Psy'Aviah - "Circles"

Do you want some brand, spankin' new Psy'Aviah this morning? Do ya? Do ya? Well, that's not really a question, actually. I'm going to give it to you, regardless. That said, Psy'Aviah being Psy'Aviah, you don't get the same thing twice, which means you never get bored, although it does mean that you can be on a bumpy ride at times. This feels like a moody, dark pop song, kind of reminiscent of the dark pop of the 90s. It doesn't feel at all like futurepop, and it barely sits on the edge of the knife of industrial. It's certainly the kind of music that I absolutely love and probably needs to be on a new playlist with songs like I:Scintilla's "Capsella" and Chamber of Echoes's "Esoteric".

Alice in Videoland - "She's a Machine"

Whoa -- I never knew this music video ever existed. I know that Alice in Videoland rocks, but I never knew they had a video that was like this. Just look at this. If you appreciate animated music videos, you'll love this to pieces.

Seven songs that motivate me

(Public Domain License)

Although it was very tempting to make this a three-video Thursday, I practiced restraint and decided to make a post discussing ten songs that get me going while I'm at work. I have a day job, and while I'm at my desk or walking on my way to and from work, there are some songs that just get me going. Now, I've completely fawned over some of those songs in previous posts, but I want to talk about the songs that might not get as much love elsewhere. Mind you, there are also plenty of videos or album reviews that I post of songs that I like, but I might not listen to very often. This is a list of things that I listen to on a daily or nearly daily basis. In a way, this is meant to be an "about me" post.

(One thing to note is that these songs are also not in any particular order.)

1. "Playing the Fool" - Unter Null - From Sacrament, this song gets me particularly pumped up when I'm in a less than stellar mood, especially in regard to things in my personal life. The lyrics clearly state that a former significant other has been so deplorable that it has caused Erica to completely lose respect for him and remove him from her life. It's not the kind of song that I play for inspiration as much as it is to channel irritation, particularly the kind that is specific and pointed, into something tangible and stop thinking about it.

2. "Better Off" - Alice in Videoland - I won't lie. This song is kind of depressing, but it has a certain calming beauty to it. Although there is discussion that floats around about what the real meaning of this song is, I think it simply has to do with having to put up a happy front when you're feeling sad or depressed and getting emotionally drained by it. By the end of the song, it seems like the narrator just doesn't care about putting that front up anymore. This song has a fair bit of that kind of chiming, whistling Swedish electronica charm to it, and I think that's part of what makes me feel happy, even though the song is really very melancholy.

3. "Once in a Lifetime (Extended)" - Wolfsheim - If you went to goth nights in the early part of the 2000s, you probably noticed this played almost every week. This song is dark, with snappy, clicking beats in the foreground and synth bass in the back. It brings in a mood of pure despair about how a man who has lost his family to the ocean in some sort of tragedy is contemplating suicide, because nothing can console him now that he lost everything that matters to him. Obviously, this is another grossly depressing song, but it brings about this sense of nostalgia for me from a good time in my life, back when I started getting into the goth scene.

4. "Hydroelectric" - MDFMK - As far as I'm concerned, this is one of Lucia Cifarelli's best vocal performances. This song seems to be about a general sense of being able to give yourself up to someone. Although the imagery that MDFMK provides is very "them", when you move all that aside, you actually get an emotionally charged song that can make you feel good.

5. "Voices" - Helalyn Flowers - This song holds more value in its beat and melody than in its lyrics. I always want to bob my head or tap the desk whenever this song pops up. There is a definite futuristic sound to this, but it also sounds like it could be pop music, given a different circumstance. The way the song seems to want to beat you in the head with the fact that everything is done with electronic or synthesized guitars, drums, and other instruments almost creates a sort of novelty to it. I admit that I've gone the whole song not even paying attention to the lyrics sometimes, just trucking along with the task at hand while letting the beat sizzle through me.

