When I dream, I dream of your kiss

Sad to see the goth ladies go. Ah well, all good things come to an end, n'est-ce pas?
But this was one hell of a strong week, just one dud really.

Day 72 - Myrkur - 'Spine'
I wasn't a huge fan of her early stuff, so I didn't listen to what she released afterwards. And, truth be told, whatever I might have been expecting this album to be, it most certainly (mostly) was not. It's strangely poppy, or rather, 'popy' if pop had been put through an 'extreme' metal lens. I liked most of it, to be sure, and walked away very impressed. Solid, solid 8.5/10
Day 73 - Sylvaine - 'Nova'
God bless the algorithm, because I can still remember the first time I listened to Sylvaine. Mind you, I can't remember what I was listening to before and nor can I remember what I listened to after, because 'Saudade', from her 2016 album 'Wistful' left me completely smitten. Not surprising anyone here, but I never did listen to the later output. I even had this on vinyl, but it never called to me. And it didn't disappoint, not one bit. One of this weeks best, it gets a good 8.5/10
Day 74 - Darkher - The Buried Storm'
And this one came around the same time as Sylvaine did. You ever wondered how Beth Gibons would sound like if she sang in a doom band? Well, wonder no more. But this isn't exactly true, and it somewhat diminishes Jayn's amazing voice, to make this kind of comparison. However... sometimes there'll be bits where her register is uncannily similar to that of famed Portishead singer. I think I'd only listened to one of her records before, which I recall enjoying, but I wouldn't be able to say anything about it, really - I only listened to it the once. Quite liked this one too! A strong 8/10
Day 75 - Kalandra - 'A Frame Of Mind'
Never heard about them until maybe a year or so ago, and they hold the distinction of being the last ever band that I almost bought a record from. So they've been on my radar for a while. Figured I might give them a listen now. Jesus... this isn't bad, per se, because the instrumentation is fairly good, her voice is pretty decent, but the lyrics are just so... so stupid. It's all wishy washy kumbaya let's all hold hands because the world is a bad place kind of lyrics, and you know what? Fuck that shit. Give me nihilism and misery and despondency. A VERY generous 6/10
Day 76 - GGGOLDDD - 'This Shame Should Not Be Mine'
Yeah, what a groovy name, right? But they used to go by just 'Gold', and I found them out about the same time as I did Brutus. When this album came out I knew I wasn't in the best place to listen to it. I knew that thematically it would be a tough listen, since it's about abusive relationships, of which I saw my fair share. I let it simmer quietly all this time... until now. And this is a very, very weird album - in a good way - because its not entirely sure what it wants to be, and it's pretty much unapologetic about it. It's heavy in parts, electronic in others, quiet, loud, a it pop and yeah - a tough listen. But very good, it gets a nice 8/10
Day 77 - Ataraxia - 'Centaurea'

Ah, Ataraxia. One of the greatest regrets I have in my life was not going to see them live back in 1998, a concert that would be immortalized in their live album 'Os cavaleiros do templo'. And they're one of those bands that I've enjoyed for more than thirty years now, and yet I've only listened to maybe three or four of their records - of which they have many. Ataraxia are - at least for me - one of those bands where I have to be in a very specific frame of mind to listen to. And they are also one of those bands that I can safely say... they're not for everyone.

Now... The only thing more beautiful than the lovely Francesca is her voice, and I love it to bits, I can see how some people might find her voice... challenging. And not having listened to any of their albums in a looooong time, this one was more gothic-y than I was expecting - which was nice, because it was tastefully done - and it ends on such a great note, that I feel sorry I didn't save it for today, because if that last song had been the last song of the week, then it would have been so perfect. Another of this week's highlights, I'll give it an amazing 9/10

Day 78 - Suldusk - 'Anthesis' 

Aaaaaand... I cheated on this one. I was having trouble remembering any other band that might fit the bill, so I googled for bands that sound like the ones I listened to this week, and wouldn'tcha know, a name came up a lot more than the others. So Suldusk it is. Or it was. And it was... huh. Not at all what I was expecting, and exactly what I was expecting, if that makes any sense. I loved it - Emily has as beautiful, powerful voice, and the whole thing is a stunningly well produced and performed record. Methinks I shall be listening to more by them. It's that good I'll give a whopping 8.5/10

Next week will be much less pleasant. Away with the hot goth ladies, and in come the modern ladies. Some I've listened to and liked before, others will be all new offerings. 

