CXXIV. Dead Can Dance | Aion

DEAD CAN DANCE

Aion

©4AD. UK, 1990.

‟Desconcertante el designio de la clarividencia: el muerto puede bailar. ¿Prodigio o infortunio? Peor aún, ¡su ritmo!, ese contoneo corrupto que dibuja una vil existencia; esa demencial imagen, placida, de tortura psicológica delineada por una atmósfera disímil, turgente de escabrosos detalles armoniosos que como tibias notas, como embrujo de lágrimas musicales, agobian y fascinan, cual relación bipolar. Y es que es asombroso como ese manto musical, ese murmullo sardónico que se esconde tras esta mirada cabizbaja, deprava a la belleza y la ahoga en un estado vesánico, y que tras arrebatos pasionales la saca a flote, y el duelo del desenfreno se desarrolla sobre una espesa e impenetrable niebla de desilusión. ¡Sí!, esa niebla, que cobija a las sombras reptantes en su narcótica intimidad embustera y de esta suerte, forma la unidad, punto de partida e inicio hacia mundos de ensueño y profunda introspección. Proeza mórbida, maldición suprema, amor sucio, manto de oscuridad que ofusca a la razón, haciéndola despreciadora de la cognición, y que malamente troca esa virtud por el desenfreno de las prohibiciones, del instinto natural y de versos recargados y vacíos que nos han de dar consuelo. Desconcertante el designio de la clarividencia, el muerto puede bailar: ¡me estoy moviendo, el muerto soy yo!.‟

Crimsondelator

 

 

CXXIII. Boyd Rice And Friends | Music, Martinis, And Misanthropy

BOYD RICE AND FRIENDS

Music, Martinis, And Misanthropy

©NER. UK, 1990.

‟I’ve been amused, confused and infused with the works and ideology of Boyd Rice. I’ve never been able to decide if Mr. Rice was as dark as the character he presents himself or if he was simply playing devil’s advocate, but I’d like believe that within all his proclamations that he was being honest, and that I wasn’t wrong for agreeing with him. I’ve always enjoyed his spoken-word messages because it wasn’t free-love hipsters preaching socialism. Combined with the moody, beautiful guitar ambience of Douglas P., Boyd Rice is given the chance to  really bring sense of calmness to the ears, allowing full hypnosis while his gentle voice encourages you to indulge on hate, take notice at life’s ugliness and except that most people are useless. The perfect example of this method at use is the track people. As well as being a ‘Boyd Rice and Friends’ classic, this song really exemplifies the subject matter, the intent, and the methods of this instigating poet. Along with help by Michael Moynihan, and the angelic vocals of Rose McDowall this is truly an intriguing record with infectious sounds capes, provocative commentary, and a sense of taboo enjoyment that anyone can love to hate. Boyd Rice and Friends is a classic example of what happens when you bring together a bunch or angry men sporting facist wardrobes, dark music and apparently hate everybody.‟

Deathmetaltyler 

CXXII. Low | The Curtain Hits The Cast

LOW

The Curtain Hits The Cast

©Vernon Yard. US, 1996.

‟Back in '96, while I and countless others were listening to Sixteen Stone and Dookie, Low was crafting a gem of an album - one that would not ever be fully appreciated by its audience. With two other albums under their belt, Low obviously was used to it and unwilling to allow it to stop them from releasing their slower-than-molasses indie rock ballads upon the masses. Thank God they did. The Curtain Hits The Cast is one of those ahead-of-its-time masterpieces that opens up like a ten year old bordeaux - slowly and intoxicatingly. With each track that seemingly drifts in and out of existence, Low's tailored minimalism hangs like a haze over the listener, lulling them inward, inside themselves, to the place where all their fears and joys reside. "Anon" plays like a lonesome drive, while the ever more-hushed "Coattails" reminds me of my first experience with love and longing. Without a doubt, the winner here is the lengthy-yet-rewarding "Do You Know How To Waltz?", with its heavily delayed, lush layers of guitar and magnificently thoughtful lyric, "One more dance before they take away the light", which seems to be what we all want from each other anyway: one last chance.

