Like a witch, casting her mystical spell, Alanis Morissette has released her rendition of ‘Season of the Witch’ just as the spooky season is beginning. With powerful raw vocals that drip with feminine rage, she transports her listeners into an eerie, enchanted woods. 

As we traverse the dark forest with her heavy, brooding voice, we recognise the familiar tune of Donovan’s original song that was released in 1966 as a part of his third album Sunshine Superman. At the same time, we also marvel at how remarkably she has made the song her own.

From a folk-rock genre, she has shifted to a darker tone that subtly changes the emotional narrative of the lyrics.

The song is now angry and seductive. Somewhere in our minds, it might attempt to subvert the traditional idea of the witch. 

The creation of this atmosphere is aided by the strong instrumentals. From the opening riff of the guitar, that brings to mind the fresh smell of a moonlit forest, to the powerful bass-line, falling like the footsteps of a woman circling her prey, and ultimately to the seductive organ solo, that brings in just the right amount of intrigue; somehow, it is empowering and intimidating at the same time. The final layering of all these instruments ends in the creation of a deliciously ominous mix. 

The song was released on the 25th of September, and featured in the trailer for the television series Yaga. It begins a few seconds into the trailer and builds up behind the dialogue.

It creates an environment of eerie restraint that makes the audience feel like they are conspiring with an unseen presence, while the humans drown in sceptical conflict.

The appropriateness of the song, however, goes beyond just vibes and resonates with the narrative themes of the series’ plot too.  

Although Yaga reimagines the Russian folklore of ‘Baba Yaga,’ the removal of the word preceding ‘Yaga’ might have been a deliberate choice to create a sense of ambiguity around the material presence of the witch. This forces the audience to reconsider the folkloric concept of a witch as an old woman who has been shunned by society, and to think of this magical woman differently. The narrative shift that I think was implied in the trailer is not only aided but also steered by Alanis’ song. 

Aside from being an appropriate soundtrack for the trailer, the track also works well as a single that invites the listener into its sinister world without depending on the context of the television series. This is, of course, largely because of Alanis’ vocal quality which is a hallmark of her own musical identity. From Jagged Little Pill and ‘Uninvited’, she has established her ability to sing dark or haunting songs. ‘Season of the Witch’ thus brings her best qualities together into a much heavier and powerful context. While it had approximately five minutes of runtime, which is the standard for most alt rock songs, it left me longing for more and I think it would be interesting to see her explore this tone through an album. 

For now, however, her fans are anticipating Alanis Morissette’s next release. On 6th November, she will drop her album titled Good Weather for Immaculate Conception. While its focus will be different from ‘Season of the Witch’, the prospect of having a festive album from her is still exciting. Ultimately, it is always great to have new releases from the ‘Queen of Alt Rock Angst’, and her rendition of ‘Season of the Witch’ is my spooky season anthem of this year. 

Rating: 4/5