Sept 2023 Sounds and Shadows Darkscene Singles Chart

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This year is flying by, I can’t believe October is already here. Time once again for our singles chart to highlight some of the best songs released in September voted on by our group of Artists/DJs/Reviewers/Promotors/and Super Fans. Hearing these tracks are a great way to keep your finger on the pulse as well as raise awareness of amazing new bands in the scene that don’t always show up in other charts. If you or someone you know has a single released in Oct in the broad Darkscene genre. Join the group and add it.

  1. Matt Hart – Deep Down City
  2. Black Rose Burning – Fight
  3. Stoneburner – The Great Filter
  4. GoFight – Machine Rock
  5. The Waning Moon – Shred My Wings
  6. Curse Mackey – Dead Fingers Talk
  7. Sapphiria Vee – What It Was
  8. Night Nail – Narcoleptic Dream Catcher
  9. Choke Chain – Mortality
  10. Gazelle Twin – Black Dog
  1. MATT HART – Deep Down City – London Industrial Metal artist Matt Hart is no stranger to the top of the S & S Darkscene chart. I love how every single has a cyberpunk back story. This track would be the perfect scene builder for one of my old ShadowRun Table Top games. A new neon world buried beneath the destruction of the past. Cybernetically enhanced 6 inch platform boot stomps. Designer drugs and laser cycles hugging the corners of plastic streets. Razor production and imaginative concepts.

We reached a place so deep that,
All the light has left the darkness,
We source a new found light a
Strength to fuel our journeys process

A new world built for us,
A city designed to survive,
Honour, pride, and sacrifice,
This is the way of the Deep Down City

Main chamber to the stairwells,
Entertainment and the sleep holes,
Trains and stations, living districts,
All together survival instinct.

Deep, down below
We see the glow
our home so far down

This is the way, survive the day,
Take it from me we’ve paved our way.

DEEP DOWN CITY | MATT HART (bandcamp.com)

2) Black Rose Burning – Fight – It’s so great to see awesome people get the recognition they have long deserved. George Grant from Brooklyn has been a fixture in this scene for decades and people are starting to come around to his top tier voice, immersive songwriting, and complex technique. A science fiction story set in this albums space age world. I love how this tale zooms in on a relationship. In this one a co-dependent one. I think it’s really relatable for most of us at some juncture in life. George’s voice is such a breath of fresh air for it’s unique flavor in a baritone post punk world. It’s funny, as I read the lyrics I built a story of an alien parasite which is both keeping a stranded spaceman alive, while slowly consuming him. A race against time for rescue.

t’s stranger still, to taste a bitter pill
And there’s no lines, it’s better to lie all of the time
Now I can’t feel you anymore

Cho:
Sometimes – we try to forget it all and never make a change
Sometimes – we’d rather believe it, and just take the blame
Sometimes – we deceive, and we lie, to ourselves
Sometimes – it’s brutally painful to let it go – I know

Verse 2
It’s your state of mind, that’s seems so unkind
Now there’s no love, just push and shove, off came the gloves
And I can’t heal you

Cho:
Sometimes – we try to forget it all and never make a change
Sometimes – we’d rather believe it, and just take the blame
Sometimes – we deceive, and we lie, to ourselves
Sometimes – it’s brutally painful to let it go – I know

Bridge:
I tried to make you happy
But the truth kept shining through
I tried to make it happen
Dead and Broken, words unspoken so where do we go to now?

Cho:
Sometimes – we try to forget it all and never make a change
Sometimes – we’d rather believe it, and just take the blame
Sometimes – we deceive, and we lie, to ourselves
Sometimes – it’s brutally painful to let it go – I know

Fight! | Black Rose Burning (bandcamp.com)

3) Stoneburner – The Great Filter – Title track from Baltimore sound sculpture and dear friend Steven Archer on COP International Records. I am adoring the emphasis on narrative focus for our top three songs this month. This album and song focused on a controversial theory by Robin Hanson. I love the slow walk 90s bass opening charged down by glitchy cyber rap. The tempo takes it’s time as layers of chaos and tension pile on to a white-hot barrel fire under a bridge.

