Day 287: Parliament – Funkoween

Very rarely do I feel like I can’t be bothered listening to music, but today was that day. I tried about four different albums but none of them had the right vibe, until I settled on a Halloween-themed compilation from Parliament – I know it’s not the right time for it, but it felt right.

Album cover courtesy of uDiscover Music

I’ve written about Parliament before on day 114, so I’ll skip the intro and go straight into the album. Funkoween was released in 2020 as a compilation of their spookiest songs for Halloween.

Even though it’s June, it’s never too early to start planning for the best day of the year. Long-time readers will also know that the way to my heart is any sort of spookiness or eeriness, so it wasn’t as much of a left field choice as it may seem. I wanted to listen to some funk and when I saw Funkoween, I just couldn’t resist.

But it turns out that Parliament aren’t that spooky, even at their spookiest. It’s not so halloween-y that the songs feel super appropriate on a Halloween party playlist, unless it’s a bit more of a sophisticated affair where classics like “Monster Mash” aren’t appropriate. The only exception to that is “Flash Light”, which has a bit more of a Halloween vibe than the rest of them.

That being said, it’s still an album of solid funk and includes Parliament classics like “Aqua Boogie (A Psychoalphadiscobetabioaquadoloop)”. And before listening to this I was very much unaware of their villain Sir Nose D'Voidoffunk, nemesis of Dr Funkenstein, but now I know. It’s a decent overview into their stuff, but that’s as much credit as I can give it.

It’s a compilation, so it was never going to be as good as actual album. And the comparative lack of creepiness can be either good or bad, depending on how you view it, but I for one was expecting more sci-fi. I’m giving it a 6.5/10 – good concept, not a great execution. Just listen to one of their albums instead.