Whether you're a lover, a fighter, a thinker or a writer, The Curtain Hits The Cast will drop its emotionally-charged anti-ballads of love and desperation into the broken hearts we all pretend we don't carry around with us under our Sunday best. This album will become your new obsession.‟

Shutupandbreakdance

CXXI. Skin | Blood, Women, Roses

SKIN

Blood, Women, Roses 

©Product Inc. UK, 1987.

‟The World Of Skin was a project springing out of the American group Swans, and was a collaboration between the core Swans members Michael Gira and Jarboe.
The project was initially called Skin, with the first two albums being released under that name, the last one being released under the name the World of Skin. The musical style was similar to "The Burning World" and the other later Swans releases, although it shed most of its rock influences to play a mostly acoustic goth-folk style with electronics.
In the UK, the first two albums were released by Product Inc., an imprint of Mute Records, while the last was released on Gira's own Young God label.
"Blood, Women, Roses" (1987) was the project's first release and featured vocals entirely by Jarboe, who had previously mainly been performing backing vocals. Many of the tracks on this album were covers of show tunes and other popular songs (for example "Cry Me a River" and "The Man I Love").

"Blood, Women, Roses" was followed in 1988 by Shame, Humility. Revenge, which featured vocals by Michael Gira (although Jarboe did perform some backing vocals).‟

Urbanaspirines

CXX. Hagalaz' Runedance | Urd - That Which Was

HAGALAZ' RUNEDANCE

Urd - That Which Was

©Well Of Urd. Nederland, 1999.

‟Active in 1998 - 2002. Hagalaz’ Runedance was a fascinating tribal trance mix of amazones, feminism, gay awareness, psychadelic elements and German culture. Written for fantasy film music. It was never used for films and thus released for CDs. - Project writer Andréa Nebel is today an acknowledged recording artist, writer, script-writer, actress and model. Her background is from the new wave, punkrock and gothic music scene and her music is inspired by that scene of course. Once focusing on left-hand path occult ideas, her many creative works today express fiction, stories and films based on dark sureal visions. XXXXX Quote by Andrea: "Update your minds the same way you update your computers. Thoughts and beliefs must be reviewed on a regular basis :-)‟

myspace.com/hagalaz

 

CXIX. Faith And The Muse | Elyria

FAITH AND THE MUSE

Elyria

©Tess. US, 1994.

‟Faith and the Muse found me at a very good time, a time i was searching for something new to listen to, something i could really latch on to - the 'next big thing'. And they fit the bill perfectly. 'Annwyn, Beneath the Waves', their second, was actually the one to reach me first, but it was only a matter of time from there that i delved into the rest of their catalogue, including Elyria, their debut.

Very diverse band, tying in lots of gothic, Celtic, and even tribal influences... and i love tribal influences. Dark, atmospheric, moody, heavy, they run pretty much the whole Gauntlet of Goth. Vocalist/instrumentalist Monica Richards, formerly of Strange Boutique, has a wonderful, vaguely-Siouxsie Sioux-ish voice, and while she may be a little 'pitchy', the studio finds her at her best, and former-Christian Death/Mephisto Walz instrumentalist William Faith is simply incredible. And Elyria was a beautiful starting point for this highly-recommended band.‟

Drakkar

CXVIII. Crescent | Electronic Sound Constructions

CRESCENT

Electronic Sound Constructions

©Snapshot. UK, 1997.

‟Crescent is a project launched by Matt Jones of Bristol's Movietone. Their debut singles, 'Lost' (Planet, 1994) and 'Sun' (Planet, 1994), sound like stately garage-rock played by Spacemen 3. Jones plays guitar and fronts a rock quartet on 'Now' (Atavistic, 1996), that serves more convoluted compositions, such as 'Exit and Light Will Pour From Our Eyes'. The aim of the band is not clear, though, as their noise-rock does not coalesce in a "style". And Jones' vocals are not exactly engaging (a dull imitation of Joy Division's Curtis).

