Swung By Seraphim is a blog run by me, Jason Pitzl-Waters (AKA DJ ZoZo) a DJ living and working in
Urbana, Illinois (home of the University of Illinois). I do a "Goth and Darkwave" weekly radio program,
spin at various live events and write a music column for a slightly hip Pagan magazine.
I'm doing this blog to
break from the popular consensus that any music that dares draw "Goth" fans is somehow less worthy or brilliant. In fact, I dare posit that some of these bands may end up being lauded by the critics who now
scorn them or lump them in with superficial shock-rockers.
If you are an artist or label and wish to contact SbS please e-mail
me. All Mp3s hosted on this site are taken down after 10 days.
Thursday, February 24, 2005
Thatch Noir - Awake (and...)
Thatch Noir
Band Bio:
Based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia and fronted by the charismatic deathrock Bohemian who calls himself Andi Spandex (nee Andrew Lennon), Thatch Noir has recently caught the attention of the international goth/deathrock scene with the single "Right In the Ass!" and has proven its diversity with the single "Cat In a Box". Citing influence and fandom in Sex Gang Children, Rozz Williams, The Cure, Virgin Prunes, Specimen and Nina Hagen, among others, Andi and Thatch Noir should prove to be one of the more unusual, well-rounded and exciting bands of the new generation of deathrock and Batcave. - Thatch Noir website
Reviews:
"Thatch Noir are Goth internally, and the way the songs come out are a different matter. For all the Eighties icons listed as influences, from Christian Death and Sex Gang, Virgin Prunes to Nina Hagen, the songs sound nothing like that! They are simply, fluid tunes, with steadfast vocal focus and a propensity for subtle, nagging melodies which are downplayed rather than flung out like caustic gifts." - Mick Mercer
"It's very interesting...reminds me of early '80s goth but better;kind of like Southern Death Cult on 200 tabs of X! =)" - BJ Hoskins
" I initially heard 'Cat in the box' through a link from an All About Eve forum ... Man that song conjures up images of hope , peace and love ..In short beautiful .." - Mark Coyle
My Two Cents:
If Rozz Williams was a gypsy and lived in Australia you may just have gotten something like Thatch Noir. Obviously influenced by the post-punk and early deathrock but delivering something that strives for its own voice. Worth checking out.
Further Reading:
Read an interview with Thatch Noir here. Download more music here.
Thatch Noir
Band Bio:
Based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia and fronted by the charismatic deathrock Bohemian who calls himself Andi Spandex (nee Andrew Lennon), Thatch Noir has recently caught the attention of the international goth/deathrock scene with the single "Right In the Ass!" and has proven its diversity with the single "Cat In a Box". Citing influence and fandom in Sex Gang Children, Rozz Williams, The Cure, Virgin Prunes, Specimen and Nina Hagen, among others, Andi and Thatch Noir should prove to be one of the more unusual, well-rounded and exciting bands of the new generation of deathrock and Batcave. - Thatch Noir website
Reviews:
"Thatch Noir are Goth internally, and the way the songs come out are a different matter. For all the Eighties icons listed as influences, from Christian Death and Sex Gang, Virgin Prunes to Nina Hagen, the songs sound nothing like that! They are simply, fluid tunes, with steadfast vocal focus and a propensity for subtle, nagging melodies which are downplayed rather than flung out like caustic gifts." - Mick Mercer
"It's very interesting...reminds me of early '80s goth but better;kind of like Southern Death Cult on 200 tabs of X! =)" - BJ Hoskins
" I initially heard 'Cat in the box' through a link from an All About Eve forum ... Man that song conjures up images of hope , peace and love ..In short beautiful .." - Mark Coyle
My Two Cents:
If Rozz Williams was a gypsy and lived in Australia you may just have gotten something like Thatch Noir. Obviously influenced by the post-punk and early deathrock but delivering something that strives for its own voice. Worth checking out.
Further Reading:
Read an interview with Thatch Noir here. Download more music here.
