Where It All Started
It's April 1966, at Scepter Studios in Manhattan. Lou Reed has written a 6 minute giant of a song. John Cale's piano motif jams at a blistering pace. Nico's double-tracked voice croons on. The viola rings and drones eternally. The atmosphere is palpable. The Velvet Underground record "All Tomorrow's Parties", and in doing so, create the archetype for the proto-goth sound. The Velvet Underground was undoubtedly one of the most influential bands in music history, and this would be just one aspect of their music that would form it's own sub-genre.
What Defines Gothic Music?
Many music has Gothic tones, but there are certain aesthetics that define what makes typical "Gothic rock" stand out on its own. Sonically, it stems from post-punk, and already mostly dark, moody type of music. The guitars are jangly, and usually low in the production mix. The bass will play higher tones and also be higher in the mix. Echo effects give it a hazy feel, which aids the moody atmosphere. Sometimes instruments will perpetually drone on as well. The vocals are low and crooning, much like David Bowie, for instance. This is music that relies more on creating a dark, brooding atmosphere than showcasing technical skill. The lyrics are romantic and self reflective, exploring the darker side of the human. This aspect perhaps best relates to the literary Gothic writings that inspired the movement. In a typical Gothic band (one with a clear image), the musicians will don black clothing and odd hairstyles. It was almost a precursor to the emo look that emerged in the late 90's.
The Quintessential Proto-Goth band
In a way, the early examples of Proto-Goth would end up being the defining and most memorable side of Gothic music. The most important and definitive Proto-Goth band emerged in the late 1970's. Fronted by Ian Curtis, a tortured frontman with a distinctive voice and captivating stage presence, their name was Joy Division. Starting out as a loud punk band, they emerged from Manchester with a darker sound. Almost by accident, they created the gothic setting. In June on 1979, they released Unknown Pleasures, their debut LP. Mixed by Martin Hannett, the sound was toyed with until it resembled little of what their live shows would lead people to believe. He opened up the space around the instrumentation, giving it atmosphere(much to the dismay of the band members). Peter Hook's haunting high-end basslines were raised in the mix, odd production tricks gave it a haze, and Ian Curtis' manic, paranoid croon released his tortured stories. Curtis' lyrics were guilt-ridden, moody, romantic, and depressing, and perfectly exemplified the darkness of the Gothic. They remain the best example of the proto-goth band. They made music for just one more year, before Ian Curtis' suicide.
Other Proto-Goth bands
There were other bands that emerged around that time too that helped mold that sound. For instance, Bauhaus(named after the German art movement of the 1920's, to make the Gothic connection all the more clear). Another post-punk band from the late 70's, they took similar aesthetics and brought it to a more thematic approach. In August of 1979, they released probably the most definitive Gothic song, Bela Lugosi's Dead. Combining the dark post-punk of Joy Division with a dub-influenced arrangement, Bauhaus would define the more accessible dance-able aspects of Gothic Rock. One final important band in the Proto-Goth canon is The Cure. Though starting as a traditional post-punk band, in the early 80's they donned a more atmospheric sound, a style they would develop until it's logical conclusion with the 1982 album, Pornography. Again, these were songs with a dark edge and lyrical content, focus on bass and atmosphere, with Robert Smith's iconic almost whiny croons haunting the songs. As The Cure gained commercial success they did away with some of the darker aspects of Gothic music.
Goth Branches Out
Now that the foundation for the Gothic sound had been created, bands began to experiment with the genre and create new subgenres. Since the Gothic has always been an aesthetic about mood primarily, Cocteau Twins took advantage of this. Creating a subgenre known as Ethereal Wave, they took the central aspects of Gothic music and accentuated the airy space the music occupies. Their music was hazy and drenched in angelic texture. Perhaps the most definitive example of what Gothic Rock became lies in The Sisters of Mercy. They employed much the same techniques Proto-Goth bands did but were still effective.
At this point in the 80's, Gothic Rock had embraced it's now inherent campiness. Deathrock saw the theme of horror now fully embraced by Gothic music. The embodiment of this was Christian Death. In 1982, they released Only Theatre of Pain, now a landmark for the genre and an album that still sounds progressive for it's time. It boasts the campy horror lyrics, but the vocals more resemble Guy Picciotto's (of Fugazi) effeminate vocal delivery. Additionally, the guitar lines are prominent and inventive for the time.
Where Goth Lies Now
After the 80's, Goth as a movement disappeared from the forefront and instead started appearing as elements in other bands over the years. Swans, quintessential noise rock/post-punk/post-rock band, released a Gothic album in the form of Children of God. The album most effectively brought out the much forgotten romanticism of the Gothic, with light melodic arrangements, dark pummeling guitar leads, and foreboding lyrics about love and religion. It is perhaps the pinnacle of Swans mid 80's work. Additionally, the Louisville band Slint toyed with the dark narrative elements of the Gothic with the song Nosferatu Man, which explores the campiness of a vampire tale with a mature, developed musical edge. It's angular, claustrophobic, perfectly paced, and filled with anxiety. Finally, the most recent example lies in Have a Nice Life, who might be redefining the Gothic in an exciting way. In 2008, they released the double album Deathconsciousness. The cover is of the Death of Marat, and that perfectly describes the images invoked on this album. It's a deep, mysterious, and metaphorical album capturing the true essence of the Gothic. The stories it tells are both introspective and symbolic. The vocals are truly emotive and depressing. It also boasts one of the most powerful songs of the 21st century. It is an album that may have brought the concept of Gothic Music to it's logical conclusion.
As a final word, it is clear that Gothic Music is a varied genre with a wide scope of sounds, but all of it goes back to the dark romanticism of books like The Picture of Dorian Gray. Like that book, lots of Gothic Music sought to be introspective and make one think about oneself. It eventually got lost in the camp of the 80's but the central themes of the Gothic remain in art for the foreseeable future.
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