Tag: LA Goth

What am I thankful for this November? Bandcamp Day!

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As the world tilts and tumbles and the chill settles into the land. What is the new music that I am feasting on this Bandcamp day? I just did the review and interview with Raymond Watts and I am a bit star struck and over the moon. You all know S & S for new up and coming bands so lets talk about what just came out.

Death Loves Veronica : Our dear friend from San Antonio has not been idle during the pandemic. Another new single and one with a totally different feel from her previous material. Lovely grinding old school industrial with her slow whisper burning ember voice. I love the gentle drone and build. A very David Lynch broken mind story. Veronica keeps finding ways to deliver and stay fresh.

https://deathlovesveronica.bandcamp.com/track/lies

The Unquiet Grave: This amazing compilation really needs it’s own review. I think Amaranth was set to be on it at one point. 32 Tracks with a huge variety of goth styles. Put together by Athan Maroulis this is the best value you are going to get in goth music. A great way to find 10 new bands you are into for $10.


1. Shadow Assembly: Languish
www.facebook.com/ShadowAssembly
2. A Cloud of Ravens: The Tempest
www.facebook.com/acloudofravens
3. Ships in the Night: Lost Times
www.facebook.com/shipsinthenightmusic
4. I Ya Toyah: Glass Eyes (The Joy Thieves Remix)
www.facebook.com/IYaToyah
5. Blood Bells: Destroy
www.facebook.com/bloodbells
6. Double Echo: Remains
www.facebook.com/DoubleEchoTheBand
7. The Kentucky Vampires: Holy Heretic
www.facebook.com/thekentuckyvampires
8. Null Device: And I Fall
www.facebook.com/NullDeviceMusic
9. Ghost Painted Sky: Cleansed
www.facebook.com/ghostpaintedsky
10. The Mystic Underground: The Ugliest Duckling
www.facebook.com/themysticunderground
11. Eva X: A Softer World
www.facebook.com/evaxband
12. Funeral DJs: Kiss of Death
www.facebook.com/funeraldjs
13. Red This Ever: Man Up Now
www.facebook.com/redthisever
14. Double Eyelid: Dead is Better
www.facebook.com/doubleeyelid
15. 51 Peg: Cut the Wire
www.facebook.com/51peg
16. Evil Symbols: Fascination (feat. Bat Kalaayan)
www.facebook.com/Evilsymbols
17. Dispel: Modal Consequence (The Threshold)
www.facebook.com/scott.doland.3
18. The Shyness of Strangers with Rhoneil: Return to the Ground
www.facebook.com/shynessofstrangers
19. ItheVirus: Obedient Delusions
www.facebook.com/ithevirusmusic
20. Ghostfeeder: Fascia
www.facebook.com/Ghostfeeder
21. Dead Blood Cells: The Candles, They Flicker
www.facebook.com/deadbloodcells
22. The Skeleton Closet: The Fine Line
www.facebook.com/SkeletonClosetMusic
23. Grey Gallows: Enemy
www.facebook.com/greygallows
24. Jaka’s Story: Dream-Land
www.facebook.com/JakasStory
25. Blood Dance: Child of Fear
www.facebook.com/BloodDanceBand
26. No Exits: Noticed
www.facebook.com/NoExitsLA
27. Rituel Encens: Passions
www.facebook.com/shellstorefr
28. The Horror Diaries: I Get Low
www.instagram.com/horrordiariesmusic/
29. Dead Souls Rising: Overthink
www.facebook.com/DeadSoulsRising
30. Cables For Clouds: Rain On Your Day (Radio Edit)
www.facebook.com/CablesForClouds
31. The Unquiet Void: Song of My Soul
www.facebook.com/TheUQVoid

The Ghost Of Bela Lugosi: (Poisoning of Every Seed) Another scorching new single from Vin. It really rattles my mind just how different every new track sounds. Everyone is a masterwork. This is a flowing newwave disco jam with 80s Depeche Mode flavor and punk rock sleaze. Vin lets the shining beauty of his voice gleam through on this one with more polish. Another genre shift, another hit.

https://ghostoflugosi.bandcamp.com/album/poisoning-of-every-seed

Blindcopy: Hot new single “Blacklight” from Memphis electronic artist Jack Alberson. Loving this bopping Information Society style with some southern soul. The way this track keeps bobbing and weaving you can never quite grab hold of it in the best possible way. The motion and energy created is hypnotizing. 5 remixes one from our dear friend Melodywhore.

https://migrainerobotsounds.bandcamp.com/album/blacklight-single

Caput Medusae – Dreamy new single from German darkwave artist called “Kiss Me Deadly” This track is always lurking around the corners and moving through the shadows. Tina Mar has a voice that is always in your periphery but always surrounding you. This is music I want to hunt ghosts in a abandoned mansion.