Invariable will, recurring ebbs and flows.

Sometimes - but not very often - I wonder if the few errant souls that decide to read my words think I’m the same person who wrote here until 2013, or if by some unknown magic I managed to prise the credentials for the account from some random darkweb hacker. Well, in the immortal press of Monsieur Roger Leclerc : ‘It is I, Leclerc.’

Of course it’s me - and by admitting this I shun a lie I wanted to say, that I’d changed so, so much over this past decade or so… but I didn’t, not really. I’m still the same idiot who started this blog on an incident laden evening in Geneva, I’m still the same dolt who wrote here while I pined away for a couple of years more for a love that had been lost, and I’m still the same cacophony of a human being that last wrote here in 2013, when I was having a recurring dream, a month or so after the love of my life chose not to stay. How have I changed? Nothing since then changed me. Not one book, not one song, not one person I was with. I can’t remember the faces of people who were in my life during that time period, but I can recall the hotel room in Geneva, where I sat that evening, wondering what to do. I thought - right then and there I thought - that our story had finally ran its course. Had I known there was still a year of pain and misery on the horizon, would I have continued? How bittersweet to wish for lost time to be returned, but not to me. Never to me.

And I ponder now, and not for the first time, if every step that I took after that night in Geneva was always bound to get me to her arms. To finally know what home feels like. To love, and to want no more than that love, and then to not know it again. And if I could go back, would I take the same steps, tread the same paths? I know the answers to these questions. I’ve always known and I will always know, and that renders this exercise a futility in and of itself. I live in a moment of endless looped time that can’t be broken if not by the most impossible of things. 

There’s something I well and truly hate doing, which is re-reading what I’ve written. I’m rarely ashamed of whatever by something I’ve written in the past, but I’m not a huge fan. This here blog contains a number of my most pretentious pieces of all time, and I know just who I was trying to impress. I don’t do that anymore, thank god for that, so maybe in that respect I changed a bit. I’ve started re-reading this blog, and god alone know how I resist the temptation to just delete or unpublish some stuff here. But I’ve done that far too often in the past - I’ve deleted entire blogs I once had and no record of what I wrote there still exists. But thanks to the Wayback Machine, I've actually found some indexed pages of the first iteration of this blog. And sure - most of it is from twenty years ago, a little bit older even - but now, as I re-read it I can see (even more) clearly see that I wasn't just stupid in my lates 20's and early 30's. No, I was already broken and sad and tired and hurt, and that - in a sense - helps to explain where I was at the time and why I ended up doing the things I did. And had I not done them, then the person I was when I started this new version of the blog would have never existed and (very likely) I'd never have written here again. It was pain that drove me here then, this shapeless thing that wounded me to my very core, and it was pain - yet again, that old, familiar foe - that kept me from writing here for many a year. It's not pain that lured me here now.

No, we've become old friends, and though it will (just) occasionally remind me of its potency, I have learned to take its whips and scorns in stride. Am I the same person? Yes and No. I'm less than I was, for sure. And sometimes - sometimes, but not always - I miss irreplaceable parts of me. Versions of me. But they're better left in the past, and that's a lesson I ought to have learned by now, but alas : I am still in the same place I was back in June 2013.

How can I sleep with your voice in my head?

There was a British comedy show called 'The Fast Show', that I love beyond words and that every so often I'll do a complete rewatch of. One of the characters is a fella by the name of Jesse, who the show's Wiki describes as 'He's a verbally challenged country bumpkin who exits his shed and explains his strange diets (as seen in season 2 and a Christmas special), fashion tastes (season 3 only) and experiments (The Last Fast Show Ever).' What does that have to do with anything? Well, in Jesse's famous catchphrase... 'This week I are been mostly listening to hot goth ladies.'

