One thing I’ll say about Pink Turns Blue, they are consistent. You can always count on them for a danceable, mid-tempo, four-on-the-floor, atmospheric jam. So it comes as no surprise when they come through with their newest, Black Swan.
This Berlin band has been doing its thing since 1985 and has been seminal in what would become Darkwave. From the opening synth riff of Follow Me, these eleven songs bring everything that fans of the band have come to expect and enjoy.
The title track brings the first noticeable tempo change, followed by the speedier Like We All Do. I suppose the argument could be made that these songs all blend together and Black Swan is basically a 49-minute long song. But that’s not to say that it’s a bad 49-minute song. Again, consistent. And PTB songs are nothing if not well-crafted.
Overall, a thoughtful blend of guitar and synth tied together neatly in pop-oriented package.
Throbbing Gristle are releasing “Live at the Volksbühne Berlin, New Year’s Eve 2005” on CD and Vinyl on May 16th.
As a teaser we got this video clip of “Hamburger Lady” from that concert. It’s as raw as it gets with Throbbing Gristle, and has me looking forward to this release. I hope some of you old school industrial fans are hoping to groove on this as much as I am.
I am sure there will be more to come about this one, but here is a note from the band:
“In 2004, Throbbing Gristle, Chris Carter, Cosey Fanni Tutti, Genesis Breyer P-Orridge (1950-2020) and Peter ‘Sleazy’ Christopherson (1955-2010), regrouped and the following six years became a period of renewed creativity for the band. Back in the studio after 20 years, they found group intuition when performing was intact and their ability to break down barriers and forge connections with an audience was more powerful than ever.
TG Berlin and Live at the Volksbühne Berlin, New Year’s Eve 2005 are the latest releases in an ongoing collaboration with Mute, compelling documents of Throbbing Gristle performing and recording as a four-piece with a renewed vigour. From the opening beats and serrated electronics of one of their final tracks recorded together, “Scabs & Saws”, it’s clear that TG are not revisiting ground already tread, but bringing two decades of individual experience back into the studio to create a new exploration of sound. The vocals have a different depth, the groove is deeper, and the atmosphere has lost none of its potency.”
I first heard Eivør probably a decade ago while digging through a “Viking Pagan Folk” playlist on YouTube. I saw this amazing woman, wearing a live flower weave in her hair beating on a skin drum chanting this old Viking song “Tròdlabùndin” where she was using her voice most bizarrely, with throaty growls, along with some of the sweetest female vocals in the same lines of this chant, calling forth pagan spirits. I was enamored with this spectacle, as strange as this was, it looked like it was being performed in someone’s backyard on a hill, with a cabbage garden next to the stage.
Thus was my love of Eivør Pálsdóttir and her music born. Eivør is a singer from the Faroe Islands, a small chain of islands between Iceland, and North Scotland, the language is Faroese, and most like Icelandic.
In a concert venue, where the lines are blurred between people’s normal attire, or they are just dressed up for a night out, all of the Viking Subculture of Salt Lake had converged at “The Metro” for this amazing event of music and wonder.
Sylvaine
Opening was an amazing singer of ethereal folk “Sylvaine”, she had been through Salt Lake several times, but this time no band. She came to the stage, very quiet, and humble almost, then she began playing this beautiful music that felt like we were going back in time. She opened with “Dagsens auga sloknar ut” (The day’s eyes fade away), she danced in place waving her arms captivating everyone, with a silhouette behind her, reminiscent of the “Ghost” on the 1987 Echo & the Bunnymen album cover. In the first 30 seconds, I knew this woman was a trip.
She played an overpowering somber song, with the guitar sounding like Sigur Ros, that she called “L’appel du Vide” (Emptiness calls)
She talked to everyone for a minute, politely thanking everyone for listening to her set. (We were all hypnotized, and couldn’t do much else).
She closed another acapella piece “Eg Er Framand” (I am a stranger) this time swinging her hands, forward, but not swaying, because this song had that kind of emotion in it.
I talked to her for a few minutes later in the gig, only to find out we knew some of the same people, a band that I am friends with are her neighbors, literally. In short, you have to get into this amazing singer, you will not be disappointed.
Eivør
Eivør took the stage, as a blond Malificient, “star” goddess, she was already tall, but wearing even taller boots. She started singing a haunting ballad in a language we didn’t understand and didn’t need to “En Klota”, with a standing cellist, that just melted everyone, if she wanted to turn down the blood pressure, she had us with that first song.
Still beating the drum with an intense focus, and the keyboardist playing haunting tones, she sang “JARÐARTRÁ” (DUST TO DUST), in this light we noticed how she was made up, with gorgeous nails, and glitter gems all around her eyes, all done up to enchant and scare us at the same time. Most of us just stood in awe at her presence. She thanked all of us and said ” ALRIGHT SALT LAKE CITY !!! What a beautiful crowd, if you can see from here what I see”.
She picked up her guitar and started playing probably the only pop-like song of the evening “Hugsi bert um teg” (Just thinking about you) that sounded like an epic CHVRCHES meets Laura Brannigan, it was quite awesome.
She talked to us again about how she LOVES this tour, where it is warm and cold, and like in Las Vegas and Salt Lake City where it’s below freezing, and feels like going home again. She talked about the new album, and how “I’m gonna do one more song from the new album before we go completely crazy. This is a ballad about reaching for the stars, this one is called “Purpurhjarta” which translates to “Purple Heart”. With the keyboard playing a sad piano song, and the bass player playing low somber tones, everyone was so focused on how her voice was steering the song for us. This is truly one of the best songs on the album (at least til the next one).
