If nothing else, the new compilation from Geographic North is a reminder of the local imprint’s unceasing attention to detail. The 10-song mix is a reflection of every facet of the label, from the darkest ambience to the harshest experimentation. Don’t be fooled by the grandiose title, Death on the Hour: Aural Apparitions from the Geographic North isn’t an overblown paean to ghouls and goblins, it’s a spectral journey through electronica and post-punk, dark enough to bring life to the bleakest imagination.

Farbod Kokabi and Farzad Moghaddam co-founded Geographic North in 2008, and have released a slew of experimental tapes and records in the ensuing 8 years. The label has provided an outlet for Deerhunter’s Moses Archuleta (Moon Diagrams) and Lockett Pundt (Lotus Plaza), in addition to being the home of Kokabi and Moghaddam’s post-punk project Lyonnais. It’s no surprise then, that Death on the Hour swirls with mechanical mystery and elemental energy.

It’s a sinister blend to be sure, but with the exception of M. Sage’s revision of Screamin’ Jay Hawkins’ “I Put a Spell on You,” the album portrays meditative horror more than a typical Halloween mix. In their press release, the label describes the comp as a “warm and delirious trip through hauntingly alluring astral planes,” and, indeed, the compilation is almost inviting, inspiring a sense of anticipation rather than dread. Don’t confuse inviting with comfortable, however. Even at its most enchanting, Death on the Hour is sonically challenging. The mix is dangerously balanced between the ambient and the onerous, matching the alien chorale of Ekin Fil’s “To Be” with Leech’s dissonant synths on “Utah.”

Though Moon Diagrams’ intro track and TWINS’ predictably frigid contribution “Show” represent Atlanta well, the definitive track on the compilation is a cover of John Carpenter’s “Halloween” by the underrated New Haven psych band Landing. Rather than try to match the dark insistence of the original, Landing reimagine the track as an airy, sprite-like composition which floats beyond fear towards the sublimely spiritual.

From the sinewy and spare to more celestial leanings, Death on the Hour is one of the more critical comps in recent memory, especially in an age when compilations tend to reek either of nostalgia or marketing. The unified listening experience defies season as much as sales (though the physical edition is already sold out). As such, it can be separated from Halloween without a second thought, but it’s still a fitting playlist for the most intellectual of the elder gods.

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