Day 65 - Lindy Fay Hella & Dei Farne - 'Islet'
Known her since her Wardruna days, but never been a huge fan of them. Solo, though, I just love her. I still hadn't listened to her works with Dei Farne, though. And its very good, Lindy-Fay has an amazing voice that elevates everything she touches. Just a little over 33 minutes, never outstays its welcome. 8.5/10
Day 66 - Karin Park - 'Church of Imagination'
I've never been a fan of The Cure. Sure, I like a few songs here and there, but that's it, really.
And this album begins with a cover of 'A Forest', a song that I never liked, and that not even her voice can save. That said, I liked this album : poppy, some gospel-y, soul-y bits, but very dark. Not sure if everything here works for me, but a lot of it does. 7/10
Day 67 - Julie Christmas - 'Ridiculous And Full Of Blood'
The only other thing I'd listened from her was a collab with Cult Of Luna, which I found good, but not great. I actually have this record on vinyl, which I received by mistake, along with a couple of tees. Never gave it a listen. And... it's very shouty, sounds a bit too nu-metal-ish for me at at times. Overall good but not something I'd listen to on repeat. A generous 7/10
Day 68 - Brutus - 'Unison Life'
Some years ago, I was looking for new stuff to listen to, so for a few months I was listening to a lot of stuff from labels that I bought a lot of stuff from. One of those bands was called Brutus, and the very first time I listened to them, about ten seconds in I felt a huge sense of relief because I'd realized I wouldn't be into them. Then about thirty seconds in that all changed and I immediately went and bought everything they'd released. I still hadn't listened to this one though, and I think by now it's been out for 4 years or so. One thing I've always loved about Brutus is how Stefanie is the singer and the drummer! This one is just superb, Stefanie's voice and drumming are just kick ass, and to top it all off, it's got really great production. Album of the week, I'll give it a resounding 9/10
Day 69 - Midwife - 'No depression in heaven'
One of those bands I'd been meaning to check out for the longest time. Singer describes them as 'Heaven Metal', but no metal to be found here. Rather, this is the kind of slow, ponderous kind of shoegazing, slowcore/sadcore kind of thing. Good, but maybe not for everyday listening. 7/10
Day 70 - King Woman - 'Celestial Blues'
Yet another band that was on my list for a long time. After listening to it, i'm not sorry I didn't get to them earlier. I've never been a doom metal guy (unless, that is, it's coming from the likes of early Anathema / Paradise Lost / My Dying Bride), so I didn't really enjoy this record. I count maybe two good songs, and funnily enough, they're the only songs where I can actually like the singer's voice. Her 'harsher' voice I wasn't a big fan of, if I'm honest. This is by no means bad - I'm sure lots of people will find it great. But not me, and because it's not for me and because I really didn't like it, I'll give it a 4/10.
Day 71 - Ellereve - 'Umbra'
The thing about trawling through the backlogs/new releases of the labels I followed and bought stuff from - mainly Pelagic, Dunk! Records, Eisenwald, Sargent House, The Flenser) is that I ended up buying a ton of stuff I never really got round to actually listening to. So much of what I collected ended up just being shelved, and that's always been fine with me - I know that eventually I'll end up listening to them. I bought the first Ellereve album as soon as I saw its cover, and hey, what's not to like? Semi naked hot goth lady, shut up and take my money. And it's always called to me ever since, but I've always resisted its siren song. And just as I was about to listen to it, lo and behold!, I find out last year she released a new one! So I gave that one a listen and guess what? It's really fucking good. Amazing, amazing voice, great guitars and pretty soon I'll be diving back in again to listen to the first one! I'll give it a good 8.5/10


There's still another week to go with hot goth ladies, and then I'll *ngh* listen to some more 'modern' ladies, before I do the painful inevitable which will be listening to whatever the bands that shaped me in my youth have released lately. I do not relish that one bit.