The Great Filter | Stoneburner (bandcamp.com)

4) Go Fight – Machine Rock (MekaBeat) – The top of this chart has been full of dear friends and all around awesome folk. So I am excited to see Chicago Industrial Legend Jim Marcus picked near the top. This remix album which features a ton of top talent doing remixes of the June single. This one has a fun 70s shock rock inside a 3d video pinball game flavor. Gyration and hip checks encouraged for this dance floor banger. There is something special about Jim’s “Industrial” voice that takes me there every time.

1.Machine Rock (MekaBeat) 04:15 video
2.Machine Rock (SØLVED) 05:22
3.Machine Rock (Bass Machine) 04:07
4.Machine Rock (Interface Release) 06:01
5.Machine Rock (SpankTheNun) 03:50
6.Machine Rock (Household Percussion) 04:22
7.Machine Rock (Derision Cult) 04:10
8.Machine Rock (Sapphira Vee) 03:59
9.Machine Rock (MelodyWhore) 04:22
10.Little Beautiful Strings 05:10buy track
11.Little Beautiful Strings (Jane Jensen) 03:16

Machine Rock (MekaBeat) | Go Fight (bandcamp.com)

5) The Waning Moon – Shred My Wings – A newer band comprised of two veterans Ariel Maniki (Ariel Maniki and The Black Halos) and Zac Campbell (The Kentucky Vampires). The combination explores more electronic ground for each of the goth-rock artists. You are still getting a heavy dose of classic Zach early batcave riffs. Ariel croons like a creature risen from the depths dripping with pageantry. This project really reminds you why goth was so cool in the first place. Before the word got so big you forgot what it meant.

Shred My Wings | The Waning Moon (bandcamp.com)

6) Curse Mackey – Dead Fingers Talk (Electric Heresy Remix by A Cloud of Ravens) – Currently out on tour Austin TX Industrowave beat poet Curse Mackey is remixed by shooting star Brooklyn post punk band A Cloud Of Ravens. The stairslide bass walk lays a thick path for Curse to fling a barrage of venom from. The idea of creeping zombified flesh swarming towards you was really taken to hear for this reimagining.

Catch Curse out on tour now 🙂

Dead Fingers Talk (Electric Heresy Remix by A Cloud of Ravens) | a cloud of ravens, curse mackey | Curse Mackey (bandcamp.com)

7) Sapphira Vee – What it Was – This months chart is so full of amazing artists I love dearly, so it is fitting Sapphira has found her way into this list. The Rochester NY electro sorceress is swirling energies above her head and surrounded by a coven of top tier remixers on the Distortion Records release. I really love the confidence and cadence of this track. Soulful Missy Elliot energy fired over a cool spinning disc. Loving the way she has harnessed her voice and leaned into her truth.

What it Was | Sapphira Vee (bandcamp.com)

8) NIGHT NAIL – Narcoleptic Dream Catcher – Berlin based atmospheric obtenebrationwave band with the first single on their upcoming Metropolis release featuring everyone’s favorite euro darkscene producer Pete Burns. This opening bass riff is sleek, wet, and captivating. Brandon shows his range and dynamic with these vocals. I love the clarity of his dipping baritone that leaves the overwash reverb in the 80’s and pairs perfectly with what I assume are Valentina backup vocals. A smooth retrospective with newfound complexity.

Narcoleptic Dream Catcher | NIGHT NAIL

9) Choke Chain – Mortality – One of the most fiercely honest voices in modern electro-hardcore. This new single is a visceral dive into self confrontation and the horror of depression. It’s a nice build and texture on the music, but Mark’s voice cuts through everything to stand an inch from your face forcing you into his raw reality.

I can’t take it anymore

posessed by death
destroying my life
every second gets worse
it keeps getting worse

dying in your sleep
or dying in pain
most likely in pain
most likely in pain

why do I have to die?
im just trying to live

why can’t I just die?
it hurts me to live

each minute that passes
theres so many who die
and at some point that will be you
gone forever

cast into nothingness
no way to know you existed
every thought every memory
all for nothing

when will I be free?
when can I just live?

