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General => Archive => General Music Archives => Topic started by: Ravenheart on May 02, 2012, 04:20:47 PM
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Hello and welcome! I’m sure you’re all moist and frothy with excitement. Well, never fear, because you won’t be kept in the dark any longer. That’s right—a DTF exclusive, Ravenheart’s top 50 albums of how he currently felt during the sloppy organization of this list of all time. You won’t be seeing this list anywhere else.
I’ll save you all some time and state this right now: I genuinely don’t think many of these albums will be of much appeal to the majority of the members here, so I don’t think I can realistically expect too many followers. Then again, I’m sure they said the same thing about Charles Manson, and he turned out to be pretty successful. And who knows? If you follow, you might be lucky enough to read about something that tickles your fancy.
There will probably also be some albums on here that people don’t like, but that’s okay. Some people didn’t like Ghandi either.
While I like to think my tastes in music are more diverse than not, I have an affinity for darker, gloomier music, both lyrically and musically. That’s not a secret for those of you who know me well or chat with me in the top-secret really important gossip rag Facebook group.
I toyed with a rule during the compiling of this list to see if I could follow it: no more than 2 albums a band. If that rule made writing the list harder than Drew when looking at pictures of Ariana Grande, then I’d trash it and play without rules. As it turns out, it was actually quite easy to follow, and it’s definitely much more accurate than I was fearing it would be.
Creating these lists can be challenging. 50 albums is a daunting task for any music lover, and I’m sure some of my faithful readers who have crafted top 50s have had challenges and dilemmas. Ranking these albums can sometimes be like ranking your children by how deformed they are. Plus, it can be difficult to discern between which albums have had genuine staying power and which are just spur-of-the-moment kinds of things. But I’ve done my best to create a top 50 list that makes me happy and contains albums I think I can adequately describe my love for.
I’ll include the titles in big bold letters and the artwork of each album because none of you fuckers will read the descriptions. <3
50. (2005) Unter Null - The Failure Epiphany
(https://cdn.hmvdigital.com/static/img/sleeveart/00/005/300/0000530046_500.jpg)
Coming in at #50 is the debut album of classically trained Erica Dunham under the moniker Unter Null. This album is a violent spray of heavy EBM (electronic body music, which would best be described as industrial dance music, I guess) and industrial. The synth sounds and drum beats are extremely fast, furious, and aggressive. Dunhma's vocals are vicious and border on sounding like a bark, adding to the ferocity of each song. Despite the dark and gritty atmosphere, each track is laden with synths and dance beats that make it accessible enough for the whole family to enjoy--at heart, the songs here, such as "Feed the Lie," Sick Fuck," and You Have Fallen From Grace," are pop songs laced with brutality and anger. There is a distinct feeling of remorse and tragedy that flows from track to track, with somber keyboard swells serving as the backdrop.
Ian can also vouch for the awesome of this album.
Recommended tracks: Feed the Lie, Sick Fuck, You Have Fallen From Grace
49. (2005) Chiasm - Relapse
(https://www.chiasm.org/relapse.jpg)
It pains me to see how little attention this woman (Emileigh Rohn) has received, even after being in the business for so long. Her take on Gothic Industrial is quite fresh and a unique stray from EBM or standard industrial. The synths are slow, dark, and ominous, rarely danceable or upbeat. The drumbeats lurking beneath are voyeuristic and menacing. It’s like The Terminator put to music, or some other dark Sci-Fi film. Emileigh’s lyrics, particularly for this album, are introspective pouts of isolation and depression, save for “Rewind,” which hints at a vague plan for redemption. Her voice is sweet, soothing, and oh so mournful. Relapse is a consistent flow of dark, gothic atmospheres that lament and despair with ugly precision.
Recommended tracks: Embryonic, Still, Chosen Fate
48. (1987) Dead Can Dance - Within the Realm of a Dying Sun
(https://3.bp.blogspot.com/_d0XQoihgLPY/SY3gOqslOkI/AAAAAAAAAK8/lz1z2Ua1l-4/s400/Dead1.jpg)
Oh lawdy, how to even begin describing this album? The first description that jumps to the front of my mind is: Dark, ethereal soundscapes with ominous darkwave overtones. The ambient keys set a very threatening atmosphere, like an ever-present force lurking in the air.
Brendan Perry’s voice dominates the first half of the album. Deep and soulful, his lyrics, while not particularly difficult to understand, are still deep and relatable in their subject matter. The latter half showcases Lisa Gerrard’s amazing singing talents—a rich, mournful, harrowing falsetto, like middle-eastern music with a touch of evil. The medieval ambiance makes “Within the Realm of a Dying Sun” sound like it’s within the realm of some immense cathedral.
While it’s void of any fast, discordant guitar riffs or aggressive vocals, this absolutely is Gothic in the purest of forms—threatening, ill-omened, haunting, and breathtaking.
The only adjustment I would make is a mix of the two styles to prevent the album from sounding so polarized, but that’s only a very minor complaint.
Recommended tracks: Anywhere Out in the World, Xavier, Persephone (The Gathering of Flowers)
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Very interested in this list. :) Dead Can Dance is great and the Chiasm song you sent me was great.
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I must admit, I don't know any of these :lol
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I must admit, I don't know any of these :lol
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First of all, the OP made me laugh several times :tup. So far I don't know any of these bands but given that you won my roulette I will actually read the descriptions on each album you post so to know if it can be in the ballpark for me and then try to listen to it. Expecting more Zander awesomness.
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FUCK YEAH
Looking forward for this list!! :tup
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I don't know any of these albums, and it'll probably stay that way since I didn't read anything but the nice bolded titles.
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I don't know any of these albums, and it'll probably stay that way since I didn't read anything but the nice bolded titles.
Well it's not prog metal for once. :P
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I don't know any of these albums, and it'll probably stay that way since I didn't read anything but the nice bolded titles.
Well it's not prog metal for once. :P
Insult fail. I probably listen to as much or more prog-rock than I do prog-metal.
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I must admit, I don't know any of these :lol
:lol
And I thought DTVT's list was obscure!
Yikes!
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I don't know any of these albums, and it'll probably stay that way since I didn't read anything but the nice bolded titles.
Well it's not prog metal for once. :P
Insult fail. I probably listen to as much or more prog-rock than I do prog-metal.
SO DIVERSE! D:
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I don't know any of these albums, and it'll probably stay that way since I didn't read anything but the nice bolded titles.
Well it's not prog metal for once. :P
Insult fail. I probably listen to as much or more prog-rock than I do prog-metal.
SO DIVERSE! D:
Was in no way claiming it was diverse, simply saying that if you wanted to lol about it you would have been better served saying prog-rock or even better, simply prog.
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lol
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Chiasm and Dead Can Dance sound interesting. Are they on spotify?
Loved you introduction, btw :rollin
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I don't know any of these albums, and it'll probably stay that way since I didn't read anything but the nice bolded titles.
Well it's not prog metal for once. :P
Insult fail. I probably listen to as much or more prog-rock than I do prog-metal.
SO DIVERSE! D:
Was in no way claiming it was diverse, simply saying that if you wanted to lol about it you would have been better served saying prog-rock or even better, simply prog.
well... prog*
buuuuuuuuuuurned :yarr
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I don't know any of these albums, and it'll probably stay that way since I didn't read anything but the nice bolded titles.
Well it's not prog metal for once. :P
This is why I was so excited for Zander's. Hell, even my top 50 was filled with prog rock and prog metal albums. Good to see someone breaking the mold with stuff even Ryan Gallagher won't touch.
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Chiasm and Dead Can Dance sound interesting. Are they on spotify?
Loved you introduction, btw :rollin
Chiasm is in grooveshark
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Following!
In b4 the rest of the albums are 80s goth albums I've never heard of.
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In b4 albums from 9 different chicks who can't spell Emily.
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EL OH EL
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I haven't heard and Dead Can Dance records but I do have Lisa Gerrards - Immortal Memory and it's pretty good.
Haven't heard the other two either but I'll be following.
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Should be a good list!
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In b4 the rest of the albums are 80s goth albums I've never heard of.
If so, definitely hoping for Fields Of The Nephilim!
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Haven't listened to Dead Can Dance, but I fucking love Failure Epiphany and Relapse.
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Zandering.
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Thanks for the interest, everyone! I'll update this one more time tonight. Then it's time to hit the sack. Then bed.
47. (2008) Reflexion – Dead to the Past, Blind for Tomorrow
(https://cdn.buzznet.com/assets/users16/marieanna/default/dead-past-blind-tomorrow-new--large-msg-121041836597.jpg)
Reflexion is a little-known band from Finland that deserves much more attention than it gets. Their brand of dark yet upbeat Goth rick is crisped with vague symphonic melodies, and the result is just damn catchy. That’s the best way to summarize this wonderful collection of songs: damn catchy. “Nonstop Glorious Ride” is fast, punkish, and layered with catchy vocals and an infectious chorus. Twilight Child, possibly my favorite Reflexion song overall, is a gorgeous piano-washed rock song with an almost symphonic edge and a memorable chorus. Other tracks like Weak and Tired and Black is the Colour of Your Life are fast-paced Goth rockers that have a metal vibe with an alternative spin on them. The closer, Just One Word (Goodbye), is as depressing as it sounds.
In a way, they’re vaguely reminiscent of HIM, except with better melodies, better lyrics, better riffs, and just better songs overall.
Most notably, I think this is one of the few albums on my list that would appeal to a wide range of DTFers.
Recommended tracks: Embrace of Wrath, Twilight Child, Just One Word (Goodbye)
46. (2006) Ayria - Flicker
(https://blog-imgs-27.fc2.com/n/e/u/neuroses/ayriafljpg.jpg)
And we're back on the dance floor. Jennifer Parkin, or Ayria, is yet another one of those EBM artists that I was previously talking about. From beginning to end, “Flicker” is unapologetically laced with rough-edge synthesizers, heavy industrial drumbeats, and angst-ridden lyrics. It still maintains a dark, brooding atmosphere even in its fastest moments--almost gritty. The production is somewhat unpolished, but in this case, it only enhances the tracks. It has a nice mix of fast and slow, with the slower numbers like Pink Dress and Lovely Day adding a profound sense of loneliness to the album.
Recommended tracks: My Revenge On the World, My Device, Lovely Day
45. (2010) Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross - The Social Network OST
(https://c438342.r42.cf2.rackcdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/SocialNetworkSndtrk.jpg)
It's no secret that I'm a huge Nine Inch Nails fan. Trent Reznor was responsible for my decision to start seriously listening to music and investigating it. His music has been a very important part of my life, and this soundtrack was a huge and critical step in his evolution as an artist, even over 20 years into his career. It lacks the hooks and melodies of NIN, but that's not what it's meant for. This is a score to be immersed in, to let it wash over you, consume you, take you away, and fellate you. The textures and soundscapes transcend standard electronica/ambient, opting to explore the dark, the minimalistic, the huge, the epic, and the chaotic. I've found myself completely lost in thought while listening to this score during many occasions, and it's great inspiration for my own creative processes and for helping me stay focused on homework. It is a cumulative piece of work that flows from beginning to end, exploring various dynamics while never losing any cohesion. While some naysayers (idiots) try to pass off Trent as a no-talent pop icon, this is a shining example of the beauty and creativity he is capable of composing.
Recommended tracks: Painted Sun in Abstract, Carbon Prevails, Eventually We Find Our Way
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The Social Network OST is awesome. Will check out the other two...
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Great to finally see this thread!
I have a feeling that much of it will be a bit too industrial or gothic (or just dark) for me, but it's always great with a list that isn't just your typical Porcupine Tree, Opeth, Mastodon, and so on. (no offense to the bands, just interesting with lots of other stuff)
So far I know the Social Network OST which is awesome and I've heard a tune or two by Chiasm.
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Following, from what I've seen we have a very similar music taste.
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Haven't listened to Reflexion, but I fucking love Flicker and The Social Network OST.
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(https://www.dreamtheaterforums.org/forumavatars/avatar_1781_1328301939.gif)
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Followin' and junk.
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I'm now going to assume that Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross's "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" OST will be higher ranked in the list.
I'll probably check out a good portion of albums that you post in this list, seeing as I've never disliked any music you've introduced to me before.
FOLLOWIN'
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44. (1998) Opeth - My Arms, Your Hearse
(https://image.musicimport.biz/sdimages/disk16/1169426.jpg)
This band is relatively unknown. You probably haven't heard of them. Creeping out of their run of Orchid and Morningrise, which were already startlingly huge accomplishments that defied genres, Opeth created probably the bleakest and most desolate album of their careers with My Arms, Your Hearse. The story of the album is a narrative by a ghost stalking his past lover, and the music is just as much of a character as Mikael Akerfeldt's incredible voice that switches between demonic roars and bone-chilling, melodic singing. The production is noticeably muddier than their other albums, but that has always been part of the charm for me. There is a thick layer of dirge covering every angle of the music, from the haunting climax of When, to the sonic assault of Demon of the Fall, to the aching cries of Epilogue. Some people might hate my saying this, but this album absolutely IS gothic, conjuring images of empty forests bathed in moonlight, complemented by the contrasting voice of Mikael that never loses its profound accent of loneliness. While not my favorite Opeth album, I am sometimes tempted to name it so.
Recommended tracks: When, Demon of the Fall, Karma
43. (1985) Kate Bush - Hounds of Love
(https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pexu63hVbcA/ThHC-rp91LI/AAAAAAAAAFo/QYNk5Ltn6jk/s1600/katebush.jpg)
This is the best album by the confounding, baffling queen of schizophrenic art pop known as Kate Bush. I'll admit that, while listening to her music, on occasion, I find myself wondering what the hell it is that's blasting in my ears. From her dense, often allegoric lyrics, to the jarring pop melodies of pianos, to her own batshit-crazy vocal acrobatics that she's not shy of exemplifying, Kate Bush can often be a mystery to me.
