So a while back I bought the Unquiet Grave album from I-tunes, which claims to be the ultimate goth collection. It has tons of songs and a fairly cheap price, and I am always looking for new music so I jumped all over it. Slowly I've been going through the songs, deciding what I liked and what I didn't. I've been meaning to make posts about these bands, just in case you yourself haven't heard of them and want new music, I'm going to start off with just one: Magenta.
This is their song on the album 'Eccentricity':
Magenta is described as a "Norwegian electro-goth rock project founded in 1995 by future
husband-and-wife Vilde Lockheart (voice) and Anders Odd1 (aka Odden,
guitar, programming, and voice -- formerly with death metal pioneers
Cadaver), with frequent support from Daniel Hill (guitar, backing
vocals), and assorted guest musicians over the years." (Here)
I couldn't find a ton of information on them, they don't even have a working website that I could find, however because Eccentricity was featured in the ever popular movie Gypsy 83, they have a following. Gypsy 83 is a movie I plan on watching over this summer, but haven't seen as of yet. However I really do like this song, it has smooth echo-y vocals that easily gets stuck in your head. The lyrics are in english and are fairly understandable which is a plus in my mind. I kept it in my music banks, here are some other songs by them:
Secret Sky:
This video was posted on some lovely blog that I can't quite remember which at the moment, and got me hooked onto the band, Moulettes. It really is an enchanting band that I'd highly recommend, one of my current favorites. However, looking around I noticed quickly that it is extremely hard to dig up lyrics for their songs. (This song "Devil of Mine" excluded.)
I was surprised as I had imagined people would be all over working out the lyrics of such pretty songs. I find lyrics just as if not more important than the chords. I definitely think that they both have to be good to feed off of each other and create a great song, so its something my ear pays attention to and something I look up. I caught myself thinking, "Someone should really sit down and listen to the songs and try to piece out lyrics" And then I found myself thinking, "Someone should stop wishing others would do things she can do herself."
I would love for the band and songwriter(s) themselves to post lyrics someday, because by ear there will always be some mistakes, somethings lost, but I thought until then I could give it a go and share them for anyone else who has been searching for the lyrics as I have. The first one I did was "Horses for Hearses" (fitting, don't you think?) which is an easier song to listen to and jot down words in my opinion. (And short). I swear I ran across these somewhere else, but I can't redig them up. I'm not claiming these are perfect. I transcribed from their album, but I could only find a live video.
Horses for Hearses:
When you look around you I assure you I will be there
Shouting like the curses, this is the worst thing we’ll have
to bare
Loneliness lives in corners, she is carted by despair
She is spooked by sudden noises. She is haunted on the stair
Sing me handsome verses, raise you voices, play your share
Hold on to the horses and good fortune meet your prayer
Bring her milk and honey, bathe her wounds and stroke her
hair
Hush my little darling, lull your worries, have no care,
Spurn your shadowed lover, all is rusted beyond repair
You shall find your kingdom and a set of wings to wear!
(Dun, dun, dada da,
dun, dun, dada da, dun…)
Sing me handsome verses, raises your voices, play you share
Shouting like the curses this is the worst thing we’ll have
to bare (x2)
If you find all the lyrics posted somewhere, please I'd love the link. Also feel free to post any corrections if your ear is better than mine.
One of my favorite musical artists, Amanda Palmer, has just released a new CD with The Grand Theft Orchestra named "Theatre is Evil." I first came across Amanda Palmer years ago when I heard "Coin Operated Boy" which is a song done by Brian Viglione and herself as apart of The Dresden Dolls. I've followed her ever since. She has a bold style of playing the piano and emotion filled lyrics. She's proven that she can do a pretty song, but not all of her songs are meant to be such. I think my favorite part of her music is the little pieces of sarcasm in her songs and the way she can take a really serious or sad topic and make it something upbeat.