Mortality | Choke Chain (bandcamp.com)

10) Gazelle Twin – Black Dog – I knew very little about this UK band but I was instantly blown away. A quirky shadow pop with whispered menace and electronic hand drums. True abstract nightmare fuel lit by the glow of analog synths. At 2 minutes 53 seconds it explodes as the dog breaks it’s chain to charge you with frothing chaos. I genuinely regret this was the last song I listened to before bed. Pray for me.

Black Dog (Single) | Gazelle Twin (bandcamp.com)

As always, if you or someone you know is releasing a single in October in the broad darkscene genre. Feel free to post it on my Patreon or in the Facebook group. We are always looking to discover the best in new dark music.

Sounds and Shadows | Music Reviews, Interviews, Videocast Connecting the Darkscene | Patreon

Bauhaus Staircase by Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark

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OMD (Orchestral Manoeuvers in the Dark), masters of quirky electronic pop music, are back with their fourteenth – and rumored final – album, Bauhaus Staircase. Energy from different sources went into creating this album; modern art to recent world events such as the COVID lockdown to Trump to plain old boredom. A surprising amount of ground is covered over the course of these twelve songs.

Inspiration for the album’s title comes from the Oskar Schlemmer painting Bauhaus Stairway.

Bauhaus Stairway by Oskar Schlemmer

The album opens with the title track single, a sort of love letter to the famous German art school that closed down due to the Nazi regime. The intensity in the song is ever-building throughout as singer Andy McClusky expresses open-heartedness while decrying fascism at the same time. This is followed by Anthropocene, which follows the effect of human existence upon the Earth, set to an uptempo dance beat.

Newer songs are intermixed with older tracks that have been finally realized and the remnants of OMD’s older days can be spotted on tracks – new or old – such as Look At You Now and Where We Started.

Veruschka is another single from the album and a slow jam ear worm with moving, thought-provoking lyrics such as:

Columbine and fool Pierrot
A hopeless case, another four hundred blows
Story lines and old postcards
A swansong madness, Sunset Boulevard

Slow Train is a sexy fun ride in the style of Goldfrapp and has a hard-to-resist party vibe to it.

Healing is another slow jam and a solid closer.

—

McClusky has stated that he would be satisfied if this were the final OMD album. If this is the case, we can feel comforted that OMD has closed out their career on a strong note .

https://music.apple.com/us/album/bauhaus-staircase/1701690732

Sounds and Shadows Premier of the New Vlimmer “Höhenluft”

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Vlimmer – Höhenluft by Blackjack Illuminist (soundcloud.com)

I love this extended dance vibe in contrast to the usual auditory architecture of Berlin based Vlimmer. Alexander leads a teeming electro chorus to the desolate crumbling dance floor to stomp through the apocalypse.

SoundCloud Widget

Artist: Vlimmer

From: Berlin

Song: Höhenluft

Taken from the upcoming EP, “Mehrschöpfung” (out later this year)

Music | Blackjack Illuminist Records (bandcamp.com)

“Höhenluft” is a 9-minute techno adventure that meanders through an atmospheric soundscape touching the industrial and post-punk genre. Originally recorded during the sessions for Vlimmer’s latest album, “Zerschöpfung” (released Aug 25), it now stands for its own, widening the sound of the ever-changing Vlimmer chameleon.

SWANS w/Norman Westberg live at the Lodge Room, Los Angeles, CA, 09/09/2023

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For over 30 years, I have been waiting for the opportunity to see SWANS live. Seriously.

My mind reflects to my days as a teenaged music geek working at my college radio station. That day when a copy of Holy Money was produced, we put it on to listen to on our studio monitors. Very loudly. It gave me a headache, but, oh, what delicious pain.

While I should have seen them live last year, such was not to be. Thanks, COVID.

As you can imagine, I was on a mission this time around. So, with taking time off work and a two-hour drive to Los Angeles, I was finally going to have the experience I’d longed for since college.

—

In a way, seeing SWANS live now worked out even better than I thought. SWANS are currently on tour to support their 19th studio release, The Beggar. And while I’m not as fully immersed in the new material as I should be, I looked forward to having some surprises over the course of the night.