But that's part of what makes her so damn good in the end. And Hounds of Love, insanity aside, is the perfect blend of all her wacky talents with a strong sense of accessibility thrown in. With liberal use of string sections and warm synth backgrounds, the album often sounds symphonic, and just plain BIG. It's difficult to describe, but tracks like Running Up that Hill (A Deal With God) and The Big Sky are so rich and full in their arrangements that the description "big" just seems to fit. Bush's most upfront achievement with Hounds of Love is her seamless blend of pop catchiness and offbeat experimentation that live in very comfortable fusion. Even the sample-drenched studio fuckery of Waking the Witch is laden with harmonies and melodies that are too delicate and gorgeous not to admire. Her vocal gymnastics are toned down a bit on this album to fit the context of what is a very dreamy, warm, and often sensual record. Hounds of Love is a huge statement for not just 80s music or female musicians, but for the entire art as a whole.
Recommended tracks: Running Up that Hill (A Deal With God), Cloudbusting, Jig of Life
42. (1993) The Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese Dream
(https://991.com/newGallery/Smashing-Pumpkins-Siamese-Dream-276741.jpg)
One of most important albums of the 90s, and for good reason. The Smashing Pumpkins have never been your ordinary alternative rock band, and Siamese Dream is the perfect example of that. The most obvious aspect at first listen is the amazingly dense layering of dreamy, shoegaze-influenced guitar riffs that sounds like they could fill entire rooms. But they never border on being cliche or generic, opting for more complex and daring rhythms that are nevertheless ear worms. Billy Corgan's voice might sound whiny at first listen, but he slowly reveals his talent in lonely phrasing and yelling over the walls of fuzzy dreampop. And then there are his lyrics. Even when tackling generally simple subjects like heartbreak or yearning to be happy, Corgan's poetry is complex and thoughtful without ever treading the waters of pretension. It's angsty without the embarrassment and artsy without the smugness. The entire package is the most important part of course, but the lyrics are a very thick icing on top of this psychadelic pop metal/art rock masterpiece. While Nirvana's Nevermind gets all the credit for being the defining sound of the 90s in all of its incredibly average and plain alt. rock glory, Siamese Dream is poignant, poetic, breathtaking, and gorgeous.
Recommended tracks: Rocket, Soma, Mayonaise.
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You're a good writer, Zander.
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^ That.
I still have to get an Ayria album. D: She seemed great from that song you played in rolling.
Hounds of Love is an amazing album.
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My Arms Your Hearse is amazing. I've heard a few Smashing Pumpkins songs that I've really liked, so Siamese Dream have been on my list for a while. Kate Bush is also great, though I don't know that particular album.
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You're a good writer, Zander.
This this this this this. That might have been the best description of MAYH. Also good choice :metal
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Haven't heard many of these but they sound cool! Will check em out.
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I love Siamese Dream, my favorite Smashing Pumpkins album :tup
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You're a good writer, Zander.
Yeah he should write for a magazine or something.
Also, MAYH is I think my favorite Opeth album at this point. So well done there. I have still never heard a whole Smashing Pumpkins album.
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Following
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Zandeezy my neezy, Siamese Dream is the shizniz. I felt like talking like Snoop Dogg for a minute, fuckin sue me. But anyway, great pick! It would be in my top 50 as well if I ever got around to doing one but I probably won't ever because the waiting list is like a million years long and nobody gives a shit about my tastes anyway so fuck you all you're a bunch of fucking fuckholes.
But anywho, I like that album too yay. We are brothers.
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Thanks, guys. I'm doing my best to keep the descriptions interesting and portray what the albums sound like. And good to see that all three albums are known/loved.
But anywho, I like that album too yay. We are brothers.
C'mere and give me a manly hug and let me ruffle your hair.
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My Arms, Your Hearse! :tup
you've seen my top 50 and know how much I love it. Great.
I suspect we can see Still Life soon then?
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I listened to that Smashing Pumpkins album; it was pretty good! Will probably play it again soon.
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Thanks, guys. I'm doing my best to keep the descriptions interesting and portray what the albums sound like. And good to see that all three albums are known/loved.
But anywho, I like that album too yay. We are brothers.
C'mere and give me a manly hug and let me ruffle your hair.
Dude my hair would be way too intimidated by your hair.
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WE NEED UPDATE
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DON'T RUSH GENIUS
Anyway, here's 3 albums no one will give a shit about.
41. (1983) New Order – Power, Corruption & Lies
(https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qDuS6CzdHD8/T0o8v1eQVGI/AAAAAAAABZU/zchMREPl5BU/s1600/neworder.jpg)
New Order was formed from the ashes of Joy Division after frontman Ian Curtis committed suicide, continuing the post-punk name with added elements that set them apart from others in the genre while creating a sound that would influence future generations. Power, Corruption, & Lies is a special blend of minimalist post-punk with dance sensibilities, one of the seminal new wave albums of the time. With punkish guitar chords and thumping bass over choppy drumbeats akin to club music, they create a rather distant, lonely feeling for Bernard Sumner’s strangely plain voice. His vocals seem pretty unremarkable at first, and yeah, they’re not that impressive compared to others on this list. But no other kind of vocal style would suit New Order’s music. There’s a strange kind of pitiful gloominess in his voice, like a stray puppy or a drunk who lost a bet. On that level, his vocals work pretty damn well, especially on songs like The Village and Leave Me Alone. PCL has New Order’s biggest hit, Blue Monday, which is a shameless 80s dance floor anthem replete with bouncing bass synth and angsty lyrics, and there’s a good chance you may have heard it before. If not, it’s likely that you’ve heard many songs that have taken a note of two from it, as it was a hugely popular single. It may sound rather dated, but the ideas and ambitions behind it certainly are not.
Recommended tracks: The Village, Blue Monday, Leave Me Alone
40. (1987) The Sisters of Mercy – Floodland
(https://4.bp.blogspot.com/_EpVVfjamBNs/TULKo2oaiJI/AAAAAAAAAoU/VxdbBL9KFAU/s1600/sisters+of+mercy+floodland.jpg)
Some albums on this last are shamelessly Goth. This is one of them. From the arena rock powerhouse opener Dominion/Mother Russia to the sickly journey down the doom-plastered pit that is Never Land, Floodland is The Sisters of Mercy’s crowning achievement. Andrew Eldritch’s vocals are deep and baritone-like, the type that one would expect from most Goth bands. He can go from haunting murmurs to shrill croons, tackling topics like passive aggressively mocking other band members and mourning a lost childhood. Goth princess Patricia Morrison, who was recruited on this album to play bass, adds a new vibe to the band, visually and musically. While her showmanship isn’t necessarily complex, it adds a depth to the sound that can be rumbling, punchy, and dense. One of the landmarks of the 80s Goth scene, failure to listen to this album results in a subtraction of 30 Goth points.
Recommended tracks: Lucretia My Reflection, 1959, Never Land (Full Length)
39. (2000) Poe - Haunted
(https://musicfromorion.typepad.com/.a/6a011168605b34970c01156f2a2ccd970c-800wi)
First and foremost, I need to give credit where credit is due and thank LeeHarveyKennedy for peaking my interest in this album/artist.
Wherever you are, Lee, be it trolling people at your place of employment, lost in the ether with Epicview, or crushing unsuspecting women with your enormous penis, thank you. Thank you very much.
Anyway, I’ve always had a difficult time describing this album. It’s not particularly bizarre or avant-garde (that would probably make it easier to describe, really), but the mixing of styles, choices of instrumentations, and lyrical themes make it much to unique to box into a simple category like singer-songwriter, indie, or alternative. In fact, Poe’s Haunted might be the most ambiguous album in my collection.
The easiest way to describe this album, I guess, would be alternative rock for people who don’t like alternative rock, kind of like Dredg. The subtle electronic hums provide the platform for orchestral displays of layered harmonies that build on each other without ever sounding muddied or overwhelming. The melodies are never once generic or cliché, and yet they remain perfectly within the grasp of any listener who has at least a vaguely open mind. It is pop music at its stripped core, yes, but it is so seamlessly coated with various other styles that labeling it pop music would be an insult. The way all of these styles interweave with each other is what makes my vocabulary so conservative and, ultimately, my description of the music just awful.
The album follows a loose story of Poe dealing with her repressed emotions centering on her complex relationship with her father, and her coping with his death. Excerpts of audiotapes made by her father are sprinkled throughout in interludes and small portions of songs. It is also partly based on the novel House of Leaves, written by her brother.
What really brings out this album’s character, however, is Poe’s voice. At times it is heartfelt and gorgeous, like in Haunted or If You Were Here, and other times it’s accentuated with a rough, witty attitude, like in the verses of Walk the Walk or the entirety of Not a Virgin. It avoids being jarring or intimidating, which Kate Bush is sometimes guilty of, but still manages to be daring enough to bring out emotions in the songs that would be otherwise absent.
If I haven’t lost any readers by now after the first two albums in this update, I genuinely think this album would appeal to a wide range of DTFers, and it is highly recommended.
Recommended tracks: Haunted, Control, Amazed
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Haven't heard any of those ones. ;o
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I've listened to Poe and New Order a bit, but never properly gotten into them.
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Will listen to that Poe album soon for sure! ;)
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Sorry 'bout the delay. Things got hectic, but I'll make up for it with another update soon.
38. (2002) Agalloch – The Mantle
(https://images.cryhavok.org/d/5793-1/Agalloch+-+The+Mantle.jpg)
I found this band/album a good 5 years ago when looking for music similar to Opeth, and what a find it was. Agalloch were the second metal band I started seriously listening to. But Opeth comparisons are unjust, as Agalloch, and The Mantle particularly, are of another breed entirely. The music takes its time to paint a full picture in broad, spacious strokes—delicate acoustic passages woven over distant black metal compositions with post-rock leanings. If there was ever an album that fully captured the feelings of nature, this was it. Vocalist Jon Haughm’s voice, whether it’s chilling whispers, a somber sigh of melodic singing, or mysterious black metal snarls, is like the winter wind rushing through trees encased in snow. That sounds incredibly cheesy, I realize, but it makes sense. The music is a consistent, melancholic wave, exploring thunderous, rainy riffs like on I Am the Wooden Doors, and dismal, vast geographies of hushed tragedy, such as in …And the Great Cold Death of the Earth. Lyrical themes relate to spirituality, life, love, and loss, with just the right amount of ambiguity to match the stunning display of musical uniqueness.
Recommended tracks: In the Shadow of Our Pale Companion, You Were But a Ghost In My Arms, …And the Great Cold Death of the Earth
37. (2004) The Birthday Massacre – Violet
(https://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51VJPWQN9PL.jpg)
The Birthday Massacre are one of the best modern Goth bands around, combining 80s synthpop sensibilities with metallic guitar riffs. Female lead singer Chibi’s voice is beautiful and mischievously cute, while sometimes veering on dark and foreboding when whispering snarls under her breath. Violet contains their signature sound, but with key differences. The slightly muddied production, distant electronic beats, and rich synthesizers give it a gritty dance club atmosphere that is much more pronounced on this album than their others. It has a touch of mystery to it, like an old vinyl found in the attic dusted off and played. It’s heavy enough to rock out to, dark enough to listen to with the lights out, and danceable enough to get your blood pumping and your body moving.
Recommended tracks: Lovers End, Horror Show, Blue
36. (1992) Tori Amos – Little Earthquakes
(https://www.vol1brooklyn.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/little-earthquakes-cover.jpg)
This album was like an earthquake for me when it finally clicked. Tori’s classical training combined with knack for pop and introspective poetry make Little Earthquakes a landmark of female artistry and a gem of the 90s. Her voice is soaring and delicate with a touch of quirkiness and attitude that is the most remarkable aspect of Little Earthquakes. Gorgeous piano chords set the platform for her raw, honest poetry that strikes the perfect balance between ambiguity and slapping you in the face with brutal earnestness. The song styles range from simply yet remarkable pop songs, like Crucify and Happy Phantom, to stunning symphonies of rich, orchestral swells like the title track. The centerpiece of the album, Winter, is the unquestionable highlight, featuring a stripped down Tori with only her voice and piano, save for a breathtaking orchestral crescendo in the middle.
While this is not my favorite Tori album, I would opt to say that this is the best starting point for anyone whose curiosity is peaked. If you’ve ever had the slightest inclination to enjoy female artists, you owe it to yourself to give this album at least one spin.
Recommended tracks: Crucify, Silent All These Years, Winter
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Agalloch AND Tori Amos. Beautiful Zander, just beautiful. :heart
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Haven't listened to Tori, but I fucking love The Mantle and Violet.
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The Mantle is simply one of the best albums ever made, regardless of genre.
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Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm the mantle mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
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Agalloch AND Tori Amos. Beautiful Zander, just beautiful. :heart
:tup
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Interesting list, will follow
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There better at least be some Evergrey on this list.
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I'm sure there will be, Nick. Evergrey is like Dream Theater if every member of Dream Theater was Zander.
Also, MAYH is I think my favorite Opeth album at this point.
lol
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Thanks for the feedback, guys. Great to see the Tori love.
The pressure is on from Nick. I can't take this. Someone show him the door, please.
As promised, here's another update. Yet again, it contains 3 albums no one wil give a shit about.
35. (1988) Skinny Puppy - VIVIsect VI
(https://bloodsexcult.org/uploads/musician/skinny-puppy-vivisectvi.jpeg)
There is absolutely nothing melodic or catchy on this album. You will find no hook or chorus, no guitar riff or heartfelt lyric. Nope. This album grabs you by the balls at first listen and castrates you while telling you you’re a piece of shit. Skinny Puppy were pioneers of industrial music, and VIVIsect VI is a clustercuck of inharmonious drum beats, processed synths, and the ugly vocals of frontman Ohgr. His voice has nothing redeeming or pleasant about it whatsoever, opting for terrifying snarls and barks, shamelessly sneering and crooning, like a rabid dog (or puppy! LOL!). More often than not, it sounds like he is merely talking. Samples taken from films and news reports are scattered throughout each song that up the tuneless symphony that is this album (and Skinny Puppy in general).
