So why is deadmau5’s For Lack of a Better Name on this best 1,000 albums ever thing?
I love that deadmau5’s music sounds like no other artist, electronic music-wise or otherwise.
That said, when it comes to electronic music, it occurs to me that deadmau5 stands out because he (he being Joel Zimmerman, the man behind the mau5) understands that moving songs into the dynamite, catchy hook part of the song with great economy is essential.
Which is to say, “Ghosts ‘n’ Stuff” is a master class as it opens with a few intriguing (but short!) organ chords, and then immediately accelerates into the song proper. Rob Swire from Pendulum adds the perfect goth-y yet accessible vocals to the mix, and there’s just a hint of autotune thrown in. Add in some string samples and other electronic effects, and the outcome is exquisite – “Ghosts ‘n’ Stuff” is a perfect electronic music track.
The music video for “Ghosts ‘n’ Stuff” features deadmau5 dressed in his iconic giant, inflatable mouse suit and performing in front of a backdrop of psychedelic visuals.
“Ghosts ‘n’ Stuff” is so good, in fact, that it made sense to bring it back, in a sense, with a remix version of sorts in “Moar Ghosts n Stuff” (it leaves an apostrophe off the “n” in this version of the song title for… reasons, I guess?), which goes slightly darker and slightly harder, electro house-wise, this time around. Both versions are simply great.
Speaking of going hard (or herd, if you like), look no further than “Hi Friend!” Again, note how it launches immediately into the hook and just presses the beat (herd) into the red throughout its flight time. Also note the exquisite disco-y sample that’s added during the lyrics, “This is what you came here for.” It’s a smasher, as the kids would say*.
* Note: I’m not sure if the kids would really say this. I made that part up.
“Word Problems” switches things up with a more minimalist, bass heavy vibe, the lyrics stripped down to a speaker announcing the song title as the beat goes on.
Some stats & info about deadmau5 – For Lack of a Better Name
- What kind of musical stylings does this album represent? Electronic Music, Dance Music, Techno Music, EDM, House Music, Electro House
- Rolling Stone’s greatest 500 albums ranking – not ranked!
- All Music’s rating – 3.5 out of 5 stars
- When was For Lack of a Better Name released? 2009
- My ranking, the one you’re reading right now – #496 out of 1,000
deadmau5’s For Lack of a Better Name on Spotify
A lyrical snippet from deadmau5’s For Lack of a Better Name that’s evocative of the album in some way, maybe
It’s been so long, I’ve been out of my body with you. I feel alone, feel at home, feel like nothing is true.
What’s the most interesting thing about deadmau5’s For Lack of a Better Name that most people don’t know?
“Ghosts ‘n’ Stuff” was initially created as a joke. deadmau5 noted in interviews that he had made the track as a Halloween prank for friends, and never intended for it to be a serious release. However, when Rob Swire heard the track, he was inspired to write lyrics and record vocals, and the song ended up becoming a massive hit.
“Ghosts ‘n’ Stuff” also wound up being included in the soundtrack for the video game, Need for Speed: Shift.
What does the “best 1,000 albums ever” mean and why are you doing this?
Yeah, I know it’s audacious, a little crazy (okay, maybe a lot cray cray), bordering on criminal nerdery.
But here’s what it’s NOT: a definitive list of the Greatest Albums of All-Time. This is 100% my own personal super biased, incredibly subjective review of what my top 1,000 albums are, ranked in painstaking order over the course of doing research for nearly a year, Rob from High Fidelity style. Find out more about why I embarked on a best 1,000 albums ever project.