The Best Goth Album of the ’80s Was Actually Sung by Alvin and the Chipmunks
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When you think of ’80s Goth New Wave music, you probably think of bands like The Cure, Bauhaus, Joy Division and a few others. But what if we told you that the furry trio of Alvin and the Chipmunks deserves to be spoken about among those legends of the genre? And that they actually have one of the best Goth albums of the ’80s? And we actually can’t get enough of this Goth Alvin album?
Alvin and the Chipmunks have been cranking out albums since their creation in 1958 by Ross Bagdasarian for a novelty record. Throughout the years they’ve released countless albums, TV shows, and movies featuring Alvin and the Chipmunks and their high pitched “music,” and even debuted a female group, called The Chipettes, in 1983.
But what about that Goth Alvin album?
A YouTube account called Lunar Orbit put together a compilation album featuring some of Alvin and the Chipmunks’ ’80s covers from the albums Chipmunk Punk and The Chipmunks and The Chipettes: Born to Rock, plus one original song, into an album and slowed it down to 16 speed.
The result of this is one of the best Goth albums you’ve never heard, called Sludgefest.
Plus, just look at this track list:
1. “Call Me” originally by Blondie
2. “Walk Like an Egyptian” originally by The Bangles
3. “Heaven Is a Place on Earth” originally by Belinda Carlisle
4. “Diamond Dolls” original song by The Chipettes
5. “You Keep Me Hanging On” originally by The Supremes
6. “My Sharona” originally by The Knack
7. “Always on My Mind” originally by Brenda Lee
8. “Refugee” originally by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
The slow, sludgy sounding drums and beats throughout the songs have a lot of elements of the ’80s Goth New Wave moment, which makes this joke edit an entertaining listening experience. The vocals — way deeper than the iconic, high-pitched Chipmunks whine — sound almost reminiscent of Dave Gahan of Depeche Mode.
Does this slowed-down, Goth Alvin and the Chipmunks album have legitimate staying power? Maybe not, but it’s definitely something to listen to every once in a while to remind yourself of their true goth potential, even if it was always intended as a gag.
