PODCAST: May 2022 Episode

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EPISODE NOTES & HIGHLIGHTS:

This episode begins, to the surprise of nobody, by marking a pair of noteworthy Cure-anniversaries that came to pass this May. First up is the greatest album of all time, The Cure's 1982 masterpiece, and one of the albums responsible for goth as we know it, Pornography. To mark its 40th anniversary, I chose to begin where the band began, with the lead single "The Hanging Garden." After watching a remastered version of music video several times, I felt a renewed connection with both the song and the context and atmosphere that the video established -- so much so, that I used an image from the original shooting location (York House, Twickenham, London) for this month's cover art. From there, we hear a rare, early version of "The Figurehead" recorded the year prior to the album's release for the BBC. Bridging the songs are vintage interview clips with all three band members speaking about the album, laid over live clips of the title track, taken from their ill-fated 1982 tour.

 

Now, The Cure love to release albums in the spring (around Bob's birthday, it seems), so there is also another anniversary to mark this month: The 35th anniversary of their 1987 album, Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me. Perhaps next to so many other brilliant albums in their '80s catalogue, this one doesn't shine as brightly as it would have on its own, but I love it with all of my heart -- because that is the type of album it is. So many shades of love expressed. So, to kick off the first full set, after using some its instrumental studio demos to set the background tone, I went with the song that has become my go-to dance track from Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me, "How Beautiful You Are" -- an underrated gem that predicted 1989's hit "Love Song," in my opinion.

 

From there, the first full set continues with a stack of new music, starting with the latest single from North Carolina's Secret Shame -- a band that I've enjoyed live two times in as many months, and I have to say they're one of the best current acts in this little region of ours. Sweden's Principe Valiente return next with a track from their solid new full length, Barricades, before we journey to New Zealand for some new post-punk from an act called Vietnam. The spotlight then shines on Nashville, from which this show is brought to you each month, to bring you some relatively new music from Palm Ghosts. I must say, it's great to have an active post-punk band in town again, and it's high time I featured them here, so I'm beginning with something from their last full length, The Lost Frequency -- but I promise to highlight some of their more recent singles in the coming months as well. 

 

Andrew Fletcher (8 July 1961 – 26 May 2022)

 

Finally, set one concludes with a 3-piece fused salute to the memory and contributions of Andy Fletcher of Depeche Mode, who died this week at the age of 60. Although there seems to be a lack of clarity on Fletch's musical contributions to the band in the wake of this unfortunate news, I chose to remember him with some lesser-heard pieces that I connect with emotionally: 1997's "Useless" (taken from the Ultra album that celebrated 25 years last month), and the underrated "To Have and To Hold" from 1987's Music for the Masses. Rest In Peace, Andy.

Set two begins with a deeper cut from The Waning Moon, the new trad-goth rock band from Zac Campbell (The Kentucky Vampires) and Ariel Maniki (Ariel Maniki & the Black Halos). Their video for "Talisman" can be seen here. From there, we hit the first of two tracks this month that are taken from The Unquiet Grave: The Final Chapter. Some current, driving deathrock/post-punk from Chile's Diavol Strâin is first to represent this final installment of Cleopatra's long-running underground goth compilation series, marking the end an era. Fittingly, this installment is presented by Procession Magazine, who are likely the last physical, print-magazine to focus on goth in the US. I was lucky enough to score a copy at Dark Side of the Con last month, and you can still get yourself a copy here. We then go to the vaults for a couple of late '80s/early '90s goth rarities, first from Germany's Marquee Moon, and then from France's Neva. 

Set two concludes by throwing the spotlight on music from Ukraine again, as a way to show my ongoing support for the country as they beat back Russian invaders, AGAIN. This time, we have a pair of brand new releases: First the lead single from Gentle Ropes' new Control EP, the first to be recorded in the group's native tongue, then a standalone single from Povod, entitled "Ніколи знову" (“Never Again”). A 2017 instrumental track from Of Flesh & Machines adorns the subsequent talk break as well, forming a trident of Ukrainian spirit for this month. Again, if you are looking for ways to help or support Ukraine right now, you can always follow or share this link.

Set three features mostly new standalone darkwave singles, starting with a collaboration between Kill Shelter and Agent Side Grinder entitled "The Necklace." Scary Black steps in next with their latest, "Transatlantic Tears," followed by a new entry from Baltimore's Vacant Windows. We then hear from a Philadelphia project known as Silver Walks, who feature a guest vocal from Cubanate's Marc Heal on their new "In Consequence" single. After that, we pick up that promised second track from The Unquiet Grave comp, this time a debut from Germany's Attic Frost, before closing the set with music from new dark neo-folk act Serpentent, taken from their new album, Ancient Tomes, Volume I: Mother of Light.