https://caputmedusae.bandcamp.com/album/kiss-me-deadly-single?fbclid=IwAR1O7XcG_gfeVSHbLtQNkZl28A9CArqjixVwQq0-HLjFhAwiUppu3HgBclI

White Mansion : Speaking of haunted mansions, Cold Transmission’s Arkansas post punk stars have a lovely new synth driven single “Alone”. The song has a lovely isolated New Order “Movement” feel. The bassline is a thrumming pulse and the vocals convey a loneliness and you can taste on your tongue. Wonderful single but I would be remiss to not mention the remix by label mates Kiss of the Whip . Tristian took that dark moody power and refracted it through a prism to highlight all the best elements.

https://whitemansion.bandcamp.com/album/alone-single

Black Rose Burning: (Open The Gate) I just need so much more of this style and quality. NYC artist George Grant released this gorgeous EP of ultra dark acoustic singer songwriter jams with a true goth aesthetic. His voice is so passion Peter Gabriel but that ever driving percussion acoustic rings like The Cure “Wish”. Sometimes to find the next evolution you need to strip the concept down to it’s bones and I am drinking deep of the marrow of BRB.

https://blackroseburning.bandcamp.com/album/open-the-gate

Actors: Last but certainly not least is a new single from Actors called “Love U More” and holy shit. I didn’t know exactly what to expect but this surpassed whatever I had in my head. We did a live reaction of the video which I will post soon. It’s all the things I loved about “It Will Come To You” and more. Jason’s vocals are blended perfectly and float on a cloud city of synth glory. Shannon’s vocals are brought to the front and make a perfect contrast. The tone is much darker and has a force of soulful pop with a deep message. I really can’t stress enough that you need this. This band is the future and I am here for that future.

https://actors.bandcamp.com/track/love-u-more

Review of Corlyx: In2 the Skin

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Band: Corlyx

Album: In2 the Skin

Label: Independent

Members: Caitlin Stokes: Singer/Songwriter
Brandon Ashley: DJ/Singer/Songwriter

https://corlyx.bandcamp.com/

https://www.facebook.com/CORLYXOFFICIAL/

Sounds and Shadows interview with Colyx!!

Confession time, I am a total sucker for 90’s down and dirty female singer dark grunge. I consider Hole’s “Celebrity Skin” one of the top 3 grunge albums of all time. I don’t care how many cool points that costs me. So when I put on this album for the first time and that sordid LA sludge came flowing into my ears lacing over a disco drive early Ministry drum beat I was hooked hard. This record is ripe with the same over the top imagery of hot clubs, leather, glitter, and broken dreams dragging themselves off the floor and forcing you to see that darkness in all it’s glory. It grabs hold of you and wins you over. The songs are wide and varied but have the oily residue in every sensually charged line that ties them together with perfect continuity. Guilty pleasure delicious.

The production levels of these songs are anything but rough and raw. The album instead achieved it with Lyrics, concept, and delivery. The mix is done with such needle sharp clarity and humming dissonance. Stokes has a voice rich with hazy dripping desire. She sings with force and malice without losing that cold detached crystal creation of LA and London. They are songs for dancing, but not club bangers. Instead, those other dance songs that happen slow and deliberate in the smoke and darkness and leave you burning like a flickering candle. This scene is longing for the sensual sting of dark music and Corlyx has delivered again.

Lets talk about favorite tracks a bit because this record is full of sinful singles

Twist like an Animal – Let’s start off with the first single and video track. Opening to a pig squealing! Vibrating drive guitar straight out of Prick. Crisp snapping snare slaps. Then Caitlin starts unleashing that smolder and I start crawling along the ceiling while the keyboards are popping. I love every aspect of this song and it belongs on your dance floor now.

Guys Like You – Powerful imagery with that repeating keyboard hook line. At 52 seconds everything jumps up and Caitlin’s cadence intensifies. This record has huge pop appeal simultaneously with a lot of depth happening. The quick but drastic transitions of this song really keep a frantic motion that makes it sear both your sides. “Guys like you, they always get what they want. Ladies don’t come to me when it happens”

One of the Used – Good gods the Courtney Love floor of a hotel in smeared make up feels are so real on this song. It’s shattered and understated and worms it’s way in your ear. That slushy 90’s shoegaze guitar is the perfect contrast to the other sounds on the album. “You’re just one of the used, broke up, battered and bruised” Sample sounds at 2:30 are a great breaker to let the vocals whisper back in. A good ballad makes you spin and that is what this song achieves.

Overall I have been rocking this album non stop the last two weeks. I love the filth, i love the hooks, I love her voice. Dj’s get this record on your dance floor immediately.