It has been a long dark month. I didn't get to cover all the things that I had hoped to this month, but as I look back, it seems like a pretty good start. I had doubts as to whether I would really stick to the theme for a whole month or not. However, I didn't get to finish what I consider the next two eras of goth music that are represented by my Ultimate Goth mix. Perhaps next year...
One cool thing that came of this for me was pushing myself to rediscover some music that I haven't really listened to for some time. The two biggest rediscoveries were the early era goth stuff. I spent much of the first half of this month listening to early Cure, Siouxsie, Joy Division and Bauhaus. I absolutely love this era and find that I can keep going back to it, no matter what style of music I am into at the moment, and be totally inspired. Normally, I'll pull out on of them here or there, but I was able to really experience the movement by taking them all in together. It really was a movement that tapped into much more than just a style of music.
The other big rediscovery for me was the swans. I absolutely loved them for like a two year period in college. Since then, I would occasionally pull out an album, but that's about it. Trying to write up a segment on them brought to my attention how little I actually knew about them. Thus, out came all of the albums and I spent a ton of time researching them on line. Laying their career out in front of me gave me context to listen to them in and for the first time, I actually listened to their body of music (that I have) as one piece that tells the story of a concept that grew, shifted, matured, and reached it's potential, then was laid to rest. The swans development often reflected the influence of those who came in contact with it, but never wavered from it's core elements even as they shifted from noise rock to folk influences and into ambient soundscapes. I have even started listening to the post swans projects of Michael Gira and Jarboe, which is something that I had little interest in prior to this venture.
With that said, March will not be Irish music history month.
1 comment:
I can honestly say that I've heard none of the swans' music, but given my training in Maxim Music Review, I'm gonna say that the swans suck and should have given it up when they were young, drunk and cute. Greg
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