6. "Liar" - Emilie Autumn - This is my favorite song from Opheliac. Let it be known here that Emilie Autumn is probably one of the best (if not the best) musicians I've ever heard in regard to being able to convey high drama in music form. "Liar" is probably her best song for that. That scratchy violin cuts through me like a knife. All the booms and pings add incredible atmosphere. And she has a singing style that just runs me over. I love listening to this on my walk to work. It gets the blood flowing and wakes my brain up in a way that feels more like having a healthy breakfast, instead of something merely loud and banging, which is more like waking up with a Monster drink and a donut.

7. "Unicorn" - Apoptygma Berzerk - This is the token sappy love song of the list. Well, it's as sappy as Apoptygma Berzerk can be, I guess.

So, anyway, if you want an idea of what I listen to on an everyday basis (and I went out of my way to not put in an I:Scintilla or Tying Tiffany song), here's a good sampler.

What does it mean to be part of the scene?

I want to be a branch out and talk more about the scene. I think that being more in touch with how the scene operates at its core can bring added depth to an understanding of the music and the social issues that float around it. One thing that makes for an interesting discussion is the topic of acceptance. Today, I came across the YouTube channel, kazlovesbats, and that provided the inspiration for this post. There are a slew of different videos that I think matter (such as this one, this one, and this one), but I'm going to use just one video for this entry.

I think these videos can start an excellent discussion in regard to the visual aspects of goth subculture versus the actions, thoughts, and motivations. What does it mean to be goth? Then again, a more important question may be whether or not the meaning really matters.

First, from a more baseline standpoint, like she mentions in the video, everyone's definition of goth is going to be different. What she thinks goth is may be different from what someone else thinks. So, when someone puts himself or herself out there with the "goth" label, he or she is projecting a perception of self, and when people decode the message, it goes through another round of interpretation. The one communicating will send out a message based on the experience and knowledge he or she has gained over time, and the one receiving the communication will be interpreting the message based on a different set of experience and knowledge. As such, there can be a breakdown in communication. To put it more simply, if the person who claims he or she is goth has a different definition of what goth is than the person who he or she is talking to, then that automatically causes conflict. It's perfectly OK for people to have different opinions on what "goth" is, but some people don't quite seem to get that.

Furthermore, goth subculture has so many different branches and related subcultures that being able to draw a definite boundary is incredibly difficult. For example, cyber goths are a fantastic example of how boundaries get completely obliterated. A cyber goth has the goth label, but also incorporates a lot of futuristic aspects to his or her style. On a club night, it's not uncommon to see the cyber goths dancing hard to futurepop and aggrotech beats. There are a number of goths who would roll their eyes at the idea of letting KMFDM or Skinny Puppy within their sphere of influence, as there are a number of rivetheads who would groan at Bauhaus or Siouxsie and the Banshees. Likewise, there are people within both groups who shudder at the idea of VNV Nation or Funker Vogt.

But in the end, what is goth? Does someone have to be just goth? Is it unreasonable to think someone can be part of the goth, industrial, punk, and whatever other subcultures at the same time? Many musicians themselves intentionally try not to be genre-specific, because they don't want their music to become tired and irrelevant. Why would it be any different with people in their everyday lives? If people try to prescribe to a functionalist ideal of fitting into neat little boxes, they end up intentionally cutting themselves off from a significant portion of the world without a second thought.

Also, and individual's scene tendencies develop and evolve over time. People aren't going to like exactly the same things they liked when they first got into the scene, and people will behave differently. For instance, what got me into the industrial scene was listening to a lot of KMFDM and Chemlab, but then I got into the more danceable stuff like Covenant, VNV Nation, and The Crüxshadows. Then, I hit a bit of a lull, and now I'm heavily into I:Scintilla, Unter Null, and Tying Tiffany. Things change over time, but although the subtle nuances of how I self-identify may change, I still consider myself to be part of the goth-industrial subculture. (And I'm fully aware, like I implied before, that some people will completely have a fit over the idea of a goth-industrial mesh. Considering the tone of my post, I think my readers can get a good grasp of how much I care about those people's opinions on the matter, too.)

