Bauhaus Gothic

Download The Sanity Assassin For many goths, this is where it all begins; for some, it may even be where it all ends. Bauhaus' music, though not the earliest music that can be called 'gothic', is certainly foundational. The "Bela Lugosi's Dead" single is the song that *defines* gothdom for many; in fact, it is *such* a nightclub staple that many folk have gotten thoroughly sick of it by now, wondering what the big deal was about Bauhaus. Well, the big deal is that Bauhaus albums are angry and dark and thoroughly musical; the songs are meticulously crafted and the lyrics are lovely explorations of decay, emptiness, and fear. Not just that, but Peter Murphy and the boys had a great sense of humor about the cult that they were in the process of creating, and even as they descended into the morbid and hateful, they always took a moment to laugh at their own pretenses and at the assumptions that their fans were making about them. The laugh was bitter, but it gave Bauhaus a sense of perspective that is missing in many of the imitations that they spawned. The music itself is hard to describe -- it's guitar-driven with liberal doses of feedback and random changes in direction; Peter Murphy's vocals swing from tortured howls to deep and resonant chants (of course, Daniel Ash and David J. supplied vocals for many of the songs too, particularly on Burning From The Inside). The records are a lot more elegant and have much more depth than singles like "Bela" or "She's in Parties" would suggest -- as great as those songs are, it is generally a good idea to see what Bauhaus is *all* about rather than letting the nightclub decide for you. Though their career was over in a mere four years, Bauhaus are the acknowledged godfathers of gothic rock, following the art movement for which they were named in seeking to use minimalism as a powerful mood-setting tool. Combining guitars and electronics into a bleak backdrop for Peter Murphy's angst-driven vocals, Bauhaus ignited what was already a volatile mix by throwing dark, energetic theatrics into the pot. [http://www.trouserpress.com/bandpages/BAUHAUS.html] [http://www.vamp.org/Gothic/Text/gothlist.html]

The Chemical Brothers Techno

Download Block Rockin' Beats As an exciting breakbeat sound emerged from London's clubs and threatened the upper regions of the charts, Tom and Ed Chemical were anointed Godfathers of Big Beat. They responded to expectations with a record that simultaneously seized the party by the throat and left its gatecrashers behind. Dig Your Own Hole, like so many great albums, begins with a statement of intent and closes with a statement of ambition. "Block Rockin' Beats" is the perfect opening volley, an even-better-than-the-real-thing big beat monster, packing the EC limit of breaks, stupidly funky bass and wailing sirens, all capped by Schooly D's call-to-arms. "Dig Your Own Hole" and "Elektrobank" raise the stakes, pushing maximum dancefloor tempo and featuring some truly ear-splitting effects. [http://inkblotmagazine.com/rev-archive/Chemical_Brothers_Dig.htm]

Front 242 Industrial

Download Modern Angel Formed in 1981 by Bressanuti and synth-freak Dirk Bergen (who later on becomes the manager). They debut with a singles called "Principles" and attrackt Jean-Luc De Meyer and Patrick Codenys, who were performance-artists at the time. After a second single "U-men" and the album "Geography" they immediately attrackt a cult-following. They develop a energetic live-act in paramilitary battle-dress and invent the term "electronic body music" for their high-tech kind of dance music. By the end of the decade, Front 242 were on the cutting edge of the experimental industrial dance groups, combining political sound bites with their dance samples and beats. Their 1988 club hit, "Headhunter," cemented their reputation and provided a good example of their aggressive style. [http://houbi.simplenet.com/belpop/scripts/frame.hts?groups/front242.htm]

Joy Division Gothic

Download Love Will Tear Us Apart If Bauhaus is the MacDaddy of Goth, then JD is the Step-Daddy. Every album released by JD is a gem, and I recommend them all. Starting out as Warsaw (a Sex-Pistol-influenced dark-punkiness), JD slowly evolved from jagged (relatively untalented) guitar wanking to moving, introspective synth-goth-faire. The most well known is Unknown Pleasures, where underground icon Ian Curtis writes some pretty obscure yet imagistic stuff. The albums notably follow along Curtis' growing death wish with increasingly darker imagery, until Curtis hung himself after the release of their most successful singles ("Transmission" and "Atmosphere"). This is gloomy stuff folks! (Ironically, a very poppy New Order emerged from JD's demise). A great re-mastered collection has been released WB/Qwest, entitled Permanent: Joy Division 1995 , and would serve as a great introduction. I think, however, that JD sounds the best on vinyl, and there is plenty of cheap JD vinyl out there to check out. [http://www.tc.umn.edu/nlhome/m094/gunn0025/classix.html]

