Halloween is over, people! The jack-o-lanterns who, like proud and ghoulish sentinels, once stood so proud as they illuminated front porches across the nation, now have turned to unsightly mush in the damp of that cold November rain. Spooky season is over and – say it quietly – the festive period approaches at speed.
Before we get to that, we still have November to enjoy – and what better way to accompany the month of light and smoke than with another raft of test tunes? What a diverse mix we have this month, from Tame Impala to Gunship, Killswitch Engage to the man himself, Marvin Gaye.
MaD worLd by Gunship
![GUNSHIP - MaD wOrLd [Official Lyric Video] - YouTube](https://img.youtube.com/vi/UHHuszBR7rs/maxresdefault.jpg)
Some songs always seem to sound better when they are covered by artists other than the ones who wrote them.
All Along the Watch Tower may have been written by Bob Dylan, but walk into any bar and I’m guessing that, for most people, it's the Jimi Hendrix cover which springs to mind before Dylan's original rendition.
For me, Mad World by Tears for Fears is one such song. That’s not because the original is bad – I actually enjoy its juxtaposed nature with a bopping, rhythmically chaotic backing track distinctly at odds with its dark, almost goth, lyrics.
It’s just that the Gary Jules version recorded for indie hit movie Donnie Darko is oh so much more soulful.
This week, though, I heard a version that I will forever hold in yet higher esteem: the new cover by synthwave powerhouse Gunship. The cover is a darker, gloomy take on the song that uses the band’s diverse arsenal of synthesisers to great effect, creating a dynamic, emotive track.
The textured interplay between the parts makes it feel more complex than both better-known versions, managing to tug at your heart's nostalgia strings while at the same time still feeling fresh.
I strongly recommend any synthwave fan give it a listen. You won’t regret it.
Words by Alastair Stevenson
My Old Ways by Tame Impala
Tame Impala’s latest album Deadbeat comes a whole five years after their previous entry, but oh boy was it worth the wait. The entire album is well worth a listen, but there’s one track that stands out as an excellent entry for testing out a sound system.
My Old Ways starts with a recording of a piano and the lead vocalist singing along in an absent minded way, with the sense we have walked into an intimate rehearsal session.
Then we get a spine-tingling transition as the track seamlessly integrates a synth drum beat and the vocal track moves to the centre channel.
The lines “Here goes nothin’ / I know what's comin', ain't so shockin'” are repeated while layers of sound are slowly built up around it to create an incredibly effective beat that is simply a joy to hear on a good sound system.
This excellently executed track is not only a great addition to an already cracking album, but is a great way to test out your system’s channel integration.
Words by Robyn Quick
Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology) by Marvin Gaye
Marvin Gaye’s 1971 album What’s Going On might be better known for its title track, but for my money, this little ditty is even more seminal. The album is Gaye at his most politically engaged and socially conscious, with tracks such as What’s Going On and Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler) painting a grim picture of life for millions of Americans at the time.
And then comes this little beauty on the damage we’re doing to our environment.
Check out some of the lyrics: “Radiation underground and in the sky / Animals and birds who live nearby are dying” and “What about this overcrowded land? / How much more abuse from man can she stand?” Talk about on the nose. And this was in 1971, before global warming was a well-known concept.
As with most Gaye tracks, it’s a dream of a production, hypnotic in its wooziness, until – fittingly – it all goes a bit sinister towards the end. A true testament to the man’s talents for producing beautiful songs about ugly subject matter.
Words by Joe Svetlik
The Signal Fire by Killswitch Engage
Not only is The Signal Fire an absolute ripper of a modern metal track, there’s also an excellent story behind it.
Killswitch Engage began life and had their first hit (2002’s My Last Serenade) with Jesse Leach as frontman. Leach left after just two albums and was replaced by Howard Jones. Nine years and three hugely successful albums later, it became Jones’s turn to leave the band. His replacement? Original singer Jesse Leach.
Despite their shared history, Leach and Jones apparently weren’t close until several years after their second switcheroo, when a friendship belatedly blossomed. Leach, inspired by this new friendship, The Lord Of The Rings, and the name of Jones’s new band Light The Torch, subsequently wrote The Signal Fire for the two men to duet.
The track, which was released in 2019, is fan service of the finest kind; a perfect sonic blend of the Leach and Jones eras, with swooping vocals and guttural screams working in perfect harmony.
