Like Ryan Gosling’s Singing in Barbie? He’s Got a Band Called Dead Man’s Bones

Dead Man’s Bones is a band formed by Ryan Gosling and Zach Shields. The duo met in Toronto in 2005 when Ryan was dating Rachel McAdams and Shields was dating her sister Kayleen. The two bonded over their mutual love of music, the Haunted Mansion ride at Disneyland, and a general fascination with death which they decided to put into a creative project.

The initial plan conjured up between Gosling and Shields was to turn their interest in the macabre into a ghost love story for the stage. The theatrical production would be accompanied by original music they were writing. With a few songs under their belts, however, they realized how expensive it would be to put on the stage production and ended up scrapping that aspect of the project. Nevertheless, they continued to pursue creating music together.

While Dead Man’s Bones features songs that adhere to a less traditional structure (a sound that Gosling describes as “spooky doo-wop”), it also contains soundscape elements such as spoken word and foley, a term used in film to describe the recording of sound effects to be synced with moving picture. Tin foil rain, glass smashes, footsteps, and werewolves howling are just a few of the sounds heard on the album.

Another creative choice made by Gosling and Shields was to feature The Silverlake Conservatory Children’s Choir. The choir brings a charming sonic texture to the otherwise spooky lyrics being sung, including spelling out Z-O-M-B-I-E in “My Body’s a Zombie for You” and the endearing sign-a-long quality of the album’s closing track “Flowers Grow Out of My Grave.”

The result of Gosling and Shield’s recording sessions was the full-length self-titled album Dead Man’s Bones, which was released by Anti Records on October 6, 2009. It was the only album the band made and has nearly 334,000 monthly listeners on Spotify.

As Gosling and Shields progressed in their respective careers, it was clear that Dead Man’s Bones had to be laid to rest. After the dismemberment of the band around 2012, Gosling and Shields went on to enjoy much success on the silver screen.

So if you’re a fan of Gosling’s singing in La La Land and Barbie, you should definitely check out Dead Man’s Bones. Plus, as we approach the Halloween season, it’s the perfect album to get you in the spirit. And who knows, maybe Dead Man’s Bones will rise from the grave and we’ll get to see the theatrical staging one day.