Since this is the 500th post, I figure I'll do something interesting for this. So, here is a list of the top five songs for which I hold the most reverence, for one reason or another. Three of these were very easy choices, but it was hard to make it to a list of five, because a solid dozen songs could have made it into the last two.
So, here's my list, in no particular order:
Spider Lilies - "Mirror in the Dark"
How can anyone make a knock against the already talented Spider Lilies, with former Crüxshadow, Stacey Campbell, and Chad VanPelt teaming up with Rachel McDonnell?
VNV Nation - "Standing"
This song brings back quite a lot of memories of my early days within the scene. I still listen to this song quite often, because it shows just how incredible and timeless VNV Nation truly is.
I:Scintilla - "Swimmers Can Drown"
This masterpiece by I:Scintilla single-handedly got me back into the scene when I was facing a heavy rut. If it wasn't for this song, I might still be listening to Paramore and Flyleaf on a daily basis.
The Crüxshadows - "Tears"
This song was what got me into a particular band for the first time. Before then, I was just listening to random songs, but this song made me become a huge fan of The Crüxshadows. For the first time, I felt like I had a band that was "mine".
Tying Tiffany - "Drownin'"
OK, did anyone ~not~ expect this on the list? Seriously? I know I was a little bit of a jerk for slow rolling you, but come on. If you know me or know about me even the tiniest bit, you don't even need an explanation for this.
I really like this. The acoustic drums add a lot to I:Scintilla's "Havestar" in the live version. I also think the the reverb here gives the song some grittiness that the album version lacks. That said, I absolutely love the album version, too, and it gets tons of play on my playlists. I just think that the song is a little too clean, and I really like the more "dirty" version that I hear live.
(Property of Brittany Bindrim, used under Fair Use for direct, substantial commentary on product)
As many of you should know, Brittany Bindrim of I:Scintilla is a master visual artist. She's the one who designs all of I:Scintilla's album covers. Her art business is Black Dove Design Company, and if you want to see her art, buy a piece of her art, or get a commission, this is the place you go for it. Take a look at her illustrations page, in particular, if you want an idea of just how well she has mastered this craft.
I:Scintilla took this bonkers dance song from the 80s and turned it into this soulful cry. I wasn't the biggest fan of Marrow 1, but this is probably my favorite song from it. Which reminds me -- I need to check into Marrow 2...
Does Alfa Matrix hate me or something? It's like on April 12, Alfa Matrix is going to tell me, "You're going to give us a chunk of change, and there's just nothing you can do about it." This almost feels like a tax or a bill. I have to buy this.
One thing that I wanted to highlight for a while now has been the different charitable things people within the goth-industrial scene have done. Although this is drastically not a comprehensive list of nice things that musicians have done ever, this just gives you a taste of their humanity.
Honestly, what finally got me off my duff to write this post is the fact Spider Lilies joined Music for Good on ReverbNation today to give a portion of their proceeds to charity: water, an organization that focuses on making it so people in developing nations have access to potable water.
Like I said, I'm probably only just scratching the surface here, but the goth-industrial community does a lot of good things for people. If you know of other musicians who have given to charity or performed other charitable acts, let me know!
They also shared a video from Dragon*Con 2012 which showed the first live performance of "Skin Tight," as well as audience members wielding light sabers.
(Property of Noiseplus Music, used under Fair Use for direct, substantial commentary on product)
According to Side-Line Music Magazine, Collide is giving away a song from Bent and Broken, their new remix album. It's a song called "Lucky 13 (Damaged Mix)" by the Android Lust frontwoman, Shikhee. The link has all the details in regard to the protocol you have to follow to get the free song, which does involve registering on Collide's site.
Finally, the I:Scintilla Facebook page wants you to know that if you're a DJ, media outlet, or other promoter of music that you should provide the band with your credentials, and they will give you a copy of the new "Skin Tight" single.
If you want the reason why I'm sitting here, today, typing post after post on this site and why I have the full speed ahead rekindled passion about the goth-industrial scene that I have now, this video was it. I mentioned in my Alice in Videoland post from two days ago that I was trying to fight my way out of a rut back in 2011, and getting into AiV started the ball rolling in regard to my being able to enjoy the scene again. But if my getting into AiV was what let off the spark, I:Scintilla was what poured gasoline all over it.
Energetic. Melodic. Sultry. Powerful.
