PODCAST: April 2023 Episode

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EPISODE NOTES & HIGHLIGHTS:

As I write this, it is the 1st of April, 2023. Most people are either coming up with pranks or trying hard to avoid them right now. As usual, I'm in a more somber headspace when this date rolls around, and that's especially so this year. It was 25 years ago today that Rozz Williams took his own life, leaving behind a complicated, but ultimately beautiful, body of work. In his relatively short time on earth, Rozz accidentally defined deathrock, changed the face of goth (even if he disliked the label), and branched out in countless other artistic directions as a singer, poet, musician, and visual artist. As a tribute to his legacy, this episode begins with an extended spotlight on his music, not only with Christian Death, Shadow Project, and Daucus Karota, but also as a solo and collaborative artist.

Since there will never be a more fitting or touching song by which to remember Rozz Williams, we begin with the special mix of "Flowers" that I have planted each year in his honor, introduced by an excerpt from his spoken word piece, "Dec. 30, 1334." From there, we hear one of the final pieces he ever gave us, the closing track from the final album of his long-running experimental project Premature Ejaculation. Then, to honor the 30th anniversary of one of the most underrated Christian Death albums, The Path of Sorrows, we hear my favorite track from that collection, followed by a cut from Shadow Project's self-titled debut. Just when you thought it was going to be nothing but songs you've heard before, you get an all-new version of the Christian Death b-side "Haloes," taken from a recent book-and-7-inch release, Rozz Williams - In His Own Words. From there we visit my personal favorite from 1984's Catastrophe Ballet, a taste of 1994's oft-overlooked Daucus Karota EP, and finally, a rare 1996 live version of the Only Theatre of Pain-era classic "Cavity" taken from a collaboration with David E. Williams.

 

But cycling through a set of my favorites didn't feel like enough this year, so I decided to do something special. In light of this month's 50th anniversary of David Bowie's Aladdin Sane, I was going to play either Rozz's cover of his hero's classic ,"Time," or the original Bowie version -- then I said, why not both? WHY NOT BOTH AT THE SAME... TIME? Thus began the labor of love that was creating a duet version of the song, using the vocal tracks from the Rozz version over the second half of the original song, creating an mental theatre piece where Rozz is joined on stage by Bowie himself, midway through a performance. If only that could have happened in real life -- but now that they're both gone, I've chosen to marry their ghosts here as tribute. So, enjoy the world premiere of "Rozz Williams & David Bowie - Time (Ichabod's Duet Mash-up 2023)."

From there, we move into the show's traditional format, bringing a pile of new releases to the mix. First up is the latest single from The Bellwether Syndicate (feat. Chicago DJ Scary Lady Sarah & William Faith of Faith and the Muse, etc.). "Golden Age" is the final teaser single from the band's forthcoming full length, Vestige & Vigil, and it's supported by a great new video that was shot on their just-finished tour with Clan of Xymox. Following that is some fresh Greek post-punk/darkwave from newcomers Reflection Black, which leads us to a double-shot of 1983 albums that turn 40 this month: A Flock of Seagulls' classic Listen and Play Dead's underrated The First Flower (although I went with what was actually a period-single, in this case). Finally, the set closes with a new single from Topographies, the new(er) post-punk band of Grey Tolhurst (son of The Cure's Lol Tolhurst). 

 

Set three begins with some punchy new post-punk/darkwave from Danish act Torch (I said UK at some point, but they're from Denmark), followed by the latest in a series of teaser singles from New York darkwave act A Cloud of Ravens. From Boston, we then welcome new post-punk arrivals The True Faith, with a selection from their 2023 album Go To Ground, followed by a slightly older track from Rosegarden Funeral Party's 2021 album In the Wake of Fire -- played in honor of the great set they just played for Fascination Street Nashville earlier this week. In case you were wondering if Oakland still had something in the water that grows great bands, we get a taste of Cult Strange's first full-length, Conjuring Feral Angels next, blending deathrock, industrial, and members of Altar de Fey to great effect. And, last but not least, we end the set with new music from Monica's Last Prayer, the one-goth side project of Paul Broome (of Earth Calling Angela fame).