I'll sing it one last time for you, then we really have to go.

A week that - musically speaking - begins very strong, and ends almost as strong, but which had monumental volumes of SHITE in between.

Day 58 - A.A. Williams - 'As The Moon Rests' 

I love A.A. Williams to death. Ever since I heard her collab with Mono, I knew she was one to watch. And I've listened to pretty much everything she released. But - and don't ask me why - I never got round to listening her latest album. And it's amazingly good. She has one of the most beautiful and saddest voices I've ever heard, and it's no exaggeration when I say that the least good songs here are miles better than the best you can hope to find anywhere else. Lyrics, instrumentation, production are all top notch. An excellent 9/10

Day 59 - Anna Von Hausswolff - 'Iconoclasts' 

I listened to and enjoyed the first couple of her records, and found them very, very good. Very different, naturally very organ heavy. Returning to her wasn't as easy as I'd expected - I found this album to be different from the others, or maybe different than what I might have been expecting. This one was just OK, not very memorable - at least not for me. 6/10.
Day 60 - Chelsea Wolfe. - 'She Reaches Out To She Reaches Out To She' No problem in admitting that I only listened to her because way back when I was trying to bang some goth girl. But unfortunately I just couldn't get into her. And I tried - I bought and listened to every single album of hers, plus a few collabs, and nothing ever clicked with me, really. A song here and there, and that was it. And the album that came before this one was supremely disappointing for me, I was expecting it to be something it was not. And, in truth, this may be the album I was expecting back then. Really liked most of it, maybe only a dud or two. A good 8/10
Day 61 - Emma Ruth Rundle - 'EG2 : Dowsing Voice' 

I firmly believe that people who knowingly choose to unleash such atrocities upon the world should be chained to a post and whipped within an inch of their lives until they finally repent and denounce their works. This wasn't just the worst thing I listened to this week, or even the worst thing I listened to this year (at least so far), it's single handedly the worst piece of shit I've ever listened to. I'll give it a 0/10 because I can't give negative scores.

Day 62 - Zola Jesus - 'Arkhon' 

There's a story I told many a time to whomever might be listening to me, but which I'm not too sure if I ever actually wrote down. Back in 2014, when I started working at my current job, I was doing something quite similar to this exercise, though I didn't last as long as I am planning to this go around. But I did find out a lot of artists that in the following years I'd be listening to a lot - some I even plan to revisit, if I can remember them. That said, one artist I discovered was Zola Jesus. Now, I can't really remember when it was, but maybe a year or two later I was fucking this girl who was into her as well. Eventually, there was a gig in one of the local venues showcasing none other than Miss Jesus herself. So we decided to go, and it was a hell of a concert. I had never seen much of her before, other than some videos and the photos of her in her records, so I was a bit shocked to find out how tiny she was. Tiny in size, but with a giant's voice. Sometime during the concert, she hops off the stage and goes around through the crowd - which wasn't that huge - and sings all the while she's moving through the people. Then when she walks past me, she stops right in front of me, looks me dead in the eyes, and sings whatever she was singing, this tiny wisp of a woman with a thunderous voice, and she lingers there for about 30 seconds or so - which to me seemed to stretch into infinity - and I could feel EVERYONE'S eyes on me. Like, 'who this motherfucker think he is?' kind of vibes. And then off she goes up to the stage. And for the rest of the gig I could still feel people throwing eye daggers on my back.

Now back to our regular scheduled programming : the album. I bought it. Two different editions of it, actually. Never listened to it. When it came out I was starting to feel a bit too burned out, and I'd either listen to the same songs I always end up listening, or I'd listen to nothing at all. So this remained on the backburner, waiting for me to one day pick it up. And I have to say that I really liked this album, moreso because it came after the ERR debacle. A very strong effort for sure, deserving of a good 8/10

Day 63 - Reverend Kristin Michael Hayter - 'SAVED!' 