Underneath the sludgy layers of industrial doom happen to be very serious lyrics that condemn animal cruelty and the testing of animals, with songs like Human Disease (S.K.U.M.M.) firmly flipping off the entirety of the human race. In its own strange way, the baffling carnival of industrial alchemy is the perfect complement to these kinds of lyrical subjects (and especially the vocal style). If you enjoy industrial and don’t mind a bit of discord infused with it, this album is recommended. If not, stay away. Stay away! Unless you're a masochist.
Recommended tracks: Human Disease (S.K.U.M.M.), Testure, Hospital Waste
34. (2000) Covenant – United States of Mind
(https://image.betamonline.com/sdimages/disk18/302514.jpg)
And now back to something a little more melodic and accessible, fresh from the EBM oven. Covenant hit it off in the 90s at the rise of VNV Nation, but they have a sound that distinguishes them from VNV clones. Their brand, such as on United States of Mind, is less about harsh, rough synth, often incorporating softer soundscapes that sound less like the dancefloor and more like the air and the sky.
But the dance appeal is still present. The harrowing opener Like Tears in Rain is a blistering lament of everything falling apart. Other tracks like Dead Stars and One World One Sky follow suite with fast-paced beats and quick synth, but the energy is contrasted with subtle, creeping numbers like Helicopter and Still Life. Vocalist Eksil Simonsson is deep, dark, and emotive, sounding uncannily Gothic at times. He can croon and soar, or sound somberly possessed, while still maintaining that Gothic undercurrent. All industrial/EBM fans ought to spin this album at least once.
Recommended tracks: Like Tears in Rain, Tour De Force, Still Life
33. (1998) Rasputina – How We Quit the Forest
(https://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61KULn8I5vL._SS500_.jpg)
This album was sent through a wormhole in time from the Victorian era. And if this album is in fact a historical artifact, then everything during Victorian times was quirkier, goofier, and just flat-out more bizarre than anyone thought. . Melora Creager, frontwoman and mastermind of Rasputina, seamlessly blends mellow industrial beats with rich, boisterous cello playing. They coined the term cello rock, in fact. How many bands carry that moniker is debatable, but it’s pretty damn cool and exactly what it sounds like. The cello compositions range from synthesized to organic, the more processed parts being unlike anything I’ve heard in any other band, almost sounding dirty and muddied. Creager’s shimmering vibrato voice is perplexingly eccentric, but also pleasant and often elegant. Her lyrical topics range from serious and personal to unapologetically strange and humorous. Dwarf Star is a scathing amalgamation of jarring cello screeches, offbeat vocalizing, and dry industrial textures, with a story that would be confusing and silly to spell out for people. Diamond Mind is a witty parody of vanity and materialism. The highlights, however, are the fuller compositions that let Creager’s voice and talents with the cello shine, like The New Zero and The Olde Headboard. Overall, How We Quit the Forest is a nice mixture of the strange and the catchy, with ingenuity to boast.
Recommended tracks: The Olde Headboard, The New Zero, Things I’m Gonna Do
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Rasputina :heart though I like Sister Kinderhook more methinks.
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It was hard to pick a favorite Rasputina album, really, but I tend to go back to How We Quit the Forest the most.
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Why do I only know about 25% of this list?
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Because Ravenheart
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yeah.
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Amazing picks! The Mantle and Little Earthquakes are some of my fave albums ever!
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3 more albums no one cares about.
32. (1987) The Smiths - Strangeways Here We Come
(https://spanishforeggs.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/20090414155721Smiths_-_Strangeways_here_we_come.jpg)
This was The Smiths’ swansong, which would culminate in the tension between lead singer Morrissey and guitarist/co-songwriter Johnny Marr breaking the band up. Despite all the tension, however, they went out with a bang. Among Smiths fans, this often isn't the most praised. I can understand why, in a way, since it doesn't have any immediately recognizable hits like How Soon is Now? or I Know It's Over.
But that doesn't matter. Strangeways Here We Come is chock-full of simple yet fantastic melodies—what should be the standards for all pop music. Johnny Marr's guitar compositions are surprisingly intricate and complex, despite the lack of flashy noodling or solos. At times, it even borders on a bit of a punkish attitude. Orchestral laments like Girlfriend in a Coma and Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me are peppered with Morrissey’s profoundly miserable yet oddly witty lyrics that are relatable to the point of making me feel uncomfortable at times. And Morrissey’s voice is just to die for, and in the same vein as Freddie Mercury’s: instantly recognizable and full of harmony and charm.
Recommended tracks: Girlfriend in a Coma, Last Night I Dreamt that Somebody Loved Me, Paint a Vulgar Picture
31. (2003) For My Pain... - Fallen
(https://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61gOMbxpipL.jpg)
This is a little-known collaboration between various members of symphonic Goth death metal band Eternal Tears of Sorrow and Tuomos Holopainen of Nightwish. The result is a amazing mix of rich, slow, gothic dirge slated over metallic compositions. Vocal Juha, who would actually go on later to be the vocalist for Reflexion, is deep, dark, romantic, emotive, and sexual. Tuomos's piano and synth melodies are vast and beautiful in their tragic atmosphere, never sounding indulgent or over the top. The guitar riffs are heavy and sludge-ridden like most doom metal, but the album as a whole has a quicker pace than the likes of My Dying Bride or early Paradise Lost. It has enough accessibility to make it instantly appealing and easy to swallow, but with enough melancholy to remind you that these guys are more depressed than Colin after his style, mystery, and confidence failed him after a week or whatever.
Once again, I think this album would appeal to a wide DTF audience.
Recommended tracks: Dancer in the Dark, Broken Days, Autumn Harmony
30. (2009) Assemblage 23 - Compass
(https://images.wikia.com/lyricwiki/images/1/12/Assemblage_23_-_Compass.jpg)
Assemblage 23, a project headed by Tom Shear, is one of the most important and best EBM/futurepop bands to rise in the wake of VNV Nation. He's shown minor evolution and changes with each album, often a change in tone or production. Past albums had a thicker industrial edge to them, whereas that is toned down a bit on Compass. Compass is lighter, turning up the synthpop to 11 and allowing for more vulnerable and delicate melodies to shine. Shear's voice isn't particularly remarkable, but the honesty and lack of pretension helps bring out the honest and introspective stories he tells with his lyrics. Collapse is an agressive dance number with dark, club-like claustrophobia, and in contrast, The Cruelest Year feels vast, infinite, and airy. While darkness and gritty industrial undertones are present, the soaring keyboard and synthesizer melodies give Compass enough pop sensibilities to distinguish it from the crowd.
Recommended tracks: Collapse, How Can You Sleep?, The Cruelest Year
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Haven't listened to any of those, but that For My Pain cover is gorgeous.
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Hell yeah, one of my favorite covers ever.
I think you might like Assemblage 23.
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except the opeth album, i dont know any of the albums you listed
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Moar.
29. (1987) Siouxsie and the Banshees - Tinderbox
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a3/Siouxsie_%26_the_Banshees-Tinderbox.jpg)
One of the most important post-punk/Goth bands of the 80s, this is Siouxsie and the Banshees’ masterwork as far as I’m concerned: a competent and cohesive exercise in their post-punk origins while exploring experimental howls and jagged soundscapes. The voice of female vocalist Siouxsie Sioux is like an opera singer who escaped from a mental institution, displaying her maniacal range of deep murmuring to ear-shattering highs of blistering volume. The guitars and rhythm are scathing and dry, providing a vicious backbone for her lyrics about pedophiles, lust for a ghost, the end of the world, and entropy in society. The album as a whole can often be overwhelming in its chaotic elegance, never once letting the listener come up for air even in its calmest moments.
Recommended tracks: Cities in Dust, The Sweetest Chill, Lullaby
28. (1993) Type O Negative - Bloody Kisses
(https://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Pt7VsdI1mg8/TBvb6oak8OI/AAAAAAAAAvc/3I0uV8J_U98/s1600/Type-O-Negative-Bloody-Kisses.jpg)
Somewhere between the most mournful of Gothic laments and the quirkiest sense of humor lies Type O Negative, especially their 1993 masterpiece Bloody Kisses. The intro, Machine Screw, which is about exactly what you think it’s about, gives way to the haunting choir keys of Christian Women, a Goth rock powerhouse colored in with fuzzy guitars and bass, and the balance between miserable and odd humor is consistent throughout the recording. Bassist and vocalist Peter Steele adds an incredible personality to Bloody Kisses, hitting notes so low you’ll swear it’s the devil himself singing them. The sexualized musings of Black No. 1 and the aforementioned Christian Woman are presented with a dark whit and charm unheard of. Kill All the White People and We Hate Everyone provide interludes in the doom and gloom, allowing punk rock influences to shine through in overwhelming hilarity and irony. The accentuation given to the musicianship is one of TON’s many signature sounds, shrouding it all in thick dirge. Anyone who likes Goth, metal, punk, or values their existence needs to hear this album.
Recommended tracks: Christian Woman, We Hate Everyone, Bloody Kisses (A Death in the Family)
27. (2001) Sarah Fimm - A Perfect Dream
(https://images.payplay.fm/f/i/fimm2/600/fimm2.jpg)
Well, here’s an artist no one expected. Sarah Fimm’s second album, A Perfect Dream, is a dreary journey of mellow, ethereal piano work atop compositions that range from pounding drums to vague trip-hop touches to noir-tinged jazz orchestrations. Her voice is somber and soft, with a touch of age to give it a unique character. Tracks like Wrong side Up and Virus are impressive displays of her versatility as a vocalist, sounding deranged and frantic or exhausted and weary. Spit Trap Ghetto is a fast-paced jazz number straight out of the 20s about prostitution and the ghetto, or something like that. In the Red is equally jazzy but in a different context—much more mysterious and slow, like part of the soundtrack to an old crime film. Lioness is primitively sexual with tribal drums to boot, and unapologetic in the obvious metaphors she speaks of. The production of the album sheathes it in a very rich, subdued coherence, like the soundtrack to a desolate city or a grungy neighborhood.
Recommended tracks: Virus, Spit Trap Ghetto, In the Red
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Great to see Sarah Fimm! I must admit that many of the others are new to me.
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Great to see Sarah Fimm! I must admit that many of the others are new to me.
This, loving the write ups though.
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A Perfect Dream is an amazing album.
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Zander slow down!! I don't have enough time to listen to all of this
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mmmmmm Bloody Kisses
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Dude Christian Woman used to be my jammy jam! :metal
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Always great to see Sarah Fimm and TON love! No love for Siouxsie, but I expected that.
Here's my update for tonight:
26. (1980) Gary Numan – Telekon
(https://i2.listal.com/image/1159599/500full.jpg)
Loathed by the critics, loved by his fans, for better or worse, Gary Numan was/is the pioneer of electronic music, providing the blueprint for future electronic, new wave, industrial, and gothic bands to come. There’s a good chance some of the bands you whippersnappers listen to were influenced by him in some way. His 3rd album, 1980’s Telekon, is an examination of himself in the midst of the massive success he was enjoying at the time, feeling panic and disillusion with his fame and the overwhelming adoration of his fans, often resenting their stark-raving mad love for him and his music—Remind Me to Smile being an example of this. Remember I was Vapour is a mellow, offbeat synth-piano companion setting the stage for Numan’s please for everyone watching him to understand that he’s just like them. Please Push No More is him begging his fans, his record company, and himself to give him a moment’s rest and a break from the pressures of being in the public eye. Numan’s voice, while not remarkably versatile or even that great, is very unnerving in its alien-like expressions, providing a creepy undertone to the dense walls of synthesizers and pianos filling each song.
This album, along with The Pleasure Principle and Replicas, are the foundations of both Gary Numan’s career and the every angle and sub-genre of electronica.
Recommended tracks: Telekon, Remind Me To Smile, Remember I Was Vapour
25. (1999) Opeth – Still Life
(https://images.cryhavok.org/d/9125-1/Opeth+-+Still+Life.jpg)
My favorite Opeth album. Still Life is a logical continuation of 1998’s My Arms, Your Hearse, providing a hint at what was to come for the rest of their career. From the eerie intro of The Moor to the somber fadeout of White cluster, for 62 minutes and 7 songs, Still Life consumes me. The contrasting dynamics of crushing scorching death metal and bone-chilling folk are still present, but they are much more refined, seemingly more concrete and confident in the way their compositions are molded. Akerfeldt’s marriage of brutality and beauty in his voice is streaked with unfettered grief and anger, setting the perfect tone for the narrator’s story—a man returning to the town he was exiled from 15 years ago to retrieve his long lost lover.
The entire atmosphere of the album—lyrics, music, and acoustics—has much more in common with elegant, age-old gothic literature than clichéd by-the-numbers prog metal. While Opeth is not what is typically labeled melodic death metal, most of what often is associated with that genre just seems to be melodic metal with harsh vocals and nothing more. Opeth seem to fit the description better, flawlessly combining the two with a masterful onslaught of true ruthlessness: emotionally and musically, never sacrificing heaviness for melody or melody for heaviness. The styles are welded so seamlessly that any separation would only serve to hurt the album, and the band in general, more. While naysayers like to insist that Opeth’s music would sound much better without the growling, it will forever be an extremely critical component in their albums, and most of all, Still Life.
Recommended tracks: The Moor, Godhead's Lament, Moonlapse Vertigo
24. (1990) Depeche Mode – Violator
(https://farm3.static.flickr.com/2629/3910586911_149cb7ba6a.jpg)
Another band I rave on about, and another band that has had a massive impact on electronic music, whether you like it or not. Violator was Depeche Mode’s huge breakout worldwide, most notably in the USA. While past albums remained focused on synthesizers and Euro-alt dancepop, moody and dark lyrics intact, Violator was a major step in their evolution as musicians, suiting up with brooding guitar lines, crystal-clear electronics, and murky, foreboding synths, all atop Dave Gahan’s deep dirty voice and primary songwriter Martin Gore’s angelic falsetto.