After a few more songs, she stood there, blowing kisses, setting her guitar down, and to great cheers, she began waving a skin mallet and beating the drum and howling with the power of a witch elevating everyone to strange new heights of experience. Singing as if it was a ritual, or even a seance it was “Tròdlabùndin”! Everyone swayed along with her on this one and tried chanting those throat parts. This is what so many of us came for, entranced in the vast highs and lows of her voice chanting, it felt like we were in this for hours.
From the pit, I met a Hispanic couple from Los Angeles, who had been on this tour since the opening date, if that tells you how special this show is, clash cultures, and just let the music move you.
She played “True Love” then the title track to the album “ENN” which means “Still”, with a very dark trance-inducing drumming coupled with her voice doing things you don’t normally hear a woman’s voice do.
With Upp Úr Øskuni, (risen from the ashes) the lights only flash when the drums beat, Eivør posed like a towering witch over everyone, while she chanted very dark, intense almost prayers that we didn’t need to understand the words, we felt what they were about. Her long fingernails made perfect sense to be playing these powerful songs on her guitar, while the bass drove a very spiritual voice we all felt like we were standing on. It was all very surreal where Eivør’s music was taking us, it was almost scary, but we were really not afraid.
She told us a story about “Hymn 49” an old Faroese song that was over 500 years old, that the fishermen on the islands would sing when they left the shores, hoping to return safely. We all listened with a sort of reverance understanding the spirit of this song, and respect for a song that has lived several centuries after it’s time.
After some of her oldest pieces “Salt” and “Í Tokuni” (In the fog) Eivør set down her guitar, to all the cheers, she said, “I can see you have all been practicing, really you are such a great crowd”. She introduced the band, everyone by name, and their instrument, then she paused and said “Well, yeah that was it” in an uncomfortable moment. She explained the next song is dedicated to all the lonely souls, “Gullspunnin” (Goldspinning) means you are wrapped around with gold, in all this beauty, thinking you are alone, but you are not truly alone, and that there will always be someone who gets you, then she said, “I love you all”. Then she sang along to the saddest piano ballad we have ever heard, equal to “This Woman’s Work” by Kate Bush performed by Loreena McKenneit (yes I did say that).
She thanked everyone, waved good night, and walked off the stage, while the punters let her know we weren’t going to let her off that easy. Eivør returned to the stage and finished off the evening with “Falling Free”, which no many how often I listen to it, evokes what I would say is the essence of Eivør, a simple piano line. No one can walk away from such wonder, she builds up to “Now I surrender, I am falling down, hoping you will catch me before I hit the ground”. Everyone was swinging their heads forward on each beat, eyes closed, just feeling the purity of the music.
Evior took one last bow and left the crowd awestruck.
If this has given any justice to how incredible Eivør is live, my buddy who has been going to shows with me for 35 years said it was one of the top-ten gigs of all time, you might want to grab a gig next time she comes through the states.
There are a few states that are currently producing an unexpected surge in kick ass dark music. Colorado springs to mind, every time I look into the scene there I find new exciting bands. A second is Georgia. With bands like Vision Video and Tears For the Dying leading the charge the scene seems to be fertile ground for modern dark scene music. I recently did an interview with Now After Nothing which will be releasing soon. Matt Spatial is bringing a frantic urban decay sound with punk rock tinge of Warsaw and Public Image Limited. Orange molten guitar solos and cavernous bass lines ride the line between nostalgia and contemporary. No matter how complicated and dark each song gets, you can never shake the frothing punk energy.
Matt Spatial : Vocals, Guitars, Bass Guitars, Synths and Programming Michael Allen : Drums
Written, recorded, and produced by Matt Spatial Mixed by Carl Glanville Mastered by John Davis and Felix Davis
Additional Guitars by Mark Gemini Thwaite (1,5) Additional Vocals by Simone Elise (6)
Favorite Tracks:
Fixation Fantasy – This one growls hard and mean right out of the gate. Then contrasts with this lovely chime sounds and Matt’s vocals take on a grungy Lane Staley quality. Another comparison are the poetic imagery that remind me a bit of Dirt. “You’re lost with every turn A giving tree of indignity Now welcome to the world anew And take a look around You’ll find a way unfound Now welcome to the world anew yet again”
Dare – This is what I call a Soundtrack song. Conjures such a great image of cool people doing cool stuff that feels like perfect background music to a film or show. Matt’s vocal’s are smooth and dripping with effortless confidence. The drums here really create constant motion. Absolute banger.
Really excited to post the interview I did with Matt and see what the future holds for Now After Nothing.
A sneaky early pick for top albums of the year from Ohio based artist Kali Dreamer. In October 2022 Derek Christopher of Wandering Stars put Kali on my radar and I was an immediate fan. I love watching an artist grow in vision and technique. “Imperfect Dark” is a monumental leap forward in execution for the talented artist. Hearing this album again and again fills me with hope for the future of goth music. Markise voice is enchanting and complex. Using a unique cadence and timeless beauty. Streaming pastel colors of shoegaze guitar lines make majestic sounds to lift nightmare fuel lyrics.
Tiara – I am such a sucker for romantic goth and this track is forlorn and wonderous. The guitar line has a dancing Smashing Pumpkins “Gish” feel and Markise is spinning out poetry with masterful inflection. This song leaves me shook every time I play it.
New Twilight – I love the slippery back beat and higher range vocals here. It’s like a beautiful blend of The Cure and R & B. This one has a brighter hopeful tone but it makes a really nice accent when you are on your third play though of the album in it’s entirety. This whole record hits all the buttons for me.
This is a don’t skip a single track record in 2025. which isn’t something I get to say often. people need to take notice of one of the most fresh and exciting voices in modern goth.