 

Heading into the dark metal for set four, we begin by marking two anniversaries for Swedish sad-metal saviors Katatonia -- the 25th of Discouraged Ones and the 20th for Viva Emptiness. David Galas (of Lycia fame) then helps the transition with some fresh dark ambient taken from his new collection, Rituals of the Dead.  Landing on the black metal side of the fence, we now get new music from French black metal act Diablation's Par Le Feu album, followed by some new French Canadian black metal from Orphique. We then pause for a moment to salute the 50th anniversary of the atmospheric vampire film "Lemora: A Child's Tale of the Supernatural" with a piece of that soundtrack, before moving into this month's Ukrainian trident with new music from synth-heavy black metal band Labyrinthus Stellarum. The trident is completed with new dark ambient from Ukraine's And Remain There Forever, then a closing song from German/Ukrainian act Schattenfall, who have released a new cover of a traditional Ukrainian folk/military song to help continue to fight the Russian invasion.

All of that PLUS: New dark ambient from Los Angeles act O.P.A.L.; A 40th anniversary nod to the ultimate goth-classic film, The Hunger;  A 50th anniversary salute to Jean Rollin's cult-classic cemetery horror The Iron Rose, 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 April 1st, 2023

Opening Theme:
Elliot Goldenthal - Libera Me ["Interview with the Vampire" (soundtrack) 1994]

Rozz Williams - Dec. 30, 1334 (exc.)  [The Whorse's Mouth, 1996]
Rozz Williams & Gitane Demone - Flowers  [Dream Home Heartache, 1995]
-
Premature Ejaculation - The End is Here / Exit  [Wound of Exit, 1998]
-
Christian Death featuring Rozz Williams - The Angels (Cruciform)  [The Path of Sorrows, 1993]
Shadow Project - Death Plays His Role  [Shadow Project, 1991]
Christian Death (remixed) - Haloes (2021 mix)  [Rozz Williams: In His Own Words, 2021]
Christian Death - Electra Descending  [Catastrophe Ballet, 1984]
Daucus Karota - The Stranger  [Shrine, 1994]
Rozz Williams & David E. Williams - Cavity  [Accept the Gift of Sin (live 1996), 2003]
-
Michel Rubini & Denny Jaeger - Waiting Room / Flashbacks / Trio in E Flat (exc.)   [“The Hunger” (soundtrack) 1983]
-
Rozz Williams & David Bowie - Time (Ichabod’s Duet Mash-up 2023) [Exclusive]
The Bellwether Syndicate - Golden Age  [Vestige & Vigil, 2023]
Reflection Black - No Stars in the Sky  [Last Stop to Nowhere, 2023]
A Flock of Seagulls - Nightmares [Listen, 1983]
Play Dead - Shine  [The First Flower (expanded), 1983]
Topographies - Tied  [Tied/Arch, 2022]
-
Pierre Raph – La Rose de Fer / Song for Françoise / The Iron Rose / Ville D'Amiens (from “The Iron Rose” 1973)  [“La Rose De Fer / Intiaani Kesä” (soundtrack comp.) 2016]
-
Torch - A Familiar Lie  [single, 2023]
A Cloud of Ravens - Parable  [single, 2023]
The True Faith - Minimal Change  [Go to Ground, 2023]
Rosegarden Funeral Party - Gates of Heaven  [In the Wake of Fire, 2021]
Cult Strange - New World Ordeal  [Conjuring Feral Angels, 2023]
Monica's Last Prayer - Ground Under  [We’re Only Trying to Live, 2023]
-
O.P.A.L. - Hasta Que Las Voces Humanas Nos Despierten  [Ad Astra EP, 2023]
-
Katatonia - Saw You Drown  [Discouraged Ones, 1998]
Katatonia - Sleeper  [Viva Emptiness, 2003]
David Galas - Transmission 1  [Rituals of the Dead, 2023]
Diablation - Testament de l'Humanité  [Par Le Feu, 2023]
Orphique - Chromatique  [Consécration Cadavérique, 2022]
Dan Neufeld – Main Title [“Lemora: A Child’s Tale of the Supernatural” (soundtrack) 1973]
Labyrinthus Stellarum - Void Dwellers  [Tales of the Void, 2023]
-
And Remain There Forever - Тінь війни (Shadow of the war) [Страх як закон (Fear like a law), 2023]
-
Schattenfall - Ой у лузі червона калина  [single, 2023]

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