The question mark remains after listening to 'Electronic Sound Constructions' (Snapshot, 1997), which is de facto Jones' first solo album. Jones plays all instruments and employs tape loops, but the music is amateurish and pointless, especially for ambitious tracks like the 14-minute 'Philicorda Loops' and the industrial mess 'Quince Flowers'.‟
 

Scaruffi

CXVII. O Yuki Conjugate | Sunchemical

O YUKI CONJUGATE

Sunchemical

©Staalplaat. Nederland, 1996.

‟Han pasado alrededor de 10 años desde su ultimo álbum de remezclas “Sunchemical” [Staalplaat, 1996] y la tercera encarnación de O Yuki Conjugate, compuesta por dos de sus miembros originales Roger Horberry y Andrew Hulme, más la incorporación de un nuevo integrante, el guitarrista Rob Jenkins componen una nueva y magnífica obra de ambient con el título de “The Euphoria of Disobedience” [OYC, 2006].

OYC fue fundado en 1982 en Nottingham, Inglaterra por Tim y Roger Horberry y Andrew Hulme. El grupo ha editado cuatro álbumes y han tenido lugar tres formaciones diferentes y en el ínter tanto se separaron en dos ocasiones. Sus miembros realizaron sus propios proyectos como A Small Good Thing de A. Hulme, Alp de R. Horberry y la segunda encarnación de OYC compuesta por Dan Mudford, Pete Woodhead y Joe Gardiner formaron Sons Of Silence. Actualmente Hulme continúa con ASGT, Horberry con Alp y Rob Jenkins con Stone Idols.

“The Euphoria of Disobedience” marca un sonido más orientado a ambientes ausentes de ritmos étnicos, experimentación con la guitarra, sonidos abstractos y percusión oriental.

Esta es la segunda entrevista con OYC con su miembro Andrew Hulme. La primera se publicó en 1994 en el fanzine chileno “música marginal”, proyecto que da origen a loop.cl.‟
 

Oyukiconjugate

Guillermo Escudero

CXVI. The Dreamside | Pale Blue Lights

THE DREAMSIDE

Pale Blue Lights

©Deathwish Office. Deutschland, 1994.

‟The band was formed by Italian-Dutch singer Kemi Vita. The Dreamside recorded 'Pale Blue Lights', the band's debut album, pretty much solo with assistance from various musicians; it was released in 1994 to excellent reviews. To tour the album Vita recruited guitarist Fried Bruggink, who became another core member of the band.
The Dreamside's next release, 'Nuda Veritas' (1995), consisted of several dance/techno remixes of songs from their debut album.
In 1996 they released their second album, 'Apaika', a glossier, more ethereal album than the first. Again reviews were excellent, and the Dreamside steadily became more popular in Europe. They also toured the USA for the first time, although to a tepid response, as the American Goth scene had shifted attention to harder-edged styles.

The band took an extended break, recruited bass player, producer and songwriter Roman Schoensee, and returned in 2001 with 'Mirror Moon', a harder, more metallic album. The group, and particularly Vita, changed looks, abandoning their Victorian-style dress for corsets, rubber and fetish gear. The following year the band returned to the USA, releasing Faery Child, a "best of" compilation.
The Dreamside's fourth "proper" album, 'Spin Moon Magic', was released in September 2005; it continues in the harder, more rock style of 'Mirror Moon'. The band currently consists of Kemi Vita, Roman Schoensee, guitarists Cees Viset, Fried Bruggink and Louis Buurman and drummer Merijn Mol. In August 2011 the band founded here on Label Spin Moon Media and re-released the Mirror Moon album on 23. August.‟

Dreamside.nl

 

CXV. Shadow Project | Dreams For The Dying

SHADOW PROJECT

Dreams For The Dying

©Triple X. US, 1992.