Lyrical themes, while still in typical dark DM fashion, feature a slight deviation, exploring drug addiction and nihilism, as well as the obligatory misanthropy and sexual fetishes. The flawless production allows every instrument, every vocal, every lyric, every hiss, bump, and screech to be heard with remarkable clarity. Personal Jesus features a Western blues guitar riff alongside pounding synth bass and sweeping keys, parodying teve-evangelism in the lyrics. World in My eyes, the absolute epitome of alternative dance, and Blue Dress are darkly sexual and pervy, a vague hint to closet fetishes Gore has never publicly admitted. Waiting for the Night is a metaphorical lament of reality and longing for dreams to take over, and with delicate, distant keys shimmering like the stars above. And who could forget Enjoy the Silence? Elegant, simple, and irresistibly catchy, it’s the Mode’s #1 hit, seamlessly mixing anthem-like guitar chords with jumpy synths as Gahan sings love lyrics dipped in extreme insecurity.
While this is not my favorite Depeche Mode album, it is undeniably their most important statement as artists. The mainstream success of Violator exposed a need for people all over the world to indulge in music that was not only catchy, but also dramatic, brooding, scary, and wittingly dark. And if anyone has the slightest inclination to listen to Depeche Mode after this description, Violator is the perfect starting point.
Recommended tracks: Personal Jesus, Halo, Enjoy the Silence
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I gotta check out that Sarah Fimm album, I've only heard Nexus and Red Yellow Sun.
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Violator :heart
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Violator :heart
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Zander your writeups put mine to shame and I hate you for it.
Also I haven't heard a Perfect Dream Yet. Just Nexus and Near Infinite Possibility, but both are good.
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I've been out of town, so I'm just catching up.
The Mantle and Still Life are awesome as everyone except Nick seems to know.
I've been trying to find a copy of that For My Pain... album since you sent me that clip for my roulette. I agree that I think it would get some traction here if there were any more copied to be had.
I enjoy October Rust - another roulette play from you, so it will probably only be a matter of time until I pick this up since you're implictly recommeneding it here.
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I love Still Life and your write-ups are awesome.
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Thanks, guys. :D
Also, you can legally stream all of Sarah Fimm's albums for free on her website if you're inclined to listen. She's awesome like that.
The next update will be soon.
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And here. We. Go.
23. (2000) Radiohead - Kid A
(https://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51ZWr2hIj8L.jpg)
How do you follow up one of the most popular and heralded albums of the 90s? Simple: You dismantle your entire sound and start from scratch completely with a new concept. Radiohead’s Kid A was a far cry from the warm and artsy alternative rock of The Bends or the dreary sonic textures of OK Computer, filled with beeps, blurbs, beats, IDM, and chaotic jazz breakouts. Radiohead were the second band I was ever a proper fan of, and I found Kid A instantly engrossing even after becoming so accustomed to the sounds of OK Computer.
It’s not a comfortable album. Right from the fragmented mumbles of “Kid A” at the beginning of Everything in Its Right Place to the harp-swept orchestrations of Motion Picture Soundtrack, this is not an easy album to lump into one genre, let alone electronica. Optimistic is about as close to their previous sound as Kid A gets, a solemn guitar punching out rough chords with chugging drums in the background. Idioteque is an abrasive dance track with rough beats and humming keyboard lulls. The National Anthem sticks out like a sore thumb with its frantic big band jazz breakdown that screeches and churns through the last few minutes. And How to Disappear Completely is trademark Radiohead misery, complete with groggy, high-pitched moans from Thom Yorke and a tearful acoustic guitar riff.
People love to rip on Radiohead for being a bunch of self-absorbed hipsters, shamelessly genre-hopping and desecrating whatever came before in their music. And that’s what makes them so good. They make the music THEY want to make, and in doing so have crafted some damn fine albums, this being the top of the bunch in my eyes.
Recommended tracks: The Nation Anthem, How to Disappear Completely, Idioteque
22. (2002) Emilie Autumn - Enchant
(https://autumnleavess.com/wp-content/uploads/emilie-autumn-enchant.jpg)
I never really shut up about this chick when I started posting more frequently on the forum, and I’m not sure why I was so annoying. Then again, if Martin Luther King stayed silent about his aspirations for blacks everywhere, he never would have gotten shot. Where am I going with this? Anyway, Enchant is in hugely stark contrast to the fusion of classical and industrial to be found on Emilie Autumn’s more popular Opheliac album. It’s much more subdued, softer, and completely different in musical ideas, drawing influence from jazz and celtic music. Prologue: Across the Sky opens with mystical, airy keys that lay the groundwork for her soaring vocals that never venture into being abrasive and rough like they are on Opheliac. How Strange has synthesized strings and hip-hop beats. The Celtic-influenced Juliet is delicately painted with soft electronics and Autumn’s unique vocal talents that fly and rise like a high wind, ethereal violin notes mimicking the chorus. Rose Red’s chorus and marching drums are infectious and entrancing. The apathetic If You Feel Better has a recurring jazzy piano melody that sounds lounge-like.
And then there’s Epilogue: What If. With its empowering lyrics, gorgeous vocal acrobatics, and sweeping, full piano descants, this is the absolute highlight of the album and one of my favorite conclusions to any album ever. It reeks of Tori Amos’s Winter, and yet is its own song entirely. I feel like I’ve overused the word “air” too much in this description, but it’s fitting for Enchant. It’s fairy-like, mystical, and…enchanting.
Some have found Opheliac just not that appealing to the ears, and that’s understandable. Enchant might be the perfect rebound for those people, though, at least those who are still curious. Admittedly, I don’t care too much for a whole lot of what Emilie has done recently, but this album and Opheliac are incredibly pieces of musical and vocal alchemy, and some of the most unique albums in my collection.
Recommended tracks: Prologue: Across the Sky, Juliet, Epilogue: What If
21. (2001) Bjork – Vespertine
(https://media.onsugar.com/files/2011/01/03/2/1331/13311615/d9/1288370116_bjork-vespertine.jpg)
Delicate, soft, whispery, atmospheric, blatantly sexual—I can go on and on about the sound of Vespertine but never really feel as if I’ve accurately described it. Be it harps, keys, synths, angelic choirs, of Bjork’s quirky and sporadically erratic voice, the entirety of Vespertine is a mesmerizing wonderland of full arrangements across tantalizing electronic beats. Hidden Place is like a new-age symphony concocting experimental wizardry in an enchanted forest, Bjork almost speaking the lyrics over the sounds. Cocoon is as close to balladry as Vespertine gets, containing mellow and deep synth sounds that calmly echo over electronic crackles. It’s Not Up To You, a song about unpredictable miracles in life, is backed up by flutes, violins, buzzing electrodes, and vague Japanese influences with all the wonder and serenity of a Disney forest, but without any possessed scarecrows or creepy midgets. Pagan Poetry is urgent and stylish, still with the same full orchestral elements, charmed with a unique xylophone arpeggio…or violin arpeggio...or something like that. Bjork’s voice is here in all of its typical oddball extravagancy, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Vespertine has an undeniably wintry soul, and seems almost tailor-made for December. While The Mantle is harsh and crushing in its frozen haunts, Vespertine is soft and playful, despite the highly sexualized themes prevalent in the lyrics. Okay, I’m doing an absolutely terrible job describing this album. Martin Luther King would be ashamed. The bottom line is that you should listen to this album, preferably on an early winter morning.
Recommended tracks: It’s Not Up To You, Pagan Poetry, Harm of Will
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I've got to say Mr. Hair that you have such an interesting variety of music. You are into layers in music and moods. Kudos to your list!
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Thanks, King. :)
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Radiohead, Emilie Autumn and Björk... Fuck yeah! :tup
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Nice update. :tup
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Nice update. :tup
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KID A ??
RESPECT +9000
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Radiohead, Emilie Autumn and Björk... Fuck yeah! :tup
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Entering the top 20 now oh God oh man oh God oh man
20. (2003) The Cruxshadows – Ethernaut
(https://img2.etsystatic.com/il_570xN.283157438.jpg)
One of the premiere Gothic bands of the last 20 years, The Cruxshadows defy genres with their unique mix of goth, electronica, synthpop, EBM, and rich violin textures. EBM is often designed to make you move, and while that is certainly present on this album, their sound as a whole has an epic and eclectic flavor to it, with classical leanings in both the violin compositions and the synth arpeggios sprinkled throughout. Frontman Rogue’s voice is extremely difficult to describe. Perhaps oddly, the first description that comes to my mind is a lower-pitched Geddy Lee, with a more ancient and wisdom-like accentuation. The lyrics involve tales of heroism, redemption, angels, love, and perseverance, often alluding to Egyptian/Roman mythology.
Recommended tracks: Winter Born (This Sacrifice), Untrue, Waiting to Leave
19. (1998) VAST – Visual Audio Sensory Theater
(https://i05.lulzimg.com/i/25aa93.jpg)
This holds my title for “most underappreciated debut album ever.” The music on the debut of VAST, headed by mastermind Jon Crosby, is an orgasmic mix of ambition and accessibility. Sounds include alternative rock, electronic, world music, classical, acoustic, folk, industrial, and samples of choirs that sound akin to Gregorian chant. What carries “Visual Audio Sensory Theater” over the edge, however, is Jon’s seamless ability to make each and every track appealing to the ear, never sacrificing hooks for experimentation and vice-versa. Jon’s unassuming voice goes from a rough croon (“Dirty Hole”) to a soothing whisper (“Flames”).
The production on “Visual Audio Sensory Theater” is truly something to behold. Each and every texture, even the electronics, sounds so organic and rich, as if harnessed from the earth. The melodies stretch out far beyond normal production values and create an atmosphere so deep, so full, so VAST. It has to be heard to be believed.
Recommended tracks: Here, Pretty When You Cry, Flames
18. (1999) Nine Inch Nails – The Fragile
(https://www.metalmusicarchives.com/images/covers/nine-inch-nails-the-fragile.jpg)
Oh, here we go: Trent Reznor’s sprawling double-disc epic of 22 songs that features so many different styles and atmospheres that to even begin describing it seems like a futile task. But I’ll do my best.
The beginning track, Somewhat Damaged, is a consistent crescendo that slowly builds throughout its running length, adding layer upon layer of guitar and drums, with blistering sound effects and industrial beats. Trent’s voice slowly becomes angrier and darker before exploding into a cacophony of screams. The Wretched is sinister bliss, switching between calm and heavy, and filled with distorted beats and ominous piano chords. Just Like You Imagined, the best instrumental track of the album and possibly Reznor’s entire career, is another crescendo, slowly building with haunting piano chords while adding layers of orchestral swirling, creating an enormous overload of eargasms that is like a tidal wave crushing the listener. Other tracks like La Mer and The Great Below are classically spiritual, ripened with ethereal violin and symphony arrangements, a hope and prayer for better things to calm. The upbeat, danceable Into the Void is defiantly industrial dance club ecstasy, still with nonstop layers and intricacies. The Big Comedown is cut and bruised with an inharmonious guitar creep interplaying with the lyrics lamenting Reznor’s current place in life. And the entire thing is settled down with the meandering, Gothic instrumental Ripe (With Decay), with a haunting acoustic guitar strum and distant piano meddling.
The grandeur of the album, both in its length and density, opens it to many options of failure, but Reznor amazingly avoids all of it. Every transition and note has been painstakingly ironed out to create a natural and consistent flow to each song. And though it has never been officially declared so, there is absolutely a story here flowing through it, like The Downward Spiral. But while The Downward Spiral is more about peeling back the layers, The Fragile revolves around trying in vain to put falling pieces back together, all centered around one main character (who is most likely Reznor)
This is easily the densest, most intricately layered album I have ever heard. To label it simply “industrial” is an insult to Reznor’s creation. There are plenty of industrial overtones, yes, but each track reveals a smorgasbord of styles seamlessly mashed together, exemplifying rock, industrial, electronic, classical, dance, jazz, ambiant, folk, avant-garde, and God knows what else. Even if NIN isn’t your preferred style of music, you have to at least admire the scope and ambitions of The Fragile, or else you have no soul and don’t know anything about music and will likely burn in hell because I said so. This is not my favorite NIN album, but it is perhaps the most powerful statement of the entire discography. And to think this album actually debuted at #1 on the charts.
Recommended tracks: The Wretched, We’re In this Together, Into the Void
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Interesting update. I've listened to VAST a bit, nice music.. as for NiN I've been meaning to check them out for ages, basically I only know Wish and Hurt by them, but I've been meaning to listen to them. I enjoy Trent's soundtrack-work.
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Was just listening to The Fragile the other night. Great stuff! :hat
I love how much Trent continues to move around the music spectrum. Some people get freaked out when their favorite artists change their sound a little. I've always had great respect for musicians who are able to push the boundaries and maintain their musical soul. Not always an easy thing to do.
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That's part of why Trent has always had my respect. Even though I might not like every little thing he does, I admire his ambition to try out multiple styles and never do the same thing twice. I've been a fan of his for almost 7 years now.
Looks like my list of followers is fizzing out. :lol
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Still need to check out VAST, but as always, I want Trent Reznor's penis in my mouth.
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Looks like my list of followers is fizzing out. :lol
I'm following dude. Well more like watching quietly. In the corner. Beating off.
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Looks like my list of followers is fizzing out. :lol
I'm following dude. Well more like watching quietly. In the corner. Beating off.
And I just don't have much to say until your favorite Royal Hunt albums start popping up on the list.
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I'm following but since I haven't heard to most of these bands there's not much I can say.
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I'm following but since I haven't heard to most of these bands there's not much I can say.