In summary, I feel like when people try hard to compartmentalize others within the scene, we end up causing lots of problems and solving none. Why should it matter how people identify? And in the end, do the opinions of those who are more goth/industrial/punk/whatever than thou really matter?

Why I:Scintilla matters

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.

Alice in Videoland - "Spaceship"

There are times when blog posts practically write themselves. This is one of them.

Alice in Videoland will always have a special place in my heart, because they were kind of the precursor to my rekindled love for the type of music I'm writing about now. I had been in a bit of a rut, and I had kind of let my industrial-electronica interests simmer on the back burner. Alice in Videoland though, with songs such as "Numb", "We Are Rebels", and "Better Off", got me back in the swing of things. Basically, through the use of music search websites (e.g. Pandora, last.fm, etc.), Alice in Videoland led me to I:Scintilla, Freezepop, and Tying Tiffany, and I:Scintilla led me to most everything else. It's kind of odd, since I don't think any of those bands are particularly similar to each other, but I won't look a gift horse in the mouth.

Anyway, one of the only annoying things about AiV is the fact that they don't have a big Internet presence. Their official Facebook page, for example, is not buzzing with activity. It's disappointing, because, at least based on what I've read about them, they seem to be a really cool bunch and would probably be awesome to interact with, if only they'd put themselves out there for fan interaction. I was actually amazed to see them post something a few days ago, which was a link to the video above.

The video for "Spaceship", which I think may have been AiV's first music video, based on Toril Lindqvist's comments, is a prime example of why these people are so special to me. You can tell that they had fun with this video, and I can't help but to think that these people love what they do with every ounce of their being. There are some musicians and musicians who, although they may be talented, they don't appear to really be in love with their craft. Alice in Videoland is does not seem to be one of those bands, at least from my perspective. When I watch this video, I feel the energy that exudes from the band, and I think that's the biggest draw for me. The song is fairly simple, and it's not going to tell you the meaning of life. It's not a throwaway song though. It's fun, and I think the listener is supposed to feel a sense of pure enjoyment.

If you like AiV, or if this post made you interested in AiV, please let them know! I'd like nothing more than to see them do more fan interaction. I think both the band and the fans would get a lot out of it.

Tying Tiffany - "Drownin'"

This song just makes me really happy when I listen to it, and it gets lots of use on my Droid. Who cannot like the slightly shoegaze-ey, yet fast-paced electronic goodness that is Tying Tiffany's "Drownin'"?

I don't have tons to say about the song other than the fact it's one of my favorites, ever, and it's what got me into Tying Tiffany. If you are at all into this kind of music, I think it would be difficult to not like this song.

Switchblade Symphony - "Clown"

I wish I wasn't putting quite so much old stuff and opinion pieces on here at the moment, but I do admit to maybe starting the site up at not the best time, being the holidays and all. Everyone is kind of in a holding pattern, and there just isn't tons of news to report. Once the first of the year hits, I'm sure things will start picking up. Until then, you will get a lot more pieces like these.

So, who remembers (and misses) Switchblade Symphony? Unfortunately for me, just as I began to even be aware of them, they were kind of on their last legs in regard to making new material, and I didn't really begin to appreciate them until the past couple of years. I look at the "Clown" video (above) and wonder where that flavor of goth music is these days. It's not the creepy, somewhat tinny goth tunes that are intended to quietly creep you out, and it's not so booming goth rock that tries to hit you in the face with its darkness. "Clown" is forceful and runs some wicked low-pitch percussion and synths, but it still tries to invite you within the story world. Switchblade Symphony knew how to pull the listener in without having to resort to the quiet approaches that most softer goth music takes these days.