‟Sounding like the band imploding, this might be the nastiest & most twisted Rozz Williams album since 'Only Theatre Of Pain'. But Rozz wasn't the only driving force in Shadow Project. Eva O. was just as important and for this album she wrote not only some of her best songs, but some of the band's best. 'Static Jesus' might be the definitive Shadow Project song. Her vocals here seem to be chasing the spookier side of Diamanda Galas, and though she might fall short, it is pretty damn interesting. Rozz, likewise, is trying to be Bowie circa Low or Diamond Dogs, and again, though he's not always successful, his vocals are at their most assured.

The band manages the quite rare trick of playing several 7 minute songs without sounding like an edit is needed. 'Knight Stalker' is presumably a tribute to handsome Satanist rapist/murderer Richard Ramirez (makes sense in a sick way, we all know how much Rozz loves serial killers, AND the guy's easy on the eye), Zaned People is an unusually equal collaboration between Rozz and Eva, Thy Kingdom Come is held up by beautiful and scary Paris atmospherics... all the tracks are well developed and interesting, though I'm not crazy about 'Funeral Rites'. Worth investigating for even a casual fan of Goth music.‟

Team Vampire 

CXIV. Cold Cave | Cremations

COLD CAVE

Cremations

©Hospital Productions. US, 2009.

‟Ya a comienzos de 2009 destacábamos al proyecto de Wes Eisold, Cold Cave y el mini-álbum, "The Trees Grew Emotions And Died" de fines de 2008, ahora nos encontramos con "Creamations" recopilación de tres EP's y rarezas surtidas que Cold Cave ha ido dejando en su tránsito mutante por las estructuras sonoras.
El de Filadelfia es un artista especial y deslumbrante que edita CD-R's y cassettes sin control, este año ya lleva tres ediciones sin contar este CD, prolífico y retorcido en "Cremations" tenemos un espectro más amplio de su opaca y vehemente forma de hacer música, ya que contiene tres registros- "Painted Nails" ep (2008), "Electronic Dreams" cassette (2009) y "Coma Potion" lp (2007)- donde se pasea por un noise sombrío de baja fidelidad, electrónica industriosa y darkwave de vieja escuela que recuerda a Coil, Death in June, Gary Numan y The Third Eye Foundation, de alguna manera toda su creación se esmera en dañar, en afectar al oyente por medio de sonidos fantasmales, perversiones del ruido, pedales, minimalismo y voces de ultratumba, incluso los trayectos bailables como "Gates"o "In a cave", terminan en una trampa escalofriante.
Música cavernaria y angustiante, que de seguro muy pronto nos entregará insanos frutos, ya era tiempo que algún proyecto norteamericano aludiera a Christian Death como lo hace Cold Cave en "Chrissie sally", oscuro manto que reina nuevamente.

P.D.: A fines de ese año editarán su primer álbum largo, el magnífico "Love Comes Close", con Dominick Fernow y Caralee McElroy como miembros oficiales de Cold Cave junto a Wes Eisold, la banda deja el anonimato y entra de lleno a capitanear la nueva ola fría que hasta hoy nos arrulla.
Dark Forever!‟

Raúl Cabrera H.

CXIII. Lustmord | Carbon / Core

LUSTMORD

Carbon/Core

©Happy Pencil. US, 2004.

‟'The Intense Humming of Evil' is a song by the Manic Street Preachers about the Holocaust, but it could just as well have been used as a phrase to describe the music of Lustmord. The album opens with evil booming sounds from the ninth layer of hell, and from there on it just gets scarier! I really dislike to use cheesy cinematic metaphors to describe music, but Brian Warner leaves me no choice. His music is made on the sole purpose of evoking fear, and fear have many ugly and beautiful faces. "The Conflict of Symbols" is like taking a walk trough Silent Hill: On the surface everything's dark and decayed, and deep, deep down under the surface you can hear grinding machinery. "Beneath" is simply one of the creepiest things I've experienced: the first 2-3 minutes are calm albeit sinister, and then the evil grunting sounds show up in the background, like maggots digging into human flesh, and slowly and gradually twists the song into a Lovecraftian nightmare.