Now, let me go back the stuff I tried listening to when I was trying to score some hot goth pussy. This lady here went by the name of Lingua Ignota, and while I found it roughly OK, it was mostly 'meh' with a capital 'M'. Now, I understand that there are people who like her sound, and hey more power to them. There's nothing wrong if something isn't for me, but it's for someone else. And after some very serious personal issues, this beautiful lady laid the Lingua Ignota moniker to rest and is now known as Reverend Kristin Michael Hayter. You know, I could sort of kind of guess this was maybe something religious? And you know what? It is. And I have no idea whether or not this is really religious or mock religious, but I do know that this was embarrassingly bad. Almost as bad as the ERR record, except this one actually has some 'melody'. And don't get me started in the idiocy that is the last song, where half of it is crying. It gets a 1/10, just edging out the ERR record by the tiniest fraction.

Day 64 - Marissa Nadler - 'New Radiations' 

Ah, back to the good stuff. There was this gorgeous girl I thought I had a shot with years ago - I didn't - that was my online friend. And she had the most amazing taste in music - like everything she posted I loved. One of her suggestions was the lovely Marissa Nadler. I can't be too sure if I ever listened to a full record or not, or if it was just random assorted songs, but I did know I really enjoyed her. So I listened to her latest, 2025's 'New Radiations', and by jove - I absolutely loved it. Again, maybe because it comes after such an awful experience with the previous day's records, it ended up feeling that much better of a palate cleanser. Be that as it may, this was a cracking one - title track 'New Radiations' is beautifully haunting. I suspect me and Marissa will be going on a lot more dates in the future.  Thoroughly deserving of a solid 8.5/10

More ladies to come. I'm putting off some decidedly painful listening to be had sometime soon.

Do you hear my heart beating? Can you hear that sound?

A rather mundane week, where I was looking for nothing more than for Friday to arrive and for me to have a week off work, saw me catching some flu bug thingie or the other and I spent most of my weekend sweating and having hallucinations. Ish.

Better now, though not much.

Day 53 - Nina Nastasia - ‘Songs for a World of Trouble’

Over twenty years ago I listened to an album of hers - ‘Run To Ruin’, and I remember really liking it. Never gave her another listen, probably. I almost wish I hadn’t. This one wasn’t good, I found it very repetitive, honestly felt like I was listening to one very long song. A 5/10 because I was in a generous mood.
Day 54 - Shannon Wright - ‘Providence’

Who? Dunno but really good. Came as a suggestion on Apple Music, took one look at the girl with bangs, and I am a sucker for girls with bangs. Let it play, really loved it. A very solid 8.5/10
Day 55 - Jenny Hval - ‘Iris Silver Mist’

I’ve known her for ages, and I liked what I heard from Rockettothesky, but in truth I didn't even know it was the same person until years later. Listened to one of her solo albums years later - ‘Blood Bitch’, hated it. This one starts off well and here and there I can hear some of the older Rockettothesky stuff. Experimental at points, which is something I've never been a fan off. Call me crazy but I like my music to be, well, music-y. Not bad but not great either. 6.5/10
Day 56 - Kelly Lee Owens - ‘Inner Song’

Who? Dunno but not that good. Too samey though I did like her voice. But it ends up being a bit on the dull side. 6/10

Day 57 - Azure Ray - ‘Remedy’

Loved their debut album, at a certain dark point in my life it became one of my go to albums. But I’ve not listened to them in god knows how long. To be fair I was under the impression they were no longer around. This album is actually very very good in spots, only somewhat good in others. Tracks 'Swallowing Swords' and 'The Swan' are the true highlights. Pretty good 8/10, if I do say so myself.