Thursday, February 17, 2005
Burning Image - The Lower Walks Mp3
Burning Image
Band Bio:
In the 20-year gap between Merle Haggard, Buck Owens, and Korn, what do you do in a place like Bakersfield? Somehow four town mutants found each other and cooked up a stew of punk, goth and more than a bit of hardcore and surfaced briefly as Burning Image...Especially recommended for fans of TSOL's "Dance With Me" & "Beneath the Shadows" LP's, The Phantom Limbs, 45 Grave, early Christian Death, and the Batcave bands that rocked. A real find and a vital piece of goth/punk history! - Burning Image website
Reviews:
"In his sleeve notes Jello Biafra notes their punk and goth traces but also spots Hardcore influences, and none should doubt his knowledge, but don’t think Black Flag, rather a looser version of TSOL if anything. Similarly, note that the band cite Christian Death and Killing Joke as direct influences, but contemplate the fact they didn’t cloak themselves in intentional mystery, or developed a primal rhythmical assault. They sort of hang to one side, in a thoughtful way. It's a fine CD and quite aside from the songs it still sounds good now because they were a band who had a reason to exist, and that hunger remains palpable." - Mick Mercer
"Alternative Tentacles has exhumed this defunct band's recordings from a Californian grave, allowing its goth punk to once again rain down upon hapless punk rockers. Formed in 1983, Burning Image brought teased bangs, heavy eyeliner and lipstick-smeared lips into the punk arena. While other bands were happily dishing out speedy hardcore, Burning Image slowed it down, kept the effusive guitar intact, and added a more melodic foundation to the music, effectively fusing the British Batcave sound with SoCal's '80s-era death rock." - Splendid
"if you are a fan of goth or any of the aforementioned horror punk bands, you probably will. This isn’t haunting or dark in the same way that contemporary goth is, but it’s wanderlust melodies are clever and certainly stand in contrast to what most punk and hardcore bands of the day were doing." - Mindspell
My Two Cents:
In every movement there are worthy bands who get lost in the shuffle. Usually a handful of bands will be picked to represent a style or scene and the minor players are relegated to compilation filler or obscurity and break-up. So its nice to see labels start to excavate the history of dark music in all its forms, now that dark post-punk and early goth are becoming "hip" once more (look to this years Coachella line-up for confirmation of that). This band plays a weird fusion of deathrock, goth and punk, it suits me just fine.
Further Reading:
You can find more music for download at the Alternative Tentacles page for the band and on the bands website. You can also find some interesting tidbits on the band from member Joe Sparks.
Burning Image
Band Bio:
In the 20-year gap between Merle Haggard, Buck Owens, and Korn, what do you do in a place like Bakersfield? Somehow four town mutants found each other and cooked up a stew of punk, goth and more than a bit of hardcore and surfaced briefly as Burning Image...Especially recommended for fans of TSOL's "Dance With Me" & "Beneath the Shadows" LP's, The Phantom Limbs, 45 Grave, early Christian Death, and the Batcave bands that rocked. A real find and a vital piece of goth/punk history! - Burning Image website
Reviews:
"In his sleeve notes Jello Biafra notes their punk and goth traces but also spots Hardcore influences, and none should doubt his knowledge, but don’t think Black Flag, rather a looser version of TSOL if anything. Similarly, note that the band cite Christian Death and Killing Joke as direct influences, but contemplate the fact they didn’t cloak themselves in intentional mystery, or developed a primal rhythmical assault. They sort of hang to one side, in a thoughtful way. It's a fine CD and quite aside from the songs it still sounds good now because they were a band who had a reason to exist, and that hunger remains palpable." - Mick Mercer
"Alternative Tentacles has exhumed this defunct band's recordings from a Californian grave, allowing its goth punk to once again rain down upon hapless punk rockers. Formed in 1983, Burning Image brought teased bangs, heavy eyeliner and lipstick-smeared lips into the punk arena. While other bands were happily dishing out speedy hardcore, Burning Image slowed it down, kept the effusive guitar intact, and added a more melodic foundation to the music, effectively fusing the British Batcave sound with SoCal's '80s-era death rock." - Splendid
"if you are a fan of goth or any of the aforementioned horror punk bands, you probably will. This isn’t haunting or dark in the same way that contemporary goth is, but it’s wanderlust melodies are clever and certainly stand in contrast to what most punk and hardcore bands of the day were doing." - Mindspell
My Two Cents:
In every movement there are worthy bands who get lost in the shuffle. Usually a handful of bands will be picked to represent a style or scene and the minor players are relegated to compilation filler or obscurity and break-up. So its nice to see labels start to excavate the history of dark music in all its forms, now that dark post-punk and early goth are becoming "hip" once more (look to this years Coachella line-up for confirmation of that). This band plays a weird fusion of deathrock, goth and punk, it suits me just fine.