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That's fair enough. As long as people read it, that's all the motivation I need to consistently update. :)
17. (1999) VNV Nation - Empires
(https://images.uulyrics.com/cover/v/vnv-nation/album-empires.jpg)
VNV Nation are the band that sealed me as an EBM fan forever, and they’re still easily my favorite of the genre, as well as the most important and relevant. Empires is exactly what one would expect from the genre, and yet at the same time it is so much more. It has the standard synthesizers and industrialized dance beats, but the compositions are so airy, sweeping, and downright orchestral, and simply can’t be confined to the dance floor. The sweeping melodies of synths sound huge and ambitious, and they are the perfect sound to compliment the lyrical content. While Empires is not a concept album, the songs do revolve around a theme, one that is prevalent in a good deal of VNV Nation’s albums: the quest for hope and redemption, to rebuild that which has fallen apart. Frontman Ronan Harris’s voice is not particularly diverse, but the abrasive honesty and rough character in his vocals pack an incredible emotional punch into each and every song. This is the kind of music meant to both make you move and inspire you. It certainly does both to me.
Recommended tracks: Kingdom, Standing, Darkangel
16. (2007) Sopor Aeternus & the Ensembles of Shadows - Les Fluers Du Mal
(https://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg250/scaled.php?server=250&filename=coverpt9.jpg&res=landing)
One of the most unique and undoubtedly vital artists in the Gothic community is the transgendered Ana-Varney Cantodea, who creates music under the moniker of Sopor Aeternus & the Ensemble of Shadows. That’s quite the name, isn’t it? It definitely drew me in, and I’m so glad it did.
The music Sopor Aeternus creates is extraordinary. Mixed in with her (his?) androgynous crooning and crying is a flooring mix of baroque, classical, symphonic, pop, electronic, and Goth rock tendencies. There are full arrangements here of violins, cellos, flutes, horns, pianos, organs, synthesizers, harpsichords, oboes, drums, and spooky theatrics. Darkwave is the blanket statement used to describe the overall sound, and meanwhile Ana herself describes her music as “music for dead children [and otherwise wounded souls], that is all." I for one am thoroughly aroused. Lyrical themes often deal with occultisms, romance, death, despair, loneliness, sexuality, and transexuality, but the lyrics on Les Fleurs Du Mal are a bit more straightforward, with much of the ambiguity stripped away.
But this doesn’t take away from the album. The compositions are full and awe-inspiring, such as the child choir on In Der Palastra and the mournful violin in Bitter Sweet. The atmosphere, much like her (HIS?!) other albums, is rich with that incredibly medieval flavor that you’ll be hard-pressed to find in any other type of music out there right now, though it is perhaps vaguely reminiscent of Dead Can Dance. The music never sounds amorphous or meandering, as it is sprinkled with minor pop sensibilities. The compositions sound fuller and more elegant on Les Fluers Del Mal, partrly in due to the choir on several songs and the enrichment of full sounds. Ana’s voice is a grower—at times it can sound very ugly and off-putting, but the uniqueness and genuine grief that is equipped with her poetry eventually shines through.
The lyrics themselves, as mentioned before, are more straightforward than on previous albums, and at times have a very bizarre and offbeat sense of humor. Always Within the Hour and In Der Palastra allude to rejecting human feelings, lamenting their sudden influxes. Shave, If You Love Me and The Virgin Queen are about what their titles imply. Some Men Are Like Chocolate is a witty jab at chauvinist male pigs, so in other words, me.
I’m currently listening to this album, and it truly feels like an orchestra in an abandoned castle during the medieval ages, despairingly playing her (HIS?!?!) symphonies of sorrow at midnight. Perhaps Sopor’s music could only ever be enjoyed by people like me, but if you want to hear music you’re most likely never to hear from any other band, Les Fleurs Du Mal is highly recommended.
Recommended tracks: In Der Palastra, Helvetia Sexualis, Les Fleurs Del Mal
15. (1985) The Cure - The Head on the Door
(https://30.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m1hq3hyVbs1qdodmgo1_1332812798_cover.jpg)
The Cure are known for being the masters of doom and gloom, producing downer melodrama on dirge-ridden guitars and keyboards and miserable lyrics sung by makeup-drenched frontman Robert Smith. Each and every note belches out repellent despair, never inviting the listener in for a softer and more welcoming experience.
The Head on the door is almost the exact opposite of that.
Almost is the key word. The lyrics are still as gloomy as ever, never letting up with desperation and despair. But the music itself is much more accessible and gasp poppier than usual. Some fans cried sellout at the time, but the beats, melodies, harmonies, and hooks are too damn good to ignore. The Cure always had a pop side to them, which would be later explored in singles like Just Like Heaven and Friday I’m In Love. What The Head on the Door manages to accomplish is a collection of 10 sad pop songs that are neither underwhelming nor overwhelming in their short runtime and slightly warmer atmosphere—an excellent balance of pop and art.
In Between Days is speckled with a soft acoustic guitar riff and light synthpop, and is merely 2 ½ minute long. The Blood is rich in flamenco influence, with the lyrical content relating to a drink Robert Smith enjoyed getting wasted on. Close to Me is a quiet sigh in the middle of the night, with a senile upbeat bass line murmuring over choppy drums and Smith’s half-whispered pouts over a waste night meant to amount to something more. A Night Like This is shameless 80s nightlife, with casual sax thrown in near the end. The end track, Sinking, is as close to that familiar harrowing rainfall of melancholy as The Head on the Door ever gets, a realization of life quickly passing by along with slow, desperate melodies.
Amidst the dark, gritty, and angry Pornography and the epic, immersive Disintegration is this unique snowflake of art pop in The Cure’s discography. It is a testament to their ambition, willingness to experiment, diversity, and ability to write damn good songs.
Recommended tracks: The Blood, Close to Me, Sinking
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I'm following but since I haven't heard to most of these bands there's not much I can say.
Yeah same :p
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That song you sent me in my roulette by that Sopor Aeternus and the Ensemble of Shadows band was really something. I'll have to add that one to my albums to get list.
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As you should. There's nothing else like it out there.
Also, quoting this so it doesn't get lost on the previous page.
That's fair enough. As long as people read it, that's all the motivation I need to consistently update. :)
17. (1999) VNV Nation - Empires
(https://images.uulyrics.com/cover/v/vnv-nation/album-empires.jpg)
VNV Nation are the band that sealed me as an EBM fan forever, and they’re still easily my favorite of the genre, as well as the most important and relevant. Empires is exactly what one would expect from the genre, and yet at the same time it is so much more. It has the standard synthesizers and industrialized dance beats, but the compositions are so airy, sweeping, and downright orchestral, and simply can’t be confined to the dance floor. The sweeping melodies of synths sound huge and ambitious, and they are the perfect sound to compliment the lyrical content. While Empires is not a concept album, the songs do revolve around a theme, one that is prevalent in a good deal of VNV Nation’s albums: the quest for hope and redemption, to rebuild that which has fallen apart. Frontman Ronan Harris’s voice is not particularly diverse, but the abrasive honesty and rough character in his vocals pack an incredible emotional punch into each and every song. This is the kind of music meant to both make you move and inspire you. It certainly does both to me.
Recommended tracks: Kingdom, Standing, Darkangel
16. (2007) Sopor Aeternus & the Ensembles of Shadows - Les Fluers Du Mal
(https://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg250/scaled.php?server=250&filename=coverpt9.jpg&res=landing)
One of the most unique and undoubtedly vital artists in the Gothic community is the transgendered Ana-Varney Cantodea, who creates music under the moniker of Sopor Aeternus & the Ensemble of Shadows. That’s quite the name, isn’t it? It definitely drew me in, and I’m so glad it did.
The music Sopor Aeternus creates is extraordinary. Mixed in with her (his?) androgynous crooning and crying is a flooring mix of baroque, classical, symphonic, pop, electronic, and Goth rock tendencies. There are full arrangements here of violins, cellos, flutes, horns, pianos, organs, synthesizers, harpsichords, oboes, drums, and spooky theatrics. Darkwave is the blanket statement used to describe the overall sound, and meanwhile Ana herself describes her music as “music for dead children [and otherwise wounded souls], that is all." I for one am thoroughly aroused. Lyrical themes often deal with occultisms, romance, death, despair, loneliness, sexuality, and transexuality, but the lyrics on Les Fleurs Du Mal are a bit more straightforward, with much of the ambiguity stripped away.
But this doesn’t take away from the album. The compositions are full and awe-inspiring, such as the child choir on In Der Palastra and the mournful violin in Bitter Sweet. The atmosphere, much like her (HIS?!) other albums, is rich with that incredibly medieval flavor that you’ll be hard-pressed to find in any other type of music out there right now, though it is perhaps vaguely reminiscent of Dead Can Dance. The music never sounds amorphous or meandering, as it is sprinkled with minor pop sensibilities. The compositions sound fuller and more elegant on Les Fluers Del Mal, partrly in due to the choir on several songs and the enrichment of full sounds. Ana’s voice is a grower—at times it can sound very ugly and off-putting, but the uniqueness and genuine grief that is equipped with her poetry eventually shines through.
The lyrics themselves, as mentioned before, are more straightforward than on previous albums, and at times have a very bizarre and offbeat sense of humor. Always Within the Hour and In Der Palastra allude to rejecting human feelings, lamenting their sudden influxes. Shave, If You Love Me and The Virgin Queen are about what their titles imply. Some Men Are Like Chocolate is a witty jab at chauvinist male pigs, so in other words, me.
I’m currently listening to this album, and it truly feels like an orchestra in an abandoned castle during the medieval ages, despairingly playing her (HIS?!?!) symphonies of sorrow at midnight. Perhaps Sopor’s music could only ever be enjoyed by people like me, but if you want to hear music you’re most likely never to hear from any other band, Les Fleurs Du Mal is highly recommended.
Recommended tracks: In Der Palastra, Helvetia Sexualis, Les Fleurs Del Mal
15. (1985) The Cure - The Head on the Door
(https://30.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m1hq3hyVbs1qdodmgo1_1332812798_cover.jpg)
The Cure are known for being the masters of doom and gloom, producing downer melodrama on dirge-ridden guitars and keyboards and miserable lyrics sung by makeup-drenched frontman Robert Smith. Each and every note belches out repellent despair, never inviting the listener in for a softer and more welcoming experience.
The Head on the door is almost the exact opposite of that.
Almost is the key word. The lyrics are still as gloomy as ever, never letting up with desperation and despair. But the music itself is much more accessible and gasp poppier than usual. Some fans cried sellout at the time, but the beats, melodies, harmonies, and hooks are too damn good to ignore. The Cure always had a pop side to them, which would be later explored in singles like Just Like Heaven and Friday I’m In Love. What The Head on the Door manages to accomplish is a collection of 10 sad pop songs that are neither underwhelming nor overwhelming in their short runtime and slightly warmer atmosphere—an excellent balance of pop and art.
In Between Days is speckled with a soft acoustic guitar riff and light synthpop, and is merely 2 ½ minute long. The Blood is rich in flamenco influence, with the lyrical content relating to a drink Robert Smith enjoyed getting wasted on. Close to Me is a quiet sigh in the middle of the night, with a senile upbeat bass line murmuring over choppy drums and Smith’s half-whispered pouts over a waste night meant to amount to something more. A Night Like This is shameless 80s nightlife, with casual sax thrown in near the end. The end track, Sinking, is as close to that familiar harrowing rainfall of melancholy as The Head on the Door ever gets, a realization of life quickly passing by along with slow, desperate melodies.
Amidst the dark, gritty, and angry Pornography and the epic, immersive Disintegration is this unique snowflake of art pop in The Cure’s discography. It is a testament to their ambition, willingness to experiment, diversity, and ability to write damn good songs.
Recommended tracks: The Blood, Close to Me, Sinking
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I'll do 4 tonight, and from then on, 2 a day for the top 10. I'm spoiling all of you.
14. (2006) Emilie Autumn – Opheliac
(https://www.abortmag.com/abortpegs/emiliedeluxe.jpg)
The album everyone was probably anticipating, I suppose. Had I made this last several months earlier, this probably would have been higher than it is. It’s been taken down a few notches, but that doesn’t detract from the awesomeness. Love it or hate it, there’s no questioning that Opheliac is a pretty strange combination of styles—baroque-era classical with excessive indulgence in violins and harpsichords, industrial beats, and angry, loathsome lyrics with the occasional literary allusion. Miss Autumn’s voice on this album is much harsher, angrier, and abrasive than on Enchant, with much of the Celtic and jazz leanings replaced with the aforementioned brand of classical and industrial—“Victoriandustrial” as she describes it. Songs like the title track and Misery Loves Company are frantic and manically devious in their fast, aggressive assault, sometimes bordering on a heavy metal attitude, but with classical instruments instead of guitars. Shalott is mystical and fairy-like, as “Enchant” as the album gets. Swallow is poppy and full in composition, seeming to get the most attention from people who listen to it. The Art of Suicide is a slow, dark, mournful waltz of delicate electronic sparks and EA’s uniquely elegant, high-pitched siren. Opheliac as a whole is a cathartic release of her own repressed emotions that she kept bottled inside of her for many, many years, with each track overwhelmed with emotion and rage at herself and the others around her. It’s absolutely angry girl music, but it works so damn well even when it shouldn’t.
It’s not music for everyone, and my elation with it is not as inflamed as it once was, but if you give it a chance, you Opheliac might just find a worthy spot in your CD collection. For better or worse, there is not much else like it out there, even in the continuously closing gap between classical music and more contemporary forms of music.