Despite the thrashing guitars and demonic growls, it’s a brilliantly uplifting song about camaraderie and, unless I’m much mistaken, the importance of asking for help rather than trying to go it alone.
A great track with a great story and a great message, then, and it sounds terrific on a properly sorted hi-fi system – particularly one that can deliver bass with both weight and pace.
Words by Tom Parsons
Breakers Roar by Sturgill Simpsons
Country tracks aren’t often found in my playlists, but Breakers Roar by Sturgill Simpson is the one major exception.
It features in a pivotal scene of our AV testing room’s top reference disc of 2025, Civil War; if you have seen the film, you’ll know the exact sequence I’m referring to. I’ve lost count of how many times I fired that 4K Blu-ray up over our Awards testing period, but it was enough to make this particular track leave a lasting impression.
Despite generally not being a fan of country music, not even I could resist this song’s stunning and unconventional instrumental sections, which feature dreamy, warbling strings that are unlike anything I’ve heard before.
It’s all underpinned by an unquestionably ‘country’ acoustic guitar riff that sounds warm and inviting against the sweepy, spacey effects that ride over the top. For me, though, the highlights of the track remain the alien-like orchestral sections.
Simpson’s vocals are presented in a hushed, dream-like manner, and with lyrics such as “so enticing, deep dark seas, it’s so easy to drown in the dream”, the entire track has both an unnerving and comforting quality to it.
The American public broadcasting network NPR called Breakers Roar a “surrealist lullaby”, and I can’t really think of a better way to describe it. If you haven’t watched Civil War, then I’d highly recommend doing so, even just for the sequence that features Breakers Roar.
Words by Lewis Empson
The Veldt by Deadmau5
“Lindsey, come here and listen to this!”
If you want to spend seven minutes of your life having a (comparatively) heart-warming time, search out ‘deadmau5 finds the vocals for The Veldt' on YouTube. The legendary Canadian producer is performing one of his frequent livestreams (the video is from early 2012), and stumbles across a vocal mix for one of his (at the time) instrumental tracks.
Those vocals belong to Chris James, and they would end up gracing a tune on Deadmau5’s third sixth studio release, Album Title Goes Here. It’s bizarre to think that the track’s core elements come together from such far removed origins, especially as James’s lyrics fit so perfectly with The Veldt’s mystic, ethereal feel.
Inspired by Ray Bradbury’s short story of the same name, The Veldt is an enrapturing progressive house mini-epic, characterised by layered electronic stabs and James's natural, sincere vocals, all underpinned by a metronomic, propulsive tempo.
Words by Harry McKerrell
Who Knows by Marion Black
I’ve been in love with this track for the past couple of months. Marion Black’s 1970s soul hit Who Knows is all smooth and lush tones, with gentle but rhythmically delightful instrumentation that’s just lovely to listen to.
The textures of the ’70s recording and Black’s silky, soulful voice transports you to the romantic past, with the whole world turning just a little golden sepia around you.
As a test track, I use it for checking how well a hi-fi product conveys that bygone era of recording – it should get the feeling and mood of its time period across, as well as relaying the easy fluidity of his mellifluous vocals.
Words by Kashfia Kabir
Ain't No Sunshine by Bill Withers
Who said test tracks need to be overly complex? Ain't No Sunshine certainly isn't, it's just Bill's caramel vocals, a couple of simple guitars and one very chilled out drummer coming together to make musical magic. You wouldn't complain that a ham and cheese sandwich was too simple, would you? Or that a football was rendered dull because of its predictable shape. Circular again, how boring.
Ain't No Sunshine is all about feel. Despite its relative simplicity, the track has that gentle rocking that puts one in mind of a lullaby, a sort of blissed out rhythmic sway akin to the easy trot of a gentle mare or the rocking of a calm ocean.
That sway, that feel, rocking easiness, call it what you like, is precisely what an insightful system will reveal, unearthing the natural warmth and reassuring comfort of Withers' seminal tune. Absolute bliss.
Words by Harry McKerrell
MORE:
Read last month's edition: These are the 7 scarily good tunes we've been using for testing this month
8 of the best Bruce Springsteen tracks to test your hi-fi system
Check out our ultimate test tracks collection
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