Day 58 - Beach House -‘Once Twice Melody’

This is one of those bands that I can absolutely recall where I was when I first listened to them, and I got to listen to them because of a conversation I had with this guy who was my boss’s boyfriend at the time. I’d met them in some bar, they guy was halfway wasted already, and I kept hoping that they break up that night because I actually fancied my boss, but alas, the girl wanted nothing to do with me. That said, we were talking about music, and I asked the guy if he had like a desert island band - something that he could listen to for the rest of his life - and he replied ‘Beach House’. Curious, I went and searched for them online, promptly downloading their entire discography. They’d just released an album, and that’s what I gravitated to. Initially, I confess it didn’t do much for me - I was in a different mindset at that time - and some time later I told the drunk guy that I’d finally listened to the band. ‘So what did you think? Did you not just love it?’, he asked. ‘I mean, it’s all right.’, I replied. ‘Not sure if I like his voice or not. A bit weird.’ And he looks at me nonplussed ‘His voice? They have a girl singing. Are you sure you listened to Beach House?’, and I quickly used my Blackberry to do a Google search, and yep, I had listened to them all right. I just didn’t know it was a girl singing…. If I’m honest, then I’ll say I didn’t pay that much attention to them right after. But about a year and change later, I found myself returning to them and absolutely loving them. And though I hadn’t listened to one of their records in ages, I decided to give their latest a try. Is it good? Well, yes and no. It’s a double album - something I rarely enjoy. I find that almost always double albums are so filled with, well, fillers, that they could’ve easily been a single record album. Hell, push came to shove and some of those records could’ve been a killer EP. Getting back on track, there’s a lot of good here. But ultimately, I could condense it to maybe a standout track from each side, and it would be a perfectly great record. But this is a me thing. Maybe others won’t mind, heck, they’ll even be happy for double the fun. Not me, though. It’s a 7/10, and that’s stretching it a bit, not helped because I was feeling under the weather when I played it.

Day 59 - Soap&Skin - ‘From Gas to Solid / You Are My Friend’

Jesus, I love her debut album to death. To death. But sometimes I have this very weird thing where I listen to one album by a band that just blows me away and then I go back and listen to their stuff and it’s just not that great. Or maybe nothing they release afterwards is any good. So what I started doing years and years is to actively not listen to anything else by a band, even if it’s just a song I actually like, and not a whole album. Sometimes I’ll go back to a band and realize I’d missed out, others not so much. That’s precisely what happened with Soap&Skin. I loved ‘Lovetune For Vaccum’ so much that for me it could exist like that forever : perfection trapped in amber for all time. But I always knew that sooner or later me and Ms. Plaschg were bound to have another date, and so here it is. Did I like it? Yes. Did I like it as much as the other one? No. And, you know, that’s perfectly OK. I wasn’t really expecting to be wowed, but I wasn’t let down either. It’s good, not just as good, and that said - it still warrants an 8/10

More ladies next week, and I think the week after as well, though I do not relish that bit that much.

I called today, but missed you again : today's the day I go up in flames.

I decided to stick with the ladies for this week, though if I'm honest there was plenty of fellas involved because most of what I listened to this week fell under the 'Beauty & The Beast' umbrella. Which, for those who aren't in the know, consists of two or more forms of contrasting, sometimes simultaneous singing, usually male growls and female soprano/alto or male tenor, including multiple variations thereof. When it works, it's really really good, when it doesn't it's really really goofy. For my money, nobody did it better than Theatre of Tragedy, and pretty much all the bands that followed suit fell short. My choices were bands that I knew of way back then, but never really paid that much attention to them, I knew maybe a song or two at best.

Day 47 - Sirenia - '1977' 

Never listened to them before. This was... eh... good, found the singer's voice to be only OK-ish at best, maybe a 6.5/10
Day 48 - Tristania - 'Darkest White' 

I only knew a song by them - 'Deadlocked' - which I love. This one? Wholly forgettable. Poppy at points, very meh. A whopping 5/10

Day 49 - Dreams Of Sanity - 'Komödia'

The only thing I ever knew about this band was that one of Therion's female singers - Martina Hornbacher - had been a part of it. Never felt the interest to pursue them. Missed out, for sure. This was really good, with  the kind of subpar mid-to late 90's production I miss, and that really scratches a weird itch. Be that as it may, had I listened to this back in the day, I would've loved is just as much. Fully deserving of a 9/10

Day 50 - The Sins of Thy Beloved - 'Lake of Sorrow' 