Switchblade Symphony is exactly the type of band that makes me fall in love with the goth-industrial-electronica-etc. genre over and over again. The vocalist, Tina Root, had range that could be shown from her ability to flawlessly execute the prettier tunes, such as "Wallflower", as well as in the more forceful ones, such as "Mine Eyes". The band also knew how to adequately tell a story with every song. By the time you finished with a song, you were able to imagine a scenario in your head about what was going on, and you would feel like you gained something at the end. For instance, going back to "Mine Eyes", you should be able to clearly picture the hope for a divine miracle by the end of the song.

All in all, I wish musicians made more stuff like this, now.

A blast from the past: The Crüxshadows - "Winterborn"

If you're wondering what got me into this stuff, here's a song from near the beginning of my time being interested in the whole scene. I had been into industrial for about a year and a half or so, and I was starting to branch out into related genres. I got very much into The Crüxshadows in early-2003 with Wishfire, and that is probably my favorite album by CXS. But "Winterborn" from Ethernaut was and still is most definitely my favorite song by the band.

In my opinion, this song perfectly exemplifies what I think of when someone mentions The Crüxshadows to me. It was stuff like this that got me into them. Other songs that I think of when I think of them are "Tears", "Deception", and "Within". That's not to say their old stuff or their new stuff is not worth mentioning, but it was their kind of "middle era" music that really got me hooked and what holds a special place in my heart. It had that perfect balance between the broodiness and mystery of the older stuff and the high-tech, upbeat tunes they tend to make now.

My interest in The Crüxshadows was kind of a turning point in my musical interests, and in some ways, my life. Before I got into them, my becoming a fan of previous musicians was always a result of someone else within my social spheres telling me about them and instigating my interest. The Crüxshadows was the first band that I really got into because I took the extra step to find out about them after having seen them live during a weekly club night that I normally went to. I searched for as much information about them as I could, and I created my own interest from scratch. As a result, they will always be special to me. They will always be aligned with at least a small portion of my identity as a person, because my memories truly feel like mine and not like stuff I just borrowed from someone else.

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."

So, this is my first post. I wasn't sure how I wanted to start this blog, because there were so many topics I really could discuss. Should I just go right into music news and opinions? Should I introduce the purpose of the blog? Should I introduce myself? Should I just start rambling relentlessly?

Instead of worrying about those questions though, maybe the best thing to do would be to just talk to you, the reader. I'm making this blog with two stakeholders in mind. One, I'm doing this for me, because I feel like I have plenty to say about the music that I've grown to really enjoy and show some level of identity alignment. But two, I'm also doing this for you, the reader. I want to believe that what I have to say will benefit you in some way, whether it brightens your day, makes you think, gives you a platform to argue on the Internet, or otherwise brings you something worthwhile. Am I under the delusion that you will hang upon my every word for the definitive verdict on everything in the goth-industrial-electronica scene? Absolutely not. My main goal is simply to at least provide you with unique, novel, and interesting thoughts about the things I like (and things I don't).

Speaking of things I like, the overwhelming majority of music that I like comes from, speaking very loosely, the overall goth, industrial, and electronica genres. The scope of this blog is to talk about music in those very general categories. In this post, I'm not going to go into a more in-depth discussion of the details of exactly what I like the most (There will be plenty of time to do that later.), but it's safe to say that if I talk about Unter Null, it's a lot safer of a bet that I'll talk about, say, KMFDM as opposed to Nicki Minaj. Of course, a big hint to figuring out what shivers my timbers would be to look at the links list on the side.

So, keep checking the blog for updates. I hope you enjoy what I have to share. To end this groundbreaking post, I figure I'll share a song that I've been really digging lately:

Erica Dunham has a side project, Stray, that is supposed to be the expression of post-fury despair that complements the anger that Unter Null shows off. This song, "No Vacancy", comes from her second Stray album, Letting Go. I absolutely love the instrument choices, particularly the sitar, against the synths. The vocals give off an echo that sounds a bit like she's singing from the bottom of a well or down a dark tunnel, and that's exactly the effect that is necessary for a melancholy song about regret and confusion like this.