Of course, not everything Lustmord touches turns into gold. The concluding track might sound a little like rejected sound-experiments for a canceled horror movie (Brian W. works in Hollywood after all), but I'll give extra pluss points for the majestetic "Born of Cold Light" which is one rare occasion where the light forces outweights the darkness of evil. A soulful journey trough interdimensional realms to a dying galaxy - it might be among his best tracks. And 'Carbon/Core' as an album is definitely among Lustmord's best, if not THE best - just as good as the more well known 'Heresy' and 'The Place Where The Black Stars Hang'.‟

Hitherto

CXII. Various Artists | Darkwave: Music Of The Shadows V2

VARIOUS ARTISTS

Darkwave: Music Of The Shadows Vol.2

©K-Tel International. US, 2000.

‟Within the realms of Darkwave, you can chart three basic eras, all featured on this CD. The groundbreaking artists appeared in the early '80s and have stayed active (in one form or another) up to the present day. Europeans of this era include Cocteau Twins and The Legendary Pink Dots; while Rozz Williams, Controlled Bleeding and Black Tape For A Blue Girl represent a section of the American front. The second generation, drawing inspiration from the former, came onto the scene in the early '90s. These include Lycia, Love Spiral Downwards, Miranda Sex Garden, Lustmord, Roach/Rich, and Faith & The Muse. Finally, you have young up-starts like Rhea's Obsession and The Crüxshadows, who appeared in the late '90s and reintroduced a beat to the Darkwave sound.

Whether you are contemplatively listening to music alone by candle light, submerged in mid-winter finals with a dark soundtrack slowly churning in the background, or watching that sexy thing you've had your eye on dancing at the local club, chances are this CD wiil serve as the perfect soundtrack to your experience; that effervescent and seemingly unobtainable mystery which awaits you when you walk through the portal...‟

Sam Rosenthal

CXI. Siddal | The Pedestal

SIDDAL

The Pedestal 

©Bedazzler. US, 1995.

‟Siddal began in 1991 when four music fans came together for a love of art, poetry, and culture. However, constant lineup changes plagued the group and by 1992, Siddal consisted of Elaine Winters and Richard Brinkley. The duo, who took their name from the 19th century activist Elizabeth Siddal, incorporated elements of space rock, trance, and darkwave, and they were frequently compared to the likes of the Cranes, the Cocteau Twins, and The Sundays. Bedazzled issued their first single, "Frozen Garden" in 1992 and subsequent tracks and albums followed throughout the decade: "Pedastal" (1995), "The Crossing" (1996) and "Mystery and The Sea" EP (1997) . By the close of the '90s, Winters and Brinkley married and had a son.‟

Soundunwound

 

CX. Rhea's Obsession | Between Earth And Sky

RHEA'S OBSESSION

Between Earth And Sky

©Metropolis. US, 2000.

‟My introduction of Rhea's Obsession came from Cleopatra Records's The Black Bible compilation. A little time spent on last.fm gave me further insight, and eventually i made the gamble and added their material to my want list on lala.com. The end result of this experiment - Between Earth and Sky.

The experiment was a success. Not quite as gothic as i was expecting, it is nevertheless a wonderful, diverse release. A wonderful mix of dark and light, multi-cultural, at times haunting... what's not to like about that? If there's anything not to like, strangely enough it is the beginning, as the intro to the opening track is a little nervesome... but once past that, this is beautiful. Vocally excellent, musically solid. The occasional hint of nu-metal can be ignored within such surroundings, as it's never overwhelming in the first place.

One of those wonderful releases that stretched beyond just me. After playing this for my beautiful wife and attempting to play it a second time, i asked if she would mind a repeat, and she asked how she could possibly mind this. Indeed.‟

Drakkar