER appear on the compilations Victory Is Ours! (For Now) or It Takes A Lot Of Guts! Also, although it may seen that the duo recorded a track about Halloween V on Explorations in Madness, that song is not about the movie. Meanwhile, “Halloween” and “Halloween IV” on (SH)OC(K)TOBER are indeed about their respective films.
Films referenced
- The Jar (1984)
- Christmas Evil (1980)
- Final Exam (1981)
- Incubus (1982)
- Alison’s Birthday (1981)
- The Demon Lover (1976)
- The Beyond (1981)
- Creature From Black Lake (1976)
- Halloween (1978)
- Curse of the Cannibal Confederates (1982)
- The Loreley’s Grasp (1973)
- Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988)
- The Pack (1977)
- Slumber Party Massacre III (1990)
- The Worm Eaters (1977)
- The House on Sorority Row (1982)
Track listing
| # | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Jar | 2:29 |
| 2 | X-Mas Evil | 1:31 |
| 3 | Final Exam | 1:19 |
| 4 | Incubus | 1:40 |
| 5 | Alison’s Birthday | 3:26 |
| 6 | The Devil Master | 2:33 |
| 7 | The Beyond | 0:35 |
| 8 | Pahoo (Creature From The Black Lake) | 1:36 |
| 9 | Halloween | 2:13 |
| 10 | Kiyome (Curse of The Screaming Dead) | 2:30 |
| 11 | When the Screaming Stops | 2:12 |
| 12 | Halloween IV | 1:12 |
| 13 | The Pack | 1:42 |
| 14 | Slumber Party Massacre III | 1:36 |
| 15 | Worm Eaters | 1:46 |
| 16 | The House on Sorority Row | 2:20 |