—

The gig took place at the Lodge Room, a repurposed Masonic hall that had no visible signage from the street, not far from Figueroa Street. My friends and I almost walked past the entrance as it was only accessible on our side of the building from the alley.

After traversing some treacherous stairs and purchasing a seven dollar coke, we entered the main hall where SWANS alumnus Norman Westberg was already onstage.

—

Since leaving the band, Westberg has developed a one-man ambient performance that creates textured sound that sort of hangs in the air. Melodic elements blend in and out of the sound that at times has a rhythmic quality. As we arrived, Westberg was already performing and the hall was already nearly full. Everyone seemed transfixed with the strangely accessible wall of sound Westberg projected into an otherwise ghostly silent hall.

—

Now, I had been warned that SWANS is not a band that panders to the crowd with fan favorites. So I had no idea what to expect. It turns out that the set was all selections from The Beggar, which was fine with me. Talk about a crash course on their new material.

I had just enough time to go outside for a smoke before the band took the stage.

Slowly, oh so slowly, the band built an ever-increasing cacophony; both in volume and intensity. A few minor tech glitches were sorted out quickly as the stage crew were on top of their game.

The crowd remained hushed throughout the show, as if in a trance. The occasional vocal jump scare from Michael Gira would draw a wowed response from this surprisingly young audience.

—

Musically, the expected impenetrable wall of sound was ever-present. Earplugs were definitely my friend this night.

Newer SWANS material shows signs that they have not abandoned their industrial ties. Atonal sounds came from out of nowhere, especially towards the climax of the show. The folk-flavored pulsating rhythms of new material harkens back to their Children of God days.

The half dozen songs performed over the 80-minute performance went a long way to reinforce the legacy of SWANS as unpredictable and dangerous as ever. New fans were clearly satisfied, as was this college radio music geek.

https://swans.bandcamp.com/album/the-beggar

Absolution Fest 2023 October 5th-7th

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One of the great indicators of the Goth Rennaissance we are experiencing is the rise of more and more new festivals. The amount of talent currently in the darkscene added to the return of many legacy bands have led to great value for fans. These festivals have become goth summer camps to meet up with music scene friends often only interacted with online. In the last three years one that I always here praised by bands from around the world is Absolution Fest in Tampa Bay Florida from promotor/dj Mark Paradise from Communion After Dark and co promotor Pete Olen of Endoxa Booking. I think two things have lead to Absolution Fest’s success. 1) They place a focus on fresh up and coming bands rather than only having legacy headliners. 2) Positive people above name recognition. Everyone one I know who has played this festival raves about how every band there becomes friends and lifts each other up. This attitude and positive energy bleeds over into the crowd and gives everyone the sense of connection and community the scene has longed for.

The list of bands this year is staggering. I will go through some of the highlights along with links and information. Starting with the main even page below.

Absolution Fest

Absolution Fest 2023 Tickets, Thu, Oct 5, 2023 at 6:00 PM | Eventbrite

icket Packages:

$125 – 3 Day Pass + Shirt & Poster

$100 – 3 Day Pass (Early Bird Special)

$40 – Single Day Tickets

Thursday Night:

Thursday

Priest – Swedish synthwave sci-fi EDM. Performance, execution, danger, this is music to do crime to. If you say “Siri, play my hanging from a string jewel heist playlist” this is track one.

Body Machine | Priest (bandcamp.com)

Nuovo Testamento – LA thicc bass electropop making infectious dance magic.

Love Lines | NUOVO TESTAMENTO (bandcamp.com)

Kanga – Once again from the city of angels electronic glitter napalm pop Kanga is an experience not to be missed. Deeply respected in the genre this is glorious textural production you feel in your bones. New Album out October 6th.

Under Glass | KANGA (bandcamp.com)

Visceral Anatomy – The Alter ego of one of my favorite IL bands Wingtips. This incarnation of the duo place the lyric writing and singing on Hannah for a wonderfully different feel. I love the way their story is being told through a different lens.

VOL. II | VISCERAL ANATOMY (bandcamp.com)

Aeon Rings – Florida band I recently made song of the day and reminded myself I need to listen to more. Fierce EDM with Davey Partains piercing lightning quick vocals. They also have a new album out in Oct.