Meh... this is Theatre of Tragedy lite, with some passages that seem lifted directly from the first couple of albums. A good song here and there. 6/10

Day 51 - Trail Of Tears - Another one that was almost completely forgettable. Maybe a couple of good songs? I can’t even remember. 5/10

Day 52 - Kari Rueslåtten - 'Sørgekåpe'

Kari, she of The 3rd and the Mortal fame. She of the sweetest voice I ever heard. She, whose voice I searched for in many singers and never found. Not even in her, in fact. I recall some twenty years ago or more listening to some of her solo output and I couldn't even tell it was her who was singing. I never sought her after that. And what can I say about this, her latest record? Beautiful, delicate, and though I can't understand a word of it, here and there I could hear a bit of that sweetness in her voice I knew of old. And, strangely enough, I was also very reminded - both vocally and instrumentally - of Valravn in spots. And at just 38 minutes long, it really does not overstay its welcome. The second 9/10 of the week.

Day 53 - Liv Kristine - 'Amor Vincit Omnia'

Liv Kristine was, of course, Theatre of Tragedy's 'beauty'. I remember buying her first solo album back in 1998, and not really enjoying it. Sure, it had a very poppy collaboration with Nick Holmes of Paradise Lost, right when they were smack dab in the middle of their electronic era, but the rest of the album I just found a bit too dull. Never listened to it since that one time. And now here I am listening to her latest. And it starts off pretty well - the song that shares it title with the name of the album - harks back to her Theatre of Tragedy sound, with male growls provided by husband Michael - and I'll admit at first listen I thought they were by Raymond, who was Theatre of Tragedy's 'Beast'. But my hopes of a full album in such a kind of metal were soon dashed. The album is certainly diverse in terms of how the songs are, and some of it is good, other bits are just ok. It's just my opinion, and it's worth what its' worth, but I find Liv's voice peaked in Aégis - songs like 'Cassandra', 'Siren' and 'Venus' are just so goddamn beautiful. I'm not sure what I was expecting, and I'm not really disappointed, but for some reason... I found it a bit lacking. It does end on a positive note, though. It's a 7/10

I want to stay at least one more week with ladies before I do something that will be (mostly) hard and painful. Problem is I can't think of many more that would make some sort of sense because they'd likely not sound anything like each other, in terms of music styles. I dunno yet. We'll see.

We can never be closer, somehow, for the moment that lasts is this moment now.

A week punctuated only by a rather unexpected call from my best friend, which saw me leaving the abode to go and have dinner with him. A very posh affair - at least for my standards - but the night was fun, if maybe a tad too heavy on the booze, though not in the quantities thereof imbibed, but rather there was some mixing of the beverages that could’ve easily gone awry. More household drama, more money going out the window for silly reasons, and not even the games I’m playing provide much - if any - respite. On that note, I’m looking to start writing on the regular about them. But first I need to finish a post I started writing this past week, and I’lll have to rework it a bit because I was distracted. And by my 2005 or thereabouts self, no less.

Now, on to the music. A week spent with the ladies, and to be honest - it wasn’t as much fun as I’d anticipated. Pretty much all of these artists / bands were incredibly important to me over 30 years ago, though as time went on I stopped listening to their output.

Day 40 - The Gathering - 'Beautiful Distortion' 

This is a band that I listened to for the first time on the very same day and occasion as the last band for this week. In the early to mid-90s there was a record store I bought most of my records from, and one day in I waltz and they’re playing ‘Strange Machines’, off of ‘Mandylion’. And from that moment on I only sort of loved The Gathering. Mostly because of their then singer’s voice. In the late 90s / early 00s I lost track of them, and it wouldn’t be until 2003 when they released ‘Souvenirs’ that I fell in love with them. That and their follow up to that album, ‘Home’. Then Anneke left the band, and had a few projects - including Agua de Annique - all of which sounded way too The Gathering-y for me, and I put them in the back burner. Eventually I came to learn that they’d recruited a new singer, but I never bothered with them. Until now, that is. So what did I think? A very good surprise this, the new singer has a great voice that sounds distinctly different from Anneke, yet at the same time is eerily reminiscent of it in spots. It’s very hard to believe it's the same band that released ‘Mandylion’ and ‘Nighttime Birds’, but then they were also (mostly) the same band that recorded ‘Always’ and ‘Almost a Dance’. There’s some true progression here. It gets a good 8,5/10