The dark metal portion of the show begins by marking the 30th anniversary of Neurosis' groundbreaking 1992 album, Souls at Zero. Despite the number of bands that have aped that sound in more recent years, the better part of a decade would pass before anyone really touched what they did, which I considered a testament to their originality. After that, we dive deeper into the latest from Devil Master's latest album Ecstasies Of Never Ending Night, before highlighting a debut from Tome of the Unreplenished, a band from Cyrpus, which I believe is first for the show. We briefly visit Ukraine again for another new song from SVRM's Червів майбутня здобич, before closing the set with a 25th anniversary nod to Dimmu Borgir's breakthrough album, Enthrone Darkness Triumphant. It's a "guilty pleasure" that you may not celebrate these days, but if you were into black metal in 1997, I bet you praised it for a hot minute. I see you...

Finally, we close the show with the second track from Dutch neo-classical death/doom legends Celestial Season's new Mysterium I album.

 

All of that PLUS: New ambient soundscape work from Edward Ka-Spel; New soundtrack music from "The Northman"; Selections from the goth, deathrock, and cult-synth-soundtrack vaults; and more!

 

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PLAYLIST BEGINS HERE
Format: Band Name - Song Title [Album Title, Year]

(each band name is also a website link)
(sets and talk breaks separated by dashes)

"Out ov the Coffin" w/ Ichabod
  Show recorded: May 29th-30th, 2022

Opening Theme: 

Elliot Goldenthal - Libera Me [from "Interview with the Vampire" (soundtrack), 1994]

 

[Sample] Lol Tolhurst and Simon Gallup 1981 interview on Pornography

The Cure – The Hanging Garden [Pornography, 1982]

[Sample] Robert Smith on the making of Pornography, 1988 interview

The Cure – The Figurehead (John Peel Session: 1981-12-21 / Airdate: 1982-01-04)

-

The Cure  –  If Only Tonight We Could Sleep (Studio Demo) / Like Cockatoos (Studio demo)  [Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me, (Deluxe Edition) 1987/2006]

-

The Cure – How Beautiful You Are  [Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me, 1987]

Secret Shame – Hide  [single, 2022]

Principe Valiente – So Much More  [Barricades, 2022]

Vietnam – In Another Desert  [This Quiet Room, 2022]

Palm Ghosts – John Carpenter  [The Lost Frequency, 2021]

Depeche Mode – To Have and To Hold  [Music for the Masses, 1987]

Depeche Mode – Uselink / Useless  [Ultra, 1997] 

-

Edward Ka-Spel – Recurring Dream (exc.)  [Conspiracy of Pylons, 2022]

-

The Waning Moon – Talisman  [The Waning Moon, 2022]
Diavol Strâin - Herz der Niemand  [“The Unquiet Grave: The Final Chapter” (comp.), 2022]
Marquee Moon – Edge of Time  [Angst + War, 1992]
Neva – Louchald  [Fausse Conscience, 1989]

Gentle Ropes – OČI (“Eyes”) [Control, 2022]

Povod - Ніколи знову (“Never Again”) [single, 2022]

-

Of Flesh & Machines – Black Sea  [single, 2017]

-

Kill Shelter - The Necklace (ft. Agent Side Grinder)  [single, 2022]

Scary Black – Transatlantic Tears  [single, 2022]

Vacant Windows – Ghosted  [single, 2022]

Silver Walks – In Consequence (ft. Marc Heal)  [In Consequence, 2022]

Attic Frost – Sell-out of Broken Dreams  [“The Unquiet Grave: The Final Chapter” (comp.), 2022]

Serpentent – Rise & Fall  [Ancient Tomes, Volume I: Mother of Light, 2022]

-

Robin Carolan, SebastianGainsborough – The Land of Rus / Entering the Temple  [“The Northman” (soundtrack) 2022]

-

Neurosis – Sterile Vision  [Souls at Zero, 1992]

Devil Master – Ecstasies… / Enamoured in the Throes of Death [Ecstasies of Never Ending Night, 2022]

Tome of the Unreplenished – Tellurian  [Earthbound, 2022]

SVRM – Поклик могил (“The Call of the Graves”)  [Червів майбутня здобич (Worms future prey”), 2022]

Dimmu Borgir – Mourning Palace  [Enthrone Darkness Triumphant, 1997]

-

Pino Donaggio – Life Into Stone / Blood Brothers  [“Meridian” (soundtrack) 1991]

-

Celestial Season – The Golden Light of Late Day  [Mysterium I, 2022]

 

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