Further Reading:
You can find more music for download at the Alternative Tentacles page for the band and on the bands website. You can also find some interesting tidbits on the band from member Joe Sparks.
Wednesday, February 02, 2005
Unto Ashes - Tous Esforcier Mp3
Unto Ashes
Band Bio:
Unto Ashes, a neo-Medieval dirge band, are primarily focused on the exploration of beauty and terror in the realms of shadow and loss. They utilize acoustic and synthetic instruments to produce a foreboding gloom-scape of trance and drone; many of their songs are hauntingly beautiful, a dark harvest of abandonment and failure. Unto Ashes do in fact perform authentic Medieval music as well, but generally do so in a threatening, almost menacing way... - Unto Ashes Website
Reviews:
"Unto Ashes isn't going to be for everyone, and isn't meant to be. Their obsession with the darker sides to life will no doubt turn many away from this music, but for those who have a fascination for all the night time things, Unto Ashes provides all one needs with elegance and artistry." - PopMatters
"I love a band that defies easy description. New York's Unto Ashes shares traits with the so-called ethereal subgenre of Gothic rock, with its swooping femme vox and lush acoustic/synthetic textures, and adopts some elements of the main Goth genre as well, with contrasting baritone male vocals and song titles like 'I Cover You With Blood,' 'Flayed By Frost' and 'Persephone, Queen of the Underworld.' But the bandmembers have also immersed themselves deeply in classical study, pagan religion (which here seems to be a genuine faith, not an affectation) and folk music of many stripes, especially, but not limited to, Medieval." - High Bias
"There ought to be a warning label on this CD: "Seriously Spooky Shit." If descents into shrilling, demon-haunted madness unnerve you; if eviscerated maidens, their entrails spread wide open upon the table of reason, offend you; and if golden rivers staining the coast blood red and setting men's cracked bones to humming give you pause, then do not enter here." - Ink19
My Two Cents:
I don't say this often, but I really love this band. It was like someone took my favorite elements from different dark genres and created something even more powerful. If you like medieval music, deathrock, goth, apocalyptic folk or just well-constructed intelligently made (dark) music then Unto Ashes is for you. This track is an advance cut from their forthcoming CD.
Further Reading:
You can find more music for download here. You can read an interview I conducted with the band here. You can read another interview here. You can even 'friend' them over at MySpace.com.
Unto Ashes
Band Bio:
Unto Ashes, a neo-Medieval dirge band, are primarily focused on the exploration of beauty and terror in the realms of shadow and loss. They utilize acoustic and synthetic instruments to produce a foreboding gloom-scape of trance and drone; many of their songs are hauntingly beautiful, a dark harvest of abandonment and failure. Unto Ashes do in fact perform authentic Medieval music as well, but generally do so in a threatening, almost menacing way... - Unto Ashes Website
Reviews:
"Unto Ashes isn't going to be for everyone, and isn't meant to be. Their obsession with the darker sides to life will no doubt turn many away from this music, but for those who have a fascination for all the night time things, Unto Ashes provides all one needs with elegance and artistry." - PopMatters
"I love a band that defies easy description. New York's Unto Ashes shares traits with the so-called ethereal subgenre of Gothic rock, with its swooping femme vox and lush acoustic/synthetic textures, and adopts some elements of the main Goth genre as well, with contrasting baritone male vocals and song titles like 'I Cover You With Blood,' 'Flayed By Frost' and 'Persephone, Queen of the Underworld.' But the bandmembers have also immersed themselves deeply in classical study, pagan religion (which here seems to be a genuine faith, not an affectation) and folk music of many stripes, especially, but not limited to, Medieval." - High Bias
"There ought to be a warning label on this CD: "Seriously Spooky Shit." If descents into shrilling, demon-haunted madness unnerve you; if eviscerated maidens, their entrails spread wide open upon the table of reason, offend you; and if golden rivers staining the coast blood red and setting men's cracked bones to humming give you pause, then do not enter here." - Ink19
My Two Cents:
I don't say this often, but I really love this band. It was like someone took my favorite elements from different dark genres and created something even more powerful. If you like medieval music, deathrock, goth, apocalyptic folk or just well-constructed intelligently made (dark) music then Unto Ashes is for you. This track is an advance cut from their forthcoming CD.
Further Reading:
You can find more music for download here. You can read an interview I conducted with the band here. You can read another interview here. You can even 'friend' them over at MySpace.com.