KMFDM Techno Industrial

Download Juke Joint Jezebel It is very difficult to establish exactly what "kind" of music KMFDM play. RIP Magazine has called KMFDM the most influential "industrial" group ever, but the mass media has not been able to classify it as any particular musical genre. Is KMFDM "industrial, alternative, electro-rock, crossover, danceability…?" Well, even Sascha Konietzko, the founder of the German band does not disclose. Konietzko and En Esch, another group member, decided to call the music they started creating "Ultra-Heavy-Beat," because "there's just a bassline, a rhythm, and that makes a KMFDM song" (qtd. by Brad Searles). Most fans have found the inability to categorize the music of KMFDM to be caused by the band's creativity. Brandt Gassman explains that "the fact that KMFDM's music is so diverse and spans so many different styles only makes it better... KMFDM never fail to provide what the fans want. The critics may whine and complain, but in the end KMFDM always produces a sound that nobody could have expected from them..." According to Konietzko and En Esch, KMFDM have always done what others have not yet dared to conceive. They remark: "We've never catered to any trends" (qtd. by Robert Semrow). Maybe that is the reason they do not like to be called "industrial" musicians, who remind them of artists who sold out to mainstream society. No matter what one calls them, they play electronically influenced music, and it is definitely heavy. [http://sunserver.engin.brown.edu/en3/cl2000/lukast/KMFDM/Incomplete-KMFDM.html]

Siouxie and the Banshees Gothic

Download Into the Light Siouxsie Sioux, the "Queen of Goth?" What more can be said of her and the Banshees save that their body of work is excellent? Severin's unique arrangements and Sioux's voice bend to make some of the most beautiful (lately) and disturbing (earlier) goth-doom-let's-make-love-now-cause-we're-gonna-die music ever. Their albums, however, do vary and progress from punk-stylized rants (e.g. my personal favorite, The Scream) to melodic love songs, and not everyone likes it all. I recommend the singles collections, Once Upon a Time representing the earlier, more gothy work, and Twice Upon a Time, the more commercially viable and mature stuff (e.g. "Peek-A-Boo"). Wholly dissimilar to both Bauhaus and Joy Division, the Banshee's usher in strings, sitars, and samplers as we travel up through their catalog. [http://www.tc.umn.edu/nlhome/m094/gunn0025/classix.html]

The Sisters of Mercy Gothic Rock

Download Temple of Love Crawling out of the shadows of Leeds in 1980, Stooges records in one hand, the Velvet Underground in the other, Gary Marx, Andrew Eldritch and a drum machine dubbed Doktor Avalanche made their first imprint in the footnotes of History with Damage Done. Gaining a bass-player and extra guitar player, they hit the road and never looked back, releasing a few more records along the way. The extra guitar player proved he really was extra and disappeared, leading to the recruitment of Wayne Hussey and the first SoM album. It's a fine thing, ten shiny black pearls of song. Steeped in rock 'n' roll tradition. It couldn't last of course, and Gary buggered off to form Ghostdance with Anne-Marie of Skeletal Family and then Craig and Wayne decided Andrew and his ego could try playing all the instruments. Andrew and his ego proved up to the task, begetting Floodland in 1987 and the Sisterhood lp between. It is an album remarkably different from First and Last and Always, a brooding keyboard sound pervades the album in ways that will take you years to unravel. After the appropriate gap had elapsed, Andrew unleashed the newer, leaner, meaner and louder version of the Sisters on the world in 1990 and took to the road with a vengeance for the first time since 85. Many couldn't deal with the heavy metal tone of the album, but the weak always fall by the wayside. All albums are good, it just depends on what your entry point is. Rocker enter at FALAA, quieter keyboard fans go to Floodland and metal-heads should grab Vision Thing and turn it up *real* loud. :) Those who just want an album they'll still be listening to in 10 years, should get Floodland. [http://www.vamp.org/Gothic/Text/gothlist.html] [http://www.trouserpress.com/bandpages/SISTERS_OF_MERCY.html]

Stabbing Westward Hard Rock

Download Haunting Me Stabbing Westward's music unleashes its frantic fervor through heartbreakingly dark, occasionally whispered vocals and abrasive guitar riffs/synth pieces. They are a dangerously sexy, twisted whirlwind of tender, intricate lyrics and abrasive yet appealing (and sometimes even catchy) textured songs. Stabbing Westward is definitely a rock group, but they don't sound like Ozzy or Metalica, they are motivated by powerful emotions and that come through strongly in their work. I recommend Darkest Days as your first buy, it is their most balanced piece of work. Ungod has the best instrumentals while Wither, Blister, Burn, & Peel (one album) has stronger lyrics; of the two I'd say Ungod comes out on top. [stabwest@darkestdays.com]