Sorry for the quietness on the blog front, I've been feeling low and frankly I've either been too tired or too pissed off to do any blogging.
Fuck it though, its Friday, I have perry, pizza and I'm listening to Youtube (is that the right term, I'm never sure). Also I've just read Phonogram volume 2, the Single's Club which is set at an Indie Night that only plays music by bands that have female singers.
Let's talk about female singers and bands, particularly on the Goth scene (because, you know, Gothical).
1) Siouxsie and the Banshees: Spellbound
The first Banshees song I can remember really paying attention to, probably because of Eve, Spellbound makes me so happy. Siouxsie Sioux's voice is like a wall of sound, it's everywhere, dominating the song. The lyrics bring back those terrible nights when anything could happen; when the dark wasn't your friend.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9otg_Cm50RE
2) All About Eve: Outshine the Sun
Taken from the 4th album, the much maligned Ultraviolet, which is actually my favourite, this song takes me back to reading and playing Mage the Ascension; something about the song captures that game perfectly. The lyrics are beautiful, and have a tarnished hippy quality to them, perhaps proof that the death of counter culture was a long, ugly one rather than just a sudden unravelling in 1994. The Eves always seem quite good for this, taking beautiful images and then casting them through a glass darkly into Goth's domain.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmFzuBS-Uhs
3) Curve: Recovery
I must confess that I didn't like Curve the first time I heard them, it took a few years for me to get to grips with them and start liking them - their appearance in Razor Blade Smile certainly helped with that. This track really pushes my buttons, not only are the lyrics poignant but they have a twisted quality that appeals to me. It's a love song but not the stuff you get in the charts, instead they're tacking through a sea of desperation and need. The music is just discordant enough to set my nerves on edge, but not enough to drive me away. Really, it makes me want to dance.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsZ0KgE-GKA
4) Garbage: The Queerest of the Queer
Part of the Doom Generation, a sort of 90s dark subculture that could have been Goth, but for somehow wasn't, Garbage tacked the edges of that period, in a sort of Rock, sort of Goth kind of way. This track is from their first album, and really the chorus sums up how I feel so much of the time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEHhBS0B3R0
5) March Violets: Snake Dance
Another track I love, we saw this band last year when they toured for the first time in... well forever. The highlight of the night, apart from the music, was probably Rosie Lugosi's banter when the drum machine broke down. Again, this song makes me want to dance.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sU6JWWbzAs
6) Die Laughing: Safe Little World
Okay, you get extra tonight, because I like you... (you might want to run). Cara introduced me to this band, but I only remember this track from the '90s. It wasn't until we saw them supporting the Violets that I really got how cool they are. This song really sums up so much about... everything (its like so deep, man)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAcjSqNNkU0
Fuck it though, its Friday, I have perry, pizza and I'm listening to Youtube (is that the right term, I'm never sure). Also I've just read Phonogram volume 2, the Single's Club which is set at an Indie Night that only plays music by bands that have female singers.
Let's talk about female singers and bands, particularly on the Goth scene (because, you know, Gothical).
1) Siouxsie and the Banshees: Spellbound
The first Banshees song I can remember really paying attention to, probably because of Eve, Spellbound makes me so happy. Siouxsie Sioux's voice is like a wall of sound, it's everywhere, dominating the song. The lyrics bring back those terrible nights when anything could happen; when the dark wasn't your friend.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9otg_Cm50RE
2) All About Eve: Outshine the Sun
Taken from the 4th album, the much maligned Ultraviolet, which is actually my favourite, this song takes me back to reading and playing Mage the Ascension; something about the song captures that game perfectly. The lyrics are beautiful, and have a tarnished hippy quality to them, perhaps proof that the death of counter culture was a long, ugly one rather than just a sudden unravelling in 1994. The Eves always seem quite good for this, taking beautiful images and then casting them through a glass darkly into Goth's domain.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmFzuBS-Uhs
3) Curve: Recovery
I must confess that I didn't like Curve the first time I heard them, it took a few years for me to get to grips with them and start liking them - their appearance in Razor Blade Smile certainly helped with that. This track really pushes my buttons, not only are the lyrics poignant but they have a twisted quality that appeals to me. It's a love song but not the stuff you get in the charts, instead they're tacking through a sea of desperation and need. The music is just discordant enough to set my nerves on edge, but not enough to drive me away. Really, it makes me want to dance.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsZ0KgE-GKA
4) Garbage: The Queerest of the Queer
Part of the Doom Generation, a sort of 90s dark subculture that could have been Goth, but for somehow wasn't, Garbage tacked the edges of that period, in a sort of Rock, sort of Goth kind of way. This track is from their first album, and really the chorus sums up how I feel so much of the time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEHhBS0B3R0
5) March Violets: Snake Dance
Another track I love, we saw this band last year when they toured for the first time in... well forever. The highlight of the night, apart from the music, was probably Rosie Lugosi's banter when the drum machine broke down. Again, this song makes me want to dance.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sU6JWWbzAs
6) Die Laughing: Safe Little World
Okay, you get extra tonight, because I like you... (you might want to run). Cara introduced me to this band, but I only remember this track from the '90s. It wasn't until we saw them supporting the Violets that I really got how cool they are. This song really sums up so much about... everything (its like so deep, man)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAcjSqNNkU0
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