Day 41 - VUUR - ‘In This Moment We Are Free - Cities’

One such project Anneke had was this one. And besides her amazing voice, was this any good? Well, no, not really. I hated the sound of the guitars, I found the production to be dull, and it’s so long it overstays its welcome. 5/10

Day 42 - Anneke van Giersbergen - ‘The Darkest Skies Are the Brightest’

Delicate, beautiful, great compositions, the complete opposite of VUUR 

Definitely a 7.5/10

Day 43 - The Third And The Mortal - 'Memoirs' 

Probably the most influential band for me from this time period. Their debut album - ‘Tears Laid In Earth’ - is one of those ones where I was the exact moment I listened to for the first time. They had a singer back then called Kari Rueslåtten, who has one of the most beautiful voices I’ve ever heard, but she only stuck with the band for that first album and an EP called ‘Sorrow’. And then everything changed - she left the band, and in came Ann-Mari Edvardsen. Out went the doom-y, atmospheric metal they played, and in came the experimental / trip-hop-y / ambient sounds found in ‘Painting On Glass’ and ‘In This Room’. Needless to say, I too eventually left them firmly behind. From what I’ve gathered, Ann-Mari also left the band, and they got another singer. And this record is a mixed bag for me. So far from the band I once knew, very Bjork-y, very Massive Attack-y, Bowie-esque vocals.

Good but not great, maybe a 6/10

Day 44 - Tactile Gemma -‘Tactile Gemma’

This is a project the aforementioned Ann-Mari Edvardsen had with her sister Monika and another bloke.

Meh. Maybe too experimental for its own sake. There are a lot of good vocalisations here, if maybe often veering on the annoying, but overall I found it  dull. I’m sure I’ll never listen to it again. 5/10 and this is a kindness.

Day 45 - Lacuna Coil - ‘Sleepless Empire’ 

So I first discovered them when they opened for someone back in late 96 or early 97 - either Moonspell or Cradle Of Filth - and I loved what I saw live. When they released their first EP, I bought it at once and loved it - still do, in fact. But I didn’t really like the follow up album, and I gave up on them. I never listened to another one of their records.  And maybe I shouldn’t have listened to another album, because I really didn’t like any of it. It’s chock full of the clichés that explain so dearly why (most) metal since the 00s doesn’t click with me. Imma give this one a 4/10. Yuck.

Day 46 - Theatre Of Tragedy - ‘Forever Is The World’

Just as important as The Third And The Mortal to me, and I may like them even more. They had a sequence of 3 albums and an EP that was just stellar - beginning with ‘Theatre Of Tragedy’, followed by ‘Velvet Darkness They Fear’, and then the EP ‘A Rose For The Dead’, culminating in their masterpiece, ‘Aégis’. All of these records are gold standards to me. And then it got weird. They did away with their ye old English Shakesperian lyrics and gothic imagery, and turned electro. And I didn’t fancy that change, like at all, and so fuck them, you know? Well, not in such an obnoxious way. Singer Liv-Kristine eventually parted ways with the band, and though they did find a replacement, I didn’t bother with them no more. They would come to call it quits 16 years ago, and so I thought why not, why not listen to their last record? And it’s mostly very ok, I like the new singer a lot, but she’s no Liv Kristine - and maybe that’s for the better. They sound nothing like their early stuff, but here and there I could hear some notes that harked back to those days. It was good, probably a 7/10 good.

Next week I’m not too sure yet. Maybe I can think of a few more ladies to redeem some of the duds from this week. It maybe I’ll spend some time with some old geezers that were really important to me from the mid-80s onwards.