The style of her CD's change vastly, it's rarely the same sound from album to album. "Theatre is Evil" is her most different CD yet, its much more.. rock-ish... I guess... It's different anyway. But still amazing. Amanda Palmer has a really great idea of "Pay What You Want" when it comes to the release of her music, on her website she says "i firmly believe in music being as free as possible. unlocked. shared and spread. i believe that in order for artists to survive and create, their audiences need to step up and directly support them. honor system. no judgment. if you're broke- take it. if you love it, come back and kick in later when you have the money. if you're rich, think about who you might be karmically covering if you really love this record." She has a version of her album available for free download and another where you can choose to pay any of five dollar increments between 1$ and 20$. The actual CD is ten dollars. Her website also sells other CD's, posters, vinyl, Apparel and my favorite thing of all-- The Companion. With every album she releases a beautiful Companion Book filled with art, sheet music <3, hand written bits, stories behind her songs and tons of other tidbits. I have "The Dresden Dolls" and the "Virginia" companion book. I'm hoping to get the "Who Killed Amanda Palmer" and "Theatre is Evil" books for the holidays.
Below are a couple music videos from her new album, but I also suggest you go here and here to watch more of them. She has really great music videos that really sing with her songs. Both of the music videos are uncensored. The Killing Type gets bloody at the end and Want It Back contains a small bit of nudity. They're both of artistic tastefulness. But you are thusly warned. ^^
The Killing Type-
Want It Back-
Again, you can get her album and other merchandise, keep up with the band or whatever at her website.
(CHEESY POST TITLE ALERT!)
Nah, I wanted to talk today about bands whose lyrics are in a language you can't understand. I have no problem admitting that 90% of the bands I regularly listen to are in English. Not so much because I have a problem with music in other languages, rather living in America and reading in English I far more often run across bands of the same language.
But everything, including art including music, travels so quickly these days that I run into all sorts of music. Korean bands were insanely popular at my previous high school, Japanese rock is growing in popularity and on a more alternative level: Goth is a worldwide subculture so it makes sense that there are goth bands of many languages.
Apart from what I randomly stumble into, awhile ago I downloaded "Unquiet Grave- The Ultimate Goth Collection" to give me the opportunity of hearing different bands and there are a few songs of various languages (Eventually I'll do a review of album but I haven't finished sorting through what I like and what doesn't fit my tastes.) Also, reading/ listening to Bats and Bunnies "Tuesday Tunes" has introduced me to a few German bands, (Xmal Deutschland, whom I really like and Welle: Erdball).
I want to know what you guys think of bands whose lyrics you can't understand. It is true that music is a universal language, but do you miss out by not getting the lyrics? Does it not matter if the melody is good? Do you look up the lyrics?
Lyrics are something I pay close attention to in songs and that is important to me but it's not something that keeps me from liking a band with good melodies and harmonies. (Well, shallow lyrics sometimes turns me off of a band). I love how different languages flow... differently but I also usually end up looking for some sort of translation out of curiosity. But translations are very open to different interpretations as far as syntax and word choices are concerned, so how can you really get the full artistic picture of a song without understanding the language?
The nice thing about music or most art in general is the ability for the viewer/reader/listener to come up with their own meaning and perspective within the piece, so on the other hand, you could argue that it doesn't matter if you understand the language or not.
I haven't really explored non-English music a terrible amount, but I'd like to brush of the boundry in the future so I'm curious to other perspectives. Any non-English bands you absolutely love?
In other news, my father got fancy new camera that sits on his shelf, free for my personal usage. I love it, (I love photography.) I've also settled in nicely to the new school year so I'm able to post more frequently AND keep up with the posts of the blogs I follow. (and I do honestly go through and read all the posts when I'm keeping up.)
This (should) be my last post for the next week or so. I have just a small bit of time left to finish homework before school starts. And then I have to complete forms and essays and stuff for a school I'm applying to. I can't believe the summer went so fast!
Anyway day seven, Ten of your favorite goth bands.
1) Siouxsie and the Banshees: "Godmother of goth" I had a...very slight... obsession with the band after I spent months with only "Face to Face" on my player. Still love that song. But The Passenger is my favorite and one of my all time favorite songs that I go back to when I'm feeling down. I also recommend Carousel, Candyman, Cities in Dust, Peek-A-Boo, Spellbound, Christine...all the rest? Yeah? Okay.
