Goth Guide
Goth
Perhaps the most misunderstood of sub genres, Goth's golden years (or gloomy years) came in the early to mid-80s. It's influence, however, is still felt today, especially among American bands Panic! At The Disco, 30 Seconds To Mars, Good Charlotte and other determinedly black-clad punks.
Goth fully deserves its reputation as the darkest strain of alternative rock, as well as the most visually theatrical. Sonically, Goth took the icy synthesisers and processed guitars of post-punk and used them to create intensely dark soundscapes.
Early on, Goth's lyrics were a heady mixture of the floridly romantic, the unflaggingly morbid, and the melodramatically symbolic, often with a liberal pinch of the quasi-occult. Consequently, Goth tended not to receive too many critical props. Admittedly, it's hard to stifle a giggle when confronted with, say, The Fields Of The Nephilim.
However, and for much the same reason, it spawned a devoted, monomaniacal and still-thriving subculture that lovingly tends to Goth's dark flame.
Goth's DNA can be traced back to British post-punkers Joy Division. They didn't look the part but their obsessively frosty music became the template. Singer Ian Curtis's suicide also proved he really meant what he was singing.
Following in their chilly slipstream were bands like The Cure and Siouxsie & The Banshees. Now, these bands certainly did look the part. Excessive make-up and dark clothes became essential accessories for any self-respecting Goth band. But both these bands, after intense early albums, gradually thawed and let pop sunshine into their music. Meanwhile, The Sisters Of Mercy, The Fields Of The Nephilim and Christian Death were much heavier and vastly more self-important.
The music continued to mutate throughout the 90s, taking in industrial and metal influences: bands like Marilyn Manson and Nine Inch Nails could never have existed without Goth's foundations. Even an aggressively modernist metal band like Tool possess Goth genes: just check their videos.
Perhaps the most misunderstood of sub genres, Goth's golden years (or gloomy years) came in the early to mid-80s. It's influence, however, is still felt today, especially among American bands Panic! At The Disco, 30 Seconds To Mars, Good Charlotte and other determinedly black-clad punks.
Goth fully deserves its reputation as the darkest strain of alternative rock, as well as the most visually theatrical. Sonically, Goth took the icy synthesisers and processed guitars of post-punk and used them to create intensely dark soundscapes.
Early on, Goth's lyrics were a heady mixture of the floridly romantic, the unflaggingly morbid, and the melodramatically symbolic, often with a liberal pinch of the quasi-occult. Consequently, Goth tended not to receive too many critical props. Admittedly, it's hard to stifle a giggle when confronted with, say, The Fields Of The Nephilim.
However, and for much the same reason, it spawned a devoted, monomaniacal and still-thriving subculture that lovingly tends to Goth's dark flame.
Goth's DNA can be traced back to British post-punkers Joy Division. They didn't look the part but their obsessively frosty music became the template. Singer Ian Curtis's suicide also proved he really meant what he was singing.
Following in their chilly slipstream were bands like The Cure and Siouxsie & The Banshees. Now, these bands certainly did look the part. Excessive make-up and dark clothes became essential accessories for any self-respecting Goth band. But both these bands, after intense early albums, gradually thawed and let pop sunshine into their music. Meanwhile, The Sisters Of Mercy, The Fields Of The Nephilim and Christian Death were much heavier and vastly more self-important.
The music continued to mutate throughout the 90s, taking in industrial and metal influences: bands like Marilyn Manson and Nine Inch Nails could never have existed without Goth's foundations. Even an aggressively modernist metal band like Tool possess Goth genes: just check their videos.
posted by nick at 5:08 AM
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