Recommended tracks: The Art of Suicide, Misery Loves Company, Shalott
13. (2005) Dredg – Catch Without Arms
(https://3.bp.blogspot.com/_W4BiZDbxhcc/TQ663gN8S3I/AAAAAAAAAb0/OTjNUlaI1kg/s1600/Catch+Without+Arms.jpg)
This is surely to catch some people’s attention. Dredg is very popular ‘round these parts, and while the apex of their creativity is (justifiably) debatable, I always come back to Catch Without Arms the most. With gliding, cascading guitars that sound sublimely glazed and glossy, modest electronic dabbles, and Gavin Haye’s amazing high voice, this is simply one of the best blends of experimentations and pop that I’ve ever had the pleasure of hearing. Songs like Bug Eyes and Planting Seeds are chock-full of delicious melodies and hooks that would sound right at home on the radio, and yet they avoid sounding generic or bland. Sangreal features a groovy piano line with lyrics exploring contradicting lifestyles. Matroshka (The Ornament) is a heartbreaking tale of wasted life and not knowing how to turn everything around.
The production of Catch Without Arms is so perfect and clear, with every note and accent shining as bright as sunshine through your speakers, no matter how shitty those speakers may be. Even at its bleakest and most upsetting moments, Dredg’s music on each song remains compelling and impossible to turn off or take a break from. I’ve given several copies of this album away as gifts, and the reaction has always been “wow, great album!” It could be yours, too.
Recommended tracks: Bug Eyes, Sangreal, Matroshka (The Ornament)
12. (1999) Jill Tracy – Diabolical Streak
(https://i1.sndcdn.com/artworks-000002291227-ut5ukg-crop.jpg?639a060)
This album rocked my world the very first time I heard it, and it still does each time I decide to put it on and just veg out. Jill Tracy’s music is typically given the title “dark cabaret,” but that’s a rather unhelpful label, isn’t it? I’ll try to explain it a tad better: dark, sinister, gothic jazz noir, rich with dark pianos and upright bass straight from a jazz orchestra, with all the evil and bleakness one would expect from a Goth. Tracy’s voice is smoky and seductive, like a demented lounge singer on the thirteenth floor. With song titles like Evil Night Together and The Fine Art of Poisoning, you know there’s some twisted wit and humor prevalent here. Her skills on the piano are impressive and dark, conjuring images of luxurious cabaret shows with a touch of the dark, with the apocalypse going on just outside. Moving shadows and ominous figures lurk in the distance, dancing in unison with the beat of the music.
If you can’t tell by now, Diabolical Streak is an ideal night album. Listening to it at any other time of the day just seems criminal. So light a cigar, pour a glass of your favorite scotch, pop a slow-acting cyanide pill, and let Jill Tracy draw you into her world of corpses, wine, and the occasional song.
Recommended tracks: Evil Night Together, The Fine Art of Poisoning, You Leave Me Cold
11. (2002) Bright Eyes – Lifted, or the Story is in the Soil, Keep Your Ear to the Ground
(https://tinypineapple.com/a/music/bright-eyes-lifted-or-the-story-is-in-the-soil-keep-your-ear-to-the-ground.jpg)
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA LOLOLOLOLO INDIE GIANT INDIE OMGGGGGGGGG. Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s focus on the actual music.
That’s such a mind-numbingly pretentious title to give an album, isn’t it? What could have possessed Conor Oberst to do that? I don’t know, but it certainly seems to fit this incredibly dense jungle of narrative and musical ideas that are crammed into each and every second of Lifted. Be it the lo-fi folk of The Big Picture, the voyeuristic twinkling of Lover I Don’t Have to Love, the dramatic death march of ominous horns and strings on Don’t Know When But a Day is Gonna Come, or the condemnation of society that is the sprawling 10-minute epic of Let’s not Shit Ourselves (To Love and to be Loved), Lifted has extreme lyrical and musical density that takes its time to reveal its brilliance. Some tracks are stripped down to nothing but Conor and his acoustic guitar, such as the abrasive Waste of Paint, a song that seems directionless at first, but slowly reveals itself as a tightly composed concoction of ideas that are all loosely connected in a bigger picture. Other tracks like Make War and the aforementioned Let’s Not Shit Ourselves are rich with huge country-esque layers that even people who don’t like country can admire. Some lyrics are close examinations of Conor himself, while others put the whole of society under the microscope. The only song with a genuine glimmer of optimism is Bowl of Oranges, a light pop tune of fun piano and upbeat acoustic strumming, but with lyrics no less poetic or heartfelt.
The most remarkable aspect of Conor’s songwriting is most certainly his lyrics, which could be seen as a downfall in their typically oblique structures. But keep your ear to the ground; you might hear something that really speaks to you in the same way I did.
Recommended tracks: Bowl of Oranges, Waste of Paint, Let’s Not Shit Ourselves (To Love and to Be Loved)
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Out of curiosity, will the album you showed me show up here?
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Sweet, I'm now 1 for 40 or so. :lol
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Opheliac. :metal
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Opheliac, Lifted and CWA are all awesome albums! :tup
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Nice update. Also happy that you especially mentioned "Sang Real" and "Matroshka (The Ornament)" because those are my two favorites from CWA. :)
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I :heart Catch Without Arms! I became a fan of Dredg after seeing glowing reviews here and my fav of theirs is definitely CWA at the moment.
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Catch Without Arms is definitely a :tup, but that goes without saying :)
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Finally some albums I actually know :P
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Finally an AWESOME update! :D
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I never know which dredg album I prefer - sometimes it's El Cielo, sometimes it's CWA... Pariah is great too but I don't think I ever felt it was their best.
Matroshka is all kinds of awesome, as are Bug Eyes and Ode to the Sun. I fell out of love a bit with Sang Real and Jamais Vu though which were my favorites when I started getting into them.
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How can you fall out of love with Sang Real?!
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I still consider it a great song, it's just that it's no longer in the top 3 of the album like it used to be. Bug Eyes and Ode to the Sun have replaced SR and JV on that top 3.
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My dredg ranking:
1. TPTPTD
2. CWA
3. Chuckles
4. El Cielo
5. Leitmotif
Come at me, bros.
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Chuckles over El Cielo?
Just curious, could you tell me your top 5 songs from Chuckles?
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Hmm, in only approximate particular order:
Somebody is Laughing
Sun Goes Down
Kalathat
The Ornament
The Thought of Losing You
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I would probably rank them:
TPTPTD
El Cielo/CWA
Leitmotif
Chuckles
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My dredg ranking:
1. TPTPTD
2. CWA
3. Chuckles
4. El Cielo
5. Leitmotif
Come at me, bros.
Take this, and put El Cielo at the top, and you got it right.
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LIFTED! :heart :heart :heart
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Lots of talking. Now that's more like it. :tup I knew Catch Without Arms would spark some more interested.
My top 10 might be a bit more familiar than some are expecting.
Out of curiosity, will the album you showed me show up here?
Are you referring to the For My Pain... album? It's at #31 if you'd like to read the description.
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I almost forgot to say, Lifted is top 20 all time album for me, so you got that right. :tup Best album ever lyricwise for me.
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I almost forgot to say, Lifted is top 20 all time album for me, so you got that right. :tup Best album ever lyricwise for me.
:tup
Also, for my top ten, I'll try to do a better job on the descriptions than I have on all the previous albums. These are my top ten after all, so I should try to put it in a little more effort.
10. (1999) Anathema – Judgement
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/11/Anathema-Judgement.jpg)
Another band I know a good portion of you out there enjoy. This was the album that sealed me as an Anathema fan. During their gradual progression from a Gothic/Doom metal band to a more atmospheric alternative band, Judgement was smack-dab in the middle, relying heavily on atmospheric alternative while still giving a nod or two to that old Gothic influence. The album opens up with an ominous acoustic melody over a vast synth undertone, giving way to Vincent Cavannagh’s emotive vocals that on occasion drop to a sinister whisper. Songs like Forgotten Hopes and Make It Right are dreamy and rich in their melting guitar tones and gothic synth textures, never letting up on sober, yearning depression. Parisienne Moonlight is rich in pianos and synth alongside male and female vocals that sing in unison, a opulent and beautiful 2-minute song in all of its shining desperation.
Emotional Winter opens up with a Pink Floydian atmosphere, with mellow blues improve over that same ominous synth undertone that seems prevalent throughout the album, before exploding during the chorus into a gargantuan scream of horror. Wings of God is heavy blues metal while still never straying from the form of flow of the rest of Judgement. Anyone, Anywhere is the most blatant expression of misery, telling a simple yet poignant tale of feeling utterly and remarkably alone, slowly building up to explosive emotions. And 2000 & Gone is a mellow and strangely peaceful instrumental outro that is oddly fitting.
One Last Goodbye is the absolutely highlight. It’s a simple, poetic requiem for the Cavangh brothers’ deceased mother, replete with Vincent’s most expressive vocal performance and a humble yet heartbreaking solo that concludes the song.
The entirety of Judgement is weighed down with a very moody, repressed atmosphere, like constantly being beaten with a heavy rain. It’s difficult to describe in words, but even during its heaviest moments, Judgement is lined with immersive grief, like a deep, romantic ocean of misery. Now run and tell dat
Recommended tracks: One Last Goodbye, Emotional Winter, Anyone, Anywhere
9. (1980) Joy Division - Closer
(https://images.hhv.de/catalog/detail_big/00114/114211.jpg)
If there was ever an album that was depression incarnate, it would be Joy Division’s 1980 masterpiece, simply titled Closer. If the scratchy, tuneless guitar screech at the beginning of the intro track, Atrocity Exhibition, is of any indication to the album’s sound, it’s that Closer is in no way, shape, or form an enjoyable or pleasant listening experience. Nope, this is sorrow extracted from the deepest, darkest trench of mankind’s psyche.
Songs like Isolation and A Means to an End have vague dancehall rhythms, but with far too much of a gritty, punishing undertone to them. Frontman Ian Curtis’s vocals completely lack range and accessibility, mostly just settling for a very cold and deadpan lament that doesn’t even try to invite the listener it. Passover has a disturbing guitar riff looming over rumbling bass and echoing drums, with Curtis’ signature voice. Heart and Soul is cold, deep, dark, and is a stripped down performance of dancelike drum and bass with lyrics that are both grueling and terrifying in their poetic sincerity. Twenty Four Hours is desperate and fast, with a story about the realization of everything around you going to hell, realizing it’s almost too late to put everything back together, that you’ve closed the door on every possibility in life. The Eternal is the closet the album ever gets to anything of an instantly tangible emotion, with a haunting, spine tingling, and swirling piano funeral march alongside Curtis’s claustrophobic murmurs. And Decades is a hushed sigh of futility.
As a whole, Closer is very dry, harsh, rough, and abrasive. The production gives this post-punk gem the feeling of sand paper being rubbed into your ears, from the distant percussion to the fuzzy, coarse guitar riffs. Ian Curtis’s lyrics are unforgiving and uncompromising in their honesty, never letting up to allow any sort of romanticism or hook sneak by. This is not an album to dance to, or relish in, or even sing along to. This is an album that means to drag you into its world, to show you it’s own atrocity exhibition, to splash innocent blood on your face and tell you to go fuck yourself at the very end. And yet, in that cold, detached atmosphere is where all of the beauty lies. Each and every second of this elegy is writhing with passion.
In all of its suicidal, self-hating glory, Closer was the precursor to Goth rock, and it is one of the most mimicked and imitated albums ever. Even if it isn’t your thing, one thing is for sure: one listen and you won’t soon forget it. Shit, now I almost wish I ranked it higher.
Recommended tracks: Heart and Soul, Twenty Four Hours, The Eternal
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Cool to see Anathema, but Judgment is like my... 5th favorite album from them.
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Recently, I got Closer, courtesy of a punk in my family.
It's one of the coolest albums I've heard. The one before it is also great, but Closer blows it (and most things) away.
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I'm following but since I haven't heard to most of these bands there's not much I can say.
Yeah same :p
I guess that make the three of us Tres Hombres! :sharpdressedman:
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Judgement! Their best together with WHBWH IMO.
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:tup for Judgement, MAYH, Still Life and having a few Finnish bands' albums on your list, although I'm not really a fan of gothic rock/metal, except for Paradise Lost.
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<3 <3 <3 dredg!!!!
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Here's my delayed update. I'd like to apologize to my dozens of faithful readers who have surely found tons of new albums and bands that they will surely love and masturbate to as much as I do.
8. (1998) Tori Amos - From the Choirgirl Hotel
(https://lauraleebove.files.wordpress.com/2010/05/choirgirl.jpg?w=630)
For many people, Tori Amos is probably best known for rich, quirky piano ballads drawn from a classical upbringing and raw, dramatic emotional tapping. However, the symphonic overtones took a backseat on this album, her 1998 classic From the Choirgirl Hotel. In place is a darker, more desperate sound, filled with electronic tinkering and swirling alternative dabbles.
The song Cruel is even completely devoid of her signature piano mastery, opting for hollow drums, deep bass, and a very sexual sound with a twist of malevolence thrown into the mix. The frantic and anxious Raspberry Swirl is ravenous with upbeat energy and various vocal layers, and Black-Dove (January) is somber ambiance that becomes enormous and overwhelming during the chorus. Jackie’s Strength is a throwback to her previous styles—replete with poignant piano playing and a full string accompaniment. The oddly titled I I e e is head-swimmingly trippy, igniting a foreboding guitar groove with enigmatic chanting and a distorted rock n’ roll breakdown in the middle. She’s Your Cocaine is bluesy, dirty, and gritty, from the attitude-rich piano to Amos’s banshee-like falsetto. Liquid Diamonds is like a defeated sigh, with lingering piano and faint electronic drums, giving way to Amos’s angelic voice. Northern Lad is another ballad-like tune with rich piano and elegant vocals. Playboy Mommy is a gut-wrenching tribute to her miscarried child.
The production of the album gives it a very different tone from her other works. While Little Earthquakes and Under the Pink sound full, swooning, and huge, From the Choirgirl Hotel is much more mysterious than that. It sounds deeper, or from a deeper place, like found at the bottom of a cavernous pool in the dark, or behind mazes of trees in a forest. The ambiguity of many of the lyrics further adds to this stylish, dark, alternative offering. It’s experimental ambitions and poetic accessibility make this, to me, Tori Amos’s best, most complete album, and one of the great albums of the 90s.