2) I:Scintilla: My... reoccurring obsession? This is another band where I could say I love just about every song. Lovely lyrics, strong beat. My favorites include Face the Kill, The Bells, Cursive Eye, Capsella Bursa Pastoris and Salt of Stones. Fun music to hop on your bed and dance to when no one is watching in my opinion. =P
3) Emilie Autumn: Great music, both lyrical and instrumental, great poetry. Syringe is one of my favorites along with Manic Depression, Strange Device, The Art of Suicide, ect. She had a concert in my state in February and I couldn't go. I didn't meet the age requirement. How suckish is that? Heard the concerts are amazing. x.x
4) The Dresden Dolls: The first song I heard from them was Coin Operated Boy. It also has a great music video. It is currently the band I use to not freak out on the way to my riding lessons. This is also one of the few bands that my mother likes and will not complain about having to listen to in the car. Favorites include Sex Changes, Coin Operated Boy, Girl Anachronism, Night Reconnaissance, and a few others.
5) Hannah Fury: I love the haunting melodies and vocals. I am fond of most of her songs but my favorites include Carousel, The Necklace Marie Antoinette and Let it Show. This song and after my list gets a bit mixed up as far as in order of favorites. It took me forever to get her music on my player. I'd listen to songs and then forget.
6) The Cruxshadows: A few months ago I got a few more more CDs by them as well as a few other bands. I didn't, however, listen to the songs because I was more preoccupied with the songs from the other bands. I just recently stumbled across the song in the video "A Stranger Moment" whilst having my player on random as I cleaned. I absolutely adore this song. My other favorites include Sophia, Winterborn, Memorare, Elissa, ect.
7) The Sisters of Mercy: More hauntish vocals. Been fond of them for a while. One of the bands my father doesn't complain about. Favorites include Lucretia, My Reflection, This Corrosion, Dominion, ect... I'm running out of things to say on these little paragraphs. x.x How many times can I say "Love them" in one post before my computer bursts into flames?
8) Bauhaus: Classic, love them. Good? Good. There is a few classics on my list. Another band my father doesn't complain about. Favorite songs are Honeymoon Croon, Bela Lugosi's Dead (Oooh, surprising... ), Slice of Life (My First Favorite) and Who Killed Mr. Moonlight. You know that time when I got more Cruxshadows music and didn't listen to them all? It's a deja vu moment.
9) Joy Division: The vocals in my opinion are very unique sounding. I didn't like them at first, the appreciation for their music came over time and after watching the movie Control. I actually have that movie on it's way to my house so I can watch it again. They are the final of the three bands my father will listen to without complaint. My favorites include Transmission, Love Will Tear us Apart Again, She in Parties and Shadowplay.
10) Faith and the Muse: What can I say? I like haunting melodies and lyrics. The Chorus of The Furies is currently my favorite song. I have a few others but my writing brain is running out of steam. Sorry dears. Early morning.
On a final side note, it's awesome-tastic to have some followers. Even if it is like... five...
Another double day, you ask? Why yes, another one. This serves to purposes. One: To distract me from the homework I was given for over the summer and must have finished before the first day of school. Two: To get me further along in the challenge because things get frantic for me once school goes back in session.
Plus (I suppose this is reason number three...) these two posts are ridiculously short. Thus when put together, they create a better sized post. Oh, wait, I have a reason four. I want to get to the eight day before I forget the post I absent-mindedly planned out while reading other blog's day eights.
Day 5: Is there a local goth band or group in your area?
In my town? Pfft. No. I live in the town of mainstream rich folk, in the apartments of 'I wish I was rich' folk. Okay, so that might not be totally true, but from what I witness, this is how it is. Now my area seems to have quite a bit of an alternative side. But I won't admit to being immediately knowledgeable about any band. But if you would like to see the bands that are supposedly around I would check out this website.
Day 6: Hand write your favorite lyric and take a picture.
I was very uncertain on what song to do for this. My favorite son is The Passenger by Siouxsie and the Banshees; and I have a ton of songs from a ton of artists with lyrics that I think is ingenious, clever, amusing, beautiful and just plain passionate. But I finally settled on a simple song with simpler lyrics because it has personal significance. So, I present to you in my messy handwriting, I Want My Innocence Back, by Emilie Autumn.