ENEMY | AEON RINGS (bandcamp.com)

Last Grasp – Florida goth trio I had never heard before this review. First thing that grabbed me, what an amazing jazzy walking goth bassline. When you lay the foundation this well Epiphania it is easy to build on. Matthew DeFeis provides a nice rich Eldrichesque baritone vocal to round out a lovely trad goth feel. I’ll be looking for more.

Cloves & Wine | Last Grasp (bandcamp.com)

Friday:

Light Asylum – My religious devotion to Shannon’s voice is well known on this page. If you have never seen Light Asylum live, you are yet to live your best life. Trust me.

Merch | LIGHT ASYLUM (bandcamp.com)

Night Sins – Philadelphia gangstersynth band with tortured baritone vocals and cold iron basslines. I haven’t seen them live yet, but I look forward to the opportunity.

Down to Drown | Night Sins (bandcamp.com)

Panic Priest – The magnificent Chicago darkwave crooner that makes every show feel like an intimate experience. violet beam guitar rifts, clarifying synths, and Jack’s top tier vocals are guaranteed to impress.

PSYCHOGORIA | Panic Priest (bandcamp.com)

Astari Nite – Miami shadowglam band, I love how they embrace the over the top elegance of goth. Beautiful, provocative, captivating.

Bowie In Daydreams | Astari Nite (bandcamp.com)

Double Eyelid – A dear friend Ian Revell coming from Toronto. They also understand how to embrace the camp of darkness. The songs all have razor hooks and interesting stores. This is a band that NEEDS more attention.

Better Than You Were | Double Eyelid (bandcamp.com)

Black Rose Burning – One of the most underrated talents in our scene George Grant from Brookland. I’m so glad to see major festivals start to recognize their talent. They just dropped a new album “Ad Astra” Mastered by: Jason Corbett (Actors) and it is nothing short of breath taking. George is the musical genius of goth Peter Gabriel.

Ad Astra | Black Rose Burning (bandcamp.com)

Saturday

Empathy Test – The standout London band that has shot to worldwide notoriety with their dreamy emotive narrative style of songwriting. Another band I am yet to see live but that I can’t wait to. This is a band with headliner energy travelling across the ocean to delight American audiences.

Time To Be Alive | Empathy Test (bandcamp.com)

WINGTIPS – The previously mentioned Illinois band also preforming Thursday as Visceral Anatomy. Perfect dream chaos synth music that somehow gets better every time I see them live. That is really saying something as I have seen them 7 times and each one my jaw drops and the connection and power of their performance. If you have never witnessed Vincent and Hannah do yourself a favor.

Cutting Room Floor | WINGTIPS (bandcamp.com)

Sydney Valette – From Paris upbeat synthy bops, I love the rich resonant Jarvis Cocker style vocal delivery. Another band I need to learn more about

Adieu EP | Sydney Valette (bandcamp.com)

Helix – Amazing electronic team up of Tom Shear (Assemblage 23) & talented solo producer Mari Kattman. The married couple collaborate seamlessly to create steamy cascading electro art. I love the parts, I love the whole, I love getting lost in these songs.

For Bill | Helix (bandcamp.com)

BlakLight – LA darkpop darting between light and shadow. I always love the Peter Hook (Revenge) shadowsynth vibes I get from this band. I have never seen them live but I’m sure the floor will be pulsing.

Prey | BlakLight (bandcamp.com)

NITE – The amazing Mendes brothers from Texas who flutter on the wind between post punk and synth pop. Always icy razor-sharp production and gorgeous glam vocals. A band I keep hearing the growth of with every release.

Inside Of My Head | NITE | Nite (bandcamp.com)

Additional shout out to Obscura Undead our dear friends in the scene and sponsor.

Obscura Undead

Obscura Undead is a collective of goth creators passionate about new and obscure goth, darkwave, post-punk, and other dark alternative music. Evolving and changing with the chaos is life and lead by Azy Bats, Obscura Undead celebrates five years of commitment to the members and bands of our dark scene, Tampa events, and inclusive goth-erie. We are a zine, a compilation, a mixtrack, a podcast, a promoter, a DJ group, and a supporter in love and darkness of all Goth has to offer.