Recommended tracks: Raspberry Swirl, Jackie’s Strength, Liquid Diamonds
7. (2002) VNV Nation – Futureperfect
(https://www.unart.tv/cms//files/futureperfect.jpeg)
The absolute apex of all things EBM/futurepop/electro-industrial, which I know you are all very well versed in. The intro of Foreword is light and ambiguous with symphonic synth and spoken words alluding to the ways we can mold our future before morphing into something stranger and darker. The next song, Epicentre, is a high-energy dance-a-thon, with urgent, rough synths and harsh dance beats, along with Ronan Harris’s honest and raw vocals that tell of an oncoming storm and his need to be brave and strong through it—“please, no tears, no sympathy.” Electronaut is a long, swirling, mesmerizing instrumental with towering synths melodies and rich trance influences. Holding On is symphonic, epic, emotional, and sad, a sense of everything falling apart, just hoping that someone else feels the same way. Carbon is a huge, cynical, terrifying trudge that relates the horrors of environmental decay, and the upbeat Genesis is the first genuine sign of hope on the album.
The real highlight is the amazing Beloved, a song that slowly builds from a peaceful and mysterious trance atmosphere to huge, epic, soaring EBM/trance that sounds like it descended from the heavens and on the pubic hairs of the Holy Ghost himself. I know I’ve beaten the word “soaring” into the ground throughout my descriptions of these albums, but that’s the perfect way to describe it. It’s the perfect mix of melody, dance, and hopeful redemption in a world of doom. And Airships calmly closes the album with twinkling synths and a relieved breath.
I feel like I’m not doing this album justice. I can’t stress enough how much of an emotional rollercoaster this album is—right down to the very last dance beat. But seriously, the seamless fusion of dance, industrial, and poetic storytelling is unmatched, telling a gradual tale of fear and adversity that transforms into redemption and peace (VNV stands for Victory Not Vengeance, after all, and their motto is “One should strive to achieve, not sit in bitter regret), with ambiances that are as beautiful and grand as they are danceable. It begins with a person looking out at the horrors of the world—environmental, social, and economic Armageddon in a harrowing amalgamation that he also senses within his own emotions and feeling, peeling back each layer to only discover worse things with each attempt. It ends with that same man confident in both his own accomplishments and the reconciliation of mankind itself. If Led Zeppelin IV and Sgt. Pepper are quintessential rock albums, Futureperfect is a quintessential industrial album, EBM or otherwise.
Recommended tracks: Epicentre, Holding On, Beloved
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Tori Amos. :heart
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Tori Amos. :heart
My second fave tori album, nice pick!
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Tori Amos. :heart
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Tori Amos. :heart
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6. (2006) Emilie Simon - Vegetal
(https://farm1.staticflickr.com/77/219071204_fa0b495feb.jpg)
This is the album that piqued my interest in female artists, and to this day, I still haven't heard anything like Emilie Simon's Vegetal. With a unique mishmash of electronic, strings, rock, ambient, and various other wacky styles thrown in, Vegetal flows as an ambitious yet remarkably catchy and accessible exercise in something that few artists can achieve. At times it is reminiscent of Bjork, but with with the eclecticism toned down just a notch. Dame de Lotus is an upbeat, disco-esque song sung in French with delicate and carefully placed violin sections that complement her sweet, savory voice that is both soothing and subtly melancholy. Sweet Blossom is a full-on symphonic piece, dominated by violins and cellos with deep, throbbing electronic beats. Her lyrical trips, some sung in French and others in English, have a strangely dark undertone to them, such as in Swimming and My Old Friend, the former of which erupts into a harrowing storm of distant arrangements and unsettlingly quiet layers. Even the beautiful ballad In the Lake hints at descending into insanity, and the fun, high-energy Never Fall in Love is a simple scoff and femme fatale circle jerk. And if the titles are any indication, Vegetal makes use of different types of plants to serve as heavy symbolism for Simon's lyrical topics.
Vegetal is densely layered, and oddly it never feels choked with overwhelming ferocity like, say, The Fragile. Indeed, the layers here are much more subtle, often sneaking through the compositions, be it background vocal harmonies or strange little buzzes and chirps that don't pop up until future listens of those same songs. The poppy melodies shine through even its most visceral moments, giving it that extra radio edge that does nothing to demean its quality or integrity. Vegetal, and Emilie simon in general, is a powerful and vital statement for the current music generation, female or otherwise.
Recommended tracks: Sweet Blossom, Dame de Lotus, Swimming
5. (1997) Gary Numan - Exile
(https://www.freecodesource.com/album-cover/41JouH%2Bf-YL/Gary-Numan-Exile.jpg)
You're walking to church. The sun is out, birds are singing, the sky is blue with no clouds whatsoever, and none of those awful homosexuals are around to taint your vision. Just outside of the doors you are greeted by the regular folk, all chatting and praising the lord, looking forward to hearing the word of God for the week, making the same casual small talk you always do. You give that lecherous wink to the nuns they've grown so accustomed to, straighten your tie, slick back your hair, and walk inside.
Something is wrong. Something is very, very wrong.
The inverted cross with a terrified, screaming statue of Jesus at the back top wall of the cathedral is the first error in sight that you see. The acidic holy water in the well near the door that burned the hands of people who reached in isn't encouraging either. The choir who often sang gospels and praise are dressed in black with ghastly makeup. Some of them look like their faces are decaying. The priest you've grown close to has been replaced with a black robe-clad beast, grinning evilly at you and everyone else, blood seeping through his fangs. The milk-white tiles have been replaced with black, chipped stones, an eerie red light shining through the cracks. The stained glass depicting images of Jesus and God have been replaced with demons raping the Virgin Mary and drinking the blood of a murdered Jesus Chirst. And all through the air are the tortured screams of innocent people.
This is no rehearsal. This is not a dream. This is Gary Numan's Exile, a complete rebirth and transformation of his sound after struggling with his artistic identity for over a decade. After 1994's return-to-form classic known as Sacrifice, Numan realized he was on to something there. Exile kicks that atmosphere found on Sacrifice up a notch or twenty, furnishing his sound with pure evil and total irreverence. Exile is replete with menacing sounds, jagged buzzsaw guitar riffs, hollow industrial drums, and a loose concept about God and Satan, Heaven and Hell, being two sides of the same coin--a sinister reinterpretation of everything related to Christianity. The Gothic synths and pianos instill a cold, hopeless, dreadful atmosphere to each song, coating the rough guitars that drench every lyric and layer. Dominion Day depicts an oncoming storm of impurity and wrath, and that concept is advanced with each song, such as the dystopian Dead Heaven and the suffocating song simply titled Dark. Innocence Bleeding is haunting and quiet, a sort of maniacal tribute to sacrifices made for God. And my all-time favorite Numan track, Absolution, is swathed in the tragic moan of huge, filling Gothic synthesizers and pianos, relating a simple tale of endless, even desperate and miserable, devotion to a God that never gives back. And the album doesn't conclude with a bang or an explosion, but a somber, ominous, bone-chilling vow for revenge. Admittedly, the production is a bit muddy, which may repel some people, but listen closely: that muddiness adds another dimension of unadulterated malevolence.
Numan's renewed love for music put him back on track in the early 90s and sent him on a newfound road of success and amazing albums. With all due respect to his early masterpieces like Telekon and The Pleasure Principle, this is the absolute culmination of his genius, a sinful tale of grotesque blasphemy wrapped up in Gothic industrial bliss, dripping with pure evil like venom from a wasp's stinger. And yes, this was a fun writeup. Some of you assholes better have read it, Goddamnit.
Recommended tracks: Dead Heaven, The Angel Wars, Absolution
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22. (2002) Emilie Autumn - Enchant
(https://autumnleavess.com/wp-content/uploads/emilie-autumn-enchant.jpg)
I never really shut up about this chick when I started posting more frequently on the forum, and I’m not sure why I was so annoying. Then again, if Martin Luther King stayed silent about his aspirations for blacks everywhere, he never would have gotten shot. Where am I going with this? Anyway, Enchant is in hugely stark contrast to the fusion of classical and industrial to be found on Emilie Autumn’s more popular Opheliac album. It’s much more subdued, softer, and completely different in musical ideas, drawing influence from jazz and celtic music. Prologue: Across the Sky opens with mystical, airy keys that lay the groundwork for her soaring vocals that never venture into being abrasive and rough like they are on Opheliac. How Strange has synthesized strings and hip-hop beats. The Celtic-influenced Juliet is delicately painted with soft electronics and Autumn’s unique vocal talents that fly and rise like a high wind, ethereal violin notes mimicking the chorus. Rose Red’s chorus and marching drums are infectious and entrancing. The apathetic If You Feel Better has a recurring jazzy piano melody that sounds lounge-like.
And then there’s Epilogue: What If. With its empowering lyrics, gorgeous vocal acrobatics, and sweeping, full piano descants, this is the absolute highlight of the album and one of my favorite conclusions to any album ever. It reeks of Tori Amos’s Winter, and yet is its own song entirely. I feel like I’ve overused the word “air” too much in this description, but it’s fitting for Enchant. It’s fairy-like, mystical, and…enchanting.
Some have found Opheliac just not that appealing to the ears, and that’s understandable. Enchant might be the perfect rebound for those people, though, at least those who are still curious. Admittedly, I don’t care too much for a whole lot of what Emilie has done recently, but this album and Opheliac are incredibly pieces of musical and vocal alchemy, and some of the most unique albums in my collection.
Recommended tracks: Prologue: Across the Sky, Juliet, Epilogue: What If
Nice write ups Zander! I think its time I finally check this album out. Will check out some of the other albums I haven't heard too! :tup
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Emilie Simon is great! Haven't heard the other album.
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Vegetal! :heart
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Vegetal! :heart
Yeees :heart :heart :heart
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Nice write ups Zander! I think its time I finally check this album out. Will check out some of the other albums I haven't heard too! :tup
:tup
Great to see some Emilie Simon love!
4. (1986) Depeche Mode - Black Celebration
(https://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m11sq3m6zk1qeetdyo1_500.jpg)
The album that confirmed Depeche Mode's presence as dark, serious, and introspective, Black Celebration is an ominous wash of darkwave synths and hollow atmosphere, leaning very much toward the Gothic. The tone is immediately set with the first track, also the title track, which slowly crescendos into a miserable bang of tragic synths and a celebration of pure misery and regret--a truly black celebration. Even the next track, Fly on the Windscreen, is about sinister eroticism in the midst of death and decay. The synths are creepy and sexual, sounding as if they were filtered through empty tubes and air, rather than filling your headphones richly and upfront. Like with DM's other albums, Dave Gahan's vocals are deep and seductive, while Martin Gore's voice is a beautiful, intimate falsetto ripe with insecurity, displaying it beautiful on A Question of Lust and Sometimes. The album's biggest hit, Stripped, covered by hundreds, possibly even thousands, of bands, is layered with towering, enormous, and borderline hopeful keys, relating a dystopian story of finding solace in a world choked with isolation. Here is the House and the bonus track, But Not Tonight, are the only glimmers of unrequited solace and peace from the troubles of life, sounding intimate and welcoming. Dressed in Black is delightfully pervy in its tribute to black-clad women, the album's fetish/BDSM song (there's always at least one on most DM albums), and New Dress concludes Black Celebration on a very cynical, dark note.
Black Celebration is what upped Depeche Mode's ante from a very solid alternative/new wave act with Goth and industrial leanings to a great band, period. While not as important as Violator, it is nonetheless a critical step in their evolution as artists and one of the most unique and influential albums in the electronic music scene, Gothic or otherwise.
Recommended tracks: Black Celebration, A Question of Lust, Stripped
3. (2004) Sarah Fimm - Nexus
(https://www.sarahfimm.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/nexus.jpg)
You know Dummy. You probably also know Mezzanine. Well, trip-hop fan, here's a a trip-hop album you might not know about at all: Nexus, by none other than the criminally unappreciated Sarah Fimm. Dreamy? Euphoric? Mysterious? Yup, guilty as charged. Nexus is by no means an immediate or instantly grabbing album. It in no way grabs your balls or kicks you in the head with an iron boot. It opens itself to you and offers you an invitation to its world: a hypnotic dimension of deep, ethereal, dreamlike, entrancing mastery, with trip-hop only appropriate as a simple description of the overall sound.
Atmospheric feels like such a cliche way to describe the album, but that's precisely what the entirety of Nexus is, be it the mesmerizing drum grooves or the mellow key textures that are as dense as water yet as light as a feather, like on Velocity or the hushed tragedy of Story of Us. Fimm lets her lyrics explore various emotions, both the happy and the sad, with a dense aura of subtle depression consistent with every beat and every portion of her beautiful, gentle voice. The experimental glitches and bleeps are never jarring or sound blatantly computerized, somehow sounding remarkably organic, as if produced by a physical instrument like a guitar or a piano. They serve to highlight her delicate, spellbinding layers of distant trip-hop.
Nexus is an album meant for either nightfall or very early mornings. It is an album that conjures imagery of sitting on the porch of a cabin in the woods, overlooking the forest as the sky above is overcast with grey clouds. Despite being rather minimalistic, a fairly homogenous flow throughout, it nevertheless achieves in sounding incredibly deep, like the second-to-last track, Great Wide Open, which takes you down a deep, peaceful ocean that never crushes you with its pressure. And the album closes out with the enchanting piano instrumental Storytime, ending calmly and beautifully.
Simply put, I cannot recommend this album enough.
Recommended tracks: Mercury, Story of Us, Great Wide Open
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I love Nexus! Great pick. I have a couple of Depeche Mode albums but never listened to them, will have to get on to that.