Up to that point, I hadn't seen a video like "Swimmers Can Drown" in all my time being into this type music. I hadn't heard anything like this, either. I had to look up these people just to make sure this was actually industrial. It was almost like I was listening to pop, but this wasn't the pop like you hear on the radio. And this wasn't futurepop. I had been into bands like Covenant and VNV Nation for a long time before this. No, this was definitely something else, and I almost fell out of my chair watching it.
It was like I had been walking through a desert, and I finally found the basin that I had been looking forever to find. And then I reached the basin, tasted the water, and I knew I found the real thing. This was no mirage.
I needed more and more and more and more.
I hopped from "Swimmers Can Drown" to "Cursive Eve" to "Ammunition" to "Havestar" to "Capsella Bursa Pastoris", and I just couldn't help myself. It was like these people had invaded my brain, knew exactly what I needed to hear, intentionally hid themselves from me for nine years, and then finally revealed themselves to me at exactly the right moment. But even the band itself could not produce all I needed to stay satisfied. I had to look for more like them. I had to see if other bands existed to ease the hunger that I didn't even realize that I had until then.
I have yet to find another I:Scintilla, and I'm not sure such a thing exists. Over time, I found a lot of bands that Pandora and last.fm told me were similar, and I even enjoy a significant number of those bands and musicians. But there is only one I:Scintilla.
One thing about being part of the underground music scene is the fact that a lot of these people have day jobs that pay the bills, and music is what they do with the time they have left. I would imagine that means they have extraordinarily little spare time, since they're professionals when it comes to their music. It really must take a lot of drive to succeed.
I may make this a recurring column if there's interest in this. Basically, I just want to share what the day jobs are of a few musicians you all know and love.
Erica Dunham of Unter Null is a pastry chef. Her baking business, Unterbites, focuses heavily on bacon and has a whole section of the merchandise devoted to it. I have yet to try her pastries, but I'm definitely interested. She does have a number of good reviews from her customers.
Brittany Bindrim of I:Scintilla is a graphic designer by trade. She has a degree in graphic design, and she does all the physical artwork for the band. Considering her talent in that field, I've pitched the idea on their Facebook page that she make a Tumblr or another site totally devoted to her artwork. I don't lie when I say that I look forward to the album cover artwork just as much as the music.
I know what it's like to have to work to make ends meet while having something very important and time-consuming in the background. So I can definitely sympathize with these people who probably have insane schedules and little time to just vegetate. A lot of people seem to think that being a musician means you get to just hang out and perfect your art all the time, but that only happens once you get to a certain level of fame and fortune. Before you get there, unless you have someone else doing the work of keeping the lights on and food on the table, it can be a real grind.
I:Scintilla officially put out their newest single on 12-12-12, along with uploading the music video for the song on YouTube. You could have gotten the song months earlier though if you bought it from Sounds from the Matrix 013, and a number of people were exposed to the song by having seen I:Scintilla perform at Dragon*Con 2012. People were interested in the new Skin Tight single not only for the original version though, but for the remixes from The Luna Sequence and Psy'Aviah.
I have no reservations about saying how much I love this single. I already owned the Sounds from the Matrix version of the song, so I didn't need an exact copy. I bought the remixes a la carte, and I must say that anyone who got the single did very well for their money spent.
First, if you didn't already have the original version of the song, you get it here. The original version has that deep, kind of sultry, yet somewhat threatening feel. It has a hint of background scratchiness and vocal screeching to add texture, and you get a feeling that the band is playing different points around you, almost like it's subtly trying to tell a story.
The remix by The Luna Sequence brings a different feeling, one of much more powerful urgency. While the original version gives off a feeling of a desperate defense or escape, The Luna Sequence's remix makes you feel like you're in a decisive battle for all the marbles. There is a lot of distinct fast-paced electronic clinking and clanging in this version, and the guitar sounds slam down in just the right ways to make that feeling of grandeur.
Last, but not least, Psy'Aviah's mix gives a completely different feeling from the other two versions. This mix feels cold and urban, almost like the song is being performed in a seedy, dark alley somewhere in the downtown of a cruel, uncaring city. The song maintains a more subdued and slightly depressing feel throughout. If you've ever listened to Psy'Aviah's own music, this mix gives off a similar vibe to "Virtual Gods".
I can't pick anything I really dislike about this single. If you're an I:Scintilla fan, you definitely don't want to miss out on this.