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Nexus is gorgeous. :tup
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Black Celebration :tup
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Can I take a guess at the top two? Or should I not in case I ruin it? :)
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More Sarah Fimm! :heart
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I love nexus!
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Nexus is a pretty cool gal. Your description of Vegetal sounds intriguing. I may have to check this out.
Oh btw WHERE IS DT!!!?????????!?!?! D:
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Nexus is an fantastic album.
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Can I take a guess at the top two? Or should I not in case I ruin it? :)
If you think you've got it, fire away! I'll be posting both of them tonight anyway, so it's not like there's some drawn-out anticipation for them.
All the Nexus/Sarah Fimm loves make me happy.
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in b4 Opheliac
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Opheliac was on #14.
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The Downward Spiral perhaps? Or maybe I missed it..
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Never tried Nexus. Only know A Perfect Dream.
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I'm gonna guess:
#2: NIN - TDS
#1: POS - TPE
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Okay, here it is: the moment all of you (2 or 3 people) have been waiting for.
Thanks to everyone who followed. I know it probably wasn't the most interesting or exciting, but I did my best and was glad to write about albums that have had a big impact on me. Maybe some of them will have a big impact on you as well.
2. (1994) Nine Inch Nails - The Downward Spiral
(https://i2.listal.com/image/1666445/936full-the-downward-spiral-cover.jpg)
Distant static. A harsh beating sound. Then the faint groans and startled yelps of a man. No, this isn't Andydt's bedroom. This is the beginning to Mr. Self Destruct, the first track on Nine Inch Nails' 1994 industrial phenomenon The Downward Spiral. Be it the tortured screams of women and children to serve as melodies on The Becoming, the gradual crescendo of nightmarish walls of sound on Eraser, or the tormented anguish and regret of the tear-jerker Hurt, The Downward Spiral is brutally honest in all of its angst-ridden misery. Mr. Self Destruct is schizophrenic, abrasive, fast, LOUD. Piggy is a slithering bass beat of moody sounds and the constant repeat of "Nothing can stop me now." Heresy juxtaposes between creepy, jarring synth and loud industrial rock, as does the turbulent discord of March of the Pigs.
Whether it's true industrial or not, The Downward Spiral is remarkably experimental, especially for an album that sold over 4 million copies. The dance club hit Closer, a blunt, straight-to-the-point sex anthem is nonetheless dark and self-loathing, filled with voyeuristic beats and the scattering of sinister synths that strangle. Ruiner and I Do Not Want This take advantage of hollow, airy filtering, like extracted from an airplane in flight. Trent Reznor's voice can be quiet and menacing, or choked with unrestrained fury at the world and at himself. The contrast of verses and choruses often display the different levels of anger in his voice, adding to the very unpleasant and uncertain atmosphere of The Downward spiral.
The overall story is that of a man's emotional downward spiral, peeling back the layers of both himself and society, finding nothing but mistakes and decay. He uses sex and counterfeit emotional support in an attempt to fill the void, but in the end it only adds to his misery. Along the way, he denounces religion, society, sex, prostitution, drugs, therapy, and himself.
The Downard spiral is by no means the creation of industrial music, of course. It was around much longer before the 90s, evolving in the late 70s, as many industrial elitists love pointing out to NIN fans. But what makes The Downward Spiral so remarkable in the innovation department is its ability to fuse those jagged, ugly soundscapes with rich pop melodies and endless hooks, coated with rich synth and guitar work, as well as captivating choruses and consistent, coherent themes throughout the lyrics. All of the industrial staples are here: beats, synths, walls of harrowing and indecipherable noise, samples taken from movies and God knows what else. But with those tools are the formulas to make pop songs. And that's the inherent magic. Reznor's lyrics may sound somewhat pedestrian, but the obvious honesty and natural bluntness are undeniably powerful.
Hurt. Everyone knows this to be Johnny Cash's song, and NIN naysayers can't wait to discredit Reznor entirely and say that Cash gave it an emotional potence Reznor failed to give it. Well, those people are terrorists and communists. Reznor's voice, a whimper choked with restrained tears, pours his soul into each and every word over the hushed ambiance and soft acoustic guitar. With the tale of regret finally completed, it erupts into a cataclysm of buzzing guitars and static, drowning away the narrator.
It's not often an album can drive me to tears. I've heard plenty of sad and miserable songs (as evidenced by this list), but The Downward Spiral is unique in that regard. It has helped me with many tough times in my life, be it my trivial 13-year-old problems of my now 19-almost-20-year-old problems. Even in its darkest moments, I have found a light in it that I can hold onto, something to remind me that I am not alone. For better or worse, this album was what morphed me from a casual music listeners to an obsessor, and to this day, The Downward Spiral remains on a high plateau in my eyes.
Recommended tracks: Closer, Reptile, Hurt
1. (1989) The Cure - Disintegration
(https://2.bp.blogspot.com/_zEEBw3FOcNA/TGOFs_p5WhI/AAAAAAAAAIA/16y86y1MAWI/s1600/Disintegration.jpg)
"Disintegration is the best album ever!" - Stan from South Park.
Here we are at #1. This might be surprising to some, while others saw it coming from a mile away. Admittedly, when I first heard Disintegration about 7 years ago, it wasn't anything that much appealed to me. It was well-written, sure. I could tell. It was definitely layered. And it was definitely sad. But it didn't mean much to me.
Fast-forward to today, and this album means more to me than any piece of music ever should. And not to sound pretentious, but I can't recommend just a few tracks. Oh no, every bit of this album deserves to be heard.
The previous albums by The Cure saw them moving more and more toward a pop sound, much to frontman Robert Smith's chagrin. He wanted to create something darker, a little moodier, a little more serious--so much so that he actually remained silent during the entire recording of a certain little 1989 album, refusing to speak to anyone, even his own band members, all to create an unpleasant atmosphere in the studio.
Unpleasant? Yeah, you could say that.
The opener Plainsong explodes with huge, swelling, almost orchestral synths that are breathtaking in their vast, oceanic beauty, ascending and descending like waves. Smith's vocals echo with clean reverb, adding an undertone of discontentment, almost seeming like a contradiction to the gorgeous atmosphere spread out. Pictures of You is mellower, dreamier, and just as immersive but in a much different way--somber yet inviting, with pools of delicate guitars fading in and out over echoing, slow drums. Smith's voice tells of isolation and obsession with the photographs of a long lost lover. Even the huge hit Lovesong, which has been covered hundreds upon hundreds of times throughout history, an aptly-titled tribute to a lover, is tinged with desperation. Fascination Street hints at sexual deviancy in subtle club play and nightlife under thick layers of that rich Gothic nihilism.
The second half of Disintegration is much more treacherous, like stepping off a cliff in the middle of the night during a storm. Prayers for Rain is heavy and bursting with misery, all of the grievances that come with endlessly devotional love for someone cold and sadistic. Its brooding lurk feels like a heavy rain beating down, pushing you further into some Gothic abyss of tragedy and regret. The Same Deep Water as you is a little gentler, but with just as much desperation as ever, filled to the brim with tragic romanticism and the bleak tinkering of distant guitar chords with distant synths hovering above like clouds. It even ends with what sound like a rain storm.
The title track is quick, heavy, dense, and entwined with a malevolent and heart-wrenching marriage of guitar/synth that makes its presence known only a few times during the 8-minute run. Smith's lyrics tell of a relationship gone bad, becoming more desperate and nightmarish as it goes on, his voice building in volume and grief as if giving into the pressure of something crushing him. Homesick retreats to more mellow territories, lush with seductive piano and guitar washes, splashing water on your face to wipe away those tears and all of that ruined makeup.
But the album goes out with Untitled, which is a sigh, not a yell or a whisper--just a meek sigh of regret for what could have been and what should have been said.
Disintegration is like standing at the edge of the ocean while feeling suicidal. You look down, and it's seemingly beautiful and welcoming enough--a fitting and simple end. After taking the plunge, it's far deeper, darker, and heavier than you ever imagined. You feel yourself suffocated by the pressure of the water above you, knowing that the waves up high are too turbulent for you to come up for air. Deeper and deeper you descend, terrified by the ominous shadows lurking with you down there in the deep dark, watching you, contemplating you. The more you struggle, the deeper you descend. But finally, you come up for air, only ti discover an enormous thunderstorm of flashing lightning and blistering, heavy rain. The waves hammer upon you, slapping you around, making you their bitch, scarring you with faded red. And at the very end of it all, looking down into the sea and high up above at the clouds, the natural beauty of all of the terror and ugly emotions. Your suicide was negated, and instead you were taken to the deepest ocean, seeing nothing but black, the black of your own life, the black of your own past endeavors and relationships that crumbled at your own hands. You wanted a romantic death but found the memories of all past mistakes, wrapped into a package of ocean and sky. I am rambling.
But that's what it feels like. Disintegration is a journey or pure regret, never once feeling contrived. It's an exploration of honest emotions and an examination of failure, and it sucks you into its deep, dense world--an absolute engulfment. It transcends both Goth and post-punk, becoming an exhibition of humanity's ugliest, saddest failures. The deep, romantic layers of instrumentation of thick veils and drapes laid over these laments.
Through every hardship and every frustration I come about in my life, Disintegration will always be with me. It grabs me and puts me under the microscope, but it's right next to me. It's the only album that can do that much to me aside from The Downward Spiral, and before it clicked, I didn't think anything would ever top it for me. Even during the creating of this list, I constantly flipped the orders. But Disintegration came out as the winner, if just by a nudge. Its deep, mysterious, layered beauty still captivates me, and yet, simultaneously, it somehow eludes me, as if I still haven't fully uprooted everything about it. It's still down there in that deep dark ocean, still waiting for me to understand it fully. But every time I listen to it, every time I let it examine me, I peel back a new layer and find a new thread, each more beautiful than the last while completing the picture. And that picture, dark and miserable thing it is, is rapturously beautiful.
And that is how I met your mother.
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THE DOWNWARD SPIRAL IS AMAZING!!!!
also great write-ups and list and tons of stuff i'll check out thanks bahbeh
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Excellent write ups! :tup I've been wanting to check out both of those albums for quite some time now, I will try and do both this weekend.
Enchant was interesting. Some of the songs were very good, but all in all I felt it was a bit too long and got kind of stale and it lost my attention at points. I'll give it more spins.
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Great writeups! I got one right at least. I guessed TPE because in someones list he had it at 37 and I thought you commented something like 36 spots too low... although it was probably someone else, I probably got confused. Anyway I will check out a lot of this list. The Cure are a great band too.
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Nice. Well, I don't know about 70% of he albums you listed, so I'll have to check some things out. Can you please post the full list? :)
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Thanks, guys. And thanks for following the whole thing.
Nice. Well, I don't know about 70% of he albums you listed, so I'll have to check some things out. Can you please post the full list? :)
Sure!
50. Unter Null – The Failure Epiphany (2005)
49. Chiasm – Reform (2005)
48. Dead Can Dance – Within the Realm of a Dying Sun (1987)
47. Reflexion – Dead to the Past – Blind for Tomorrow (2008)
46. Ayria –Flicker (2006)
45. Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross – The Social Network OST (2010)
44. Opeth – My Arms, Your Hearse (1998)
43. Kate Bush – Hounds of Love (1985)
42. The Smashing Pumpkins – Siamese Dream (1993)
41. Poe – Haunted (200)
40. New Order – Power, Corruption, & Lies (1983)
39. The Sisters of Mercy – Floodland (1987)
38. Agalloch – The Mantle (2002)
37. The Birthday Massacre – Violet (2004)
36. Tori Amos – Little Earthquakes (1992)
35. Skinny Puppy – VIVIsect IV (1988)
34. Covenant – United States of Mind (2000)
33. Rasputina – How We Quit the Forest (1998)
32. The Smiths – Strangeways Here We Come (1987)
31. For My Pain… – Fallen (2003)
30. Assemblage 23 – Compass (2009)
29. Sarah Fimm – A Perfect Dream (2001)
28. Siouxsie and the Banshees – Tinderbox (1987)
27. Type O Negative – Bloody Kisses (1993)
26. Gary Numan – Telekon (1980)
25. Opeth – Still Life (1999(
24. Depeche Mode – Violator (1990)
23. Radiohead – Kid A (2000)
22. Emilie Autumn – Enchant (2002)
21. Bjork – Vespertine (2001)
20. The Cruxshadows – Ethernaut (2003)
19. Vast – Visual Audio Sensory Theater (1998)
18. Nine Inch Nails – The Fragile (1999)
17. VNV Nation – Empires (1999)
16. Sopor Aeternus & the Ensemble of Shadows – Les Fleurs Du Mal (2007)
15. The Cure – The Head on the Door (1985)
14. Emilie Autumn – Opheliac (2006)
13. Dredg – Catch Without Arms (2005)
12. Jill Tracy – Diabolical Streak (1999)
11. Bright Eyes – Lifted (2002)
10. Joy Division – Closer (1980)
9. Anathema – Judgement (1999)
8. Tori Amos – From the Choirgirl Hotel (1998)
7. VNV Nation – Futureperfect (2002)
6. Emilie Simon – Vegetal (2006)
5. Gary Numan – Exile (1997)
4. Depeche Mode – Black Celebration (1986)
3. Sarah Fimm – Nexus (2004)
2. Nine Inch Nails – The Downward Spiral (1994)
1. The Cure – Disintegration (1989)
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That awkward moment when I realize I've only listened to two albums in your entire top 50.
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I only know 15 or so. :o
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I know 6 :P
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1. The Cure – Disintegration
I had a feeling on this one. Great list and write ups!!
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I only listened to 5 out of 50 but the descriptions sound intringuing enough, I've added Depeche Mode, the Cure and NIN to my musical to-do list.
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I've listened to 9 out of 50! Gonna check some of these artists out.
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I've listened to fifteen of these!
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19/50
GOTH AS FUCK
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7/50, but there are at least two others that I've been looking for since Zander won my roulette.
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17/50
Great list. :)