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Another month, another set of songs that I'm listening to! With the weather having been so rainy and dreary, I've been feeling a bit more fall-minded, so this is kind of an early peek into some of my more fall-like music tastes, which typically slide a little darker and more gothic. So if you're into that, this is a list for you!
As a reminder of the format, I'm writing one of these columns and filling it with songs from a variety of genres of music. I don't expect anyone to listen to all of these songs! Some months, you may even not be interested in any of them, and that's fine! However, it is my sincere hope that some of you might find some new songs and artists that you like. All of these songs are widely available on streaming services and by doing some quick searching on Youtube and such, and if I want to highlight something harder to find, I'll include detailed instructions on how to do so.
Here are my picks for this month:
Atmosphere -- Beseech
Beseech is a very special band that has made a criminally small amount of music compared to how much of it I want to listen to. They've only made six albums since their first in 1998, of which my favorites are 2002's Soul Highway and 2016's My Darkness, Darkness. This song is off the latter. Earlier on, their musical style was much more metal-based, but as time passed they slid increasingly towards a fairly gentle rock approach, which actually works very well for their very vibe-based slabs of gothic depression.
One of the hallmarks of Beseech's music is the layering of the deep male singer and the female singer -- they frequently sing the same lyrics at the same time as one another for a while, and then alternate, essentially switching back and forth between harmony and duet. The dichotomy between the two singers lends to a very ethereal feel, which suits the music perfectly. This is a very strong recommendation from me -- I never hear these guys come up and they absolutely deserve it. If you're looking for more, I love most of the 2016 album's vibe, and if you want something a little harder or more up-tempo, the song Illusionate on the 2002 album is my overall favorite of their works.
It's Dark in New Orleans -- Port Sulphur Band
This is a wild one. This song came on my autoplay a few weeks ago and I have been listening to it at least a few times a day since. Here's the catch: this band doesn't exist. I went looking for more info because I dug this song so much, and discovered that they are a fictional band that exists mostly as a vehicle for the soundtrack of a video game called Hunt: Showdown, which I had never heard of before.
But, good music is good music, and this is definitely good music. Apparently it's made up of several employees of the game studio, and the music plays on in-game interactables as a vessel to explain the game's lore, but they did release it on major streaming services, which I personally am grateful for. Hopefully they got a good enough reception that they'll eventually make more -- but in the meantime, at least we have this. If you like down-tempo dark country, blues, soul, Americana and so forth, this is probably right up your alley.
The Lodge -- Agalloch
Fair warning, don't stray from the path if you aren't okay with harsh vocals and rasps. The path, in this case, is the song The Lodge, off their album The Mantle. This song has such an immaculate feeling for when it's rainy, it's hard to describe. It's completely instrumental and does an amazing job of transporting you to a state of peace and calm. Other bands have tried to emulate Agalloch's approach but, in my estimation, none have ever succeeded.
Just watch out if you let the rest of the album auto-play, because these guys are usually more in the atmospheric black metal scene, so there's a lot of harsh vocals lurking around the corner. If you can stand it, though, their musicianship and the melancholic feel that permeates their songs is well worth the experience.
A Forest -- SKALD
This is a cover of a song by noted goth rockers The Cure which -- and this might be blasphemy -- I like better than the original. SKALD is an unusual band: they are French, but sing Nordic folk. A lot of their music is very relaxing, at least for me, which is probably why I tend to listen to them a lot when it's grey and rainy.
If you like this song, or like the idea of them and don't want to listen to a cover, I'd recommend the songs Run or Jormungrund. Both are very percussion-driven, like much of their music, but they still manage to capture the feel. If you're down with the cover, on the other hand, expect more of that percussion-driven music but in a way that really resonates with the feeling of being alone in the woods.
World of Glass -- Tristania
For this month's metal pick, Tristania is an amazing classic gothic metal band from Norway that is now unfortunately defunct -- but not before releasing a trio of insanely impressive, genre-defining albums from 1999-2001. After that, they went dark for a decade, before re-emerging with a new vocalist for a pair of albums in 2010 and 2013. Those albums are a little different, and I remember that initially my reaction to them was a little less enthused -- although, I've significantly warmed up to them over time.
Regardless, I would argue that Tristania is one of the foundations of what most modern gothic metal is built off -- lots of beauty-and-the-beast vocals with growls alternating with soaring sopranos and violins weaving between guitar tunes, coupled with classically introspective lyrical concepts. If any of this sounds good, definitely check them out!
That does it for this month -- and remember, if we can't stay dry, we can at least listen to music that suits the weather.
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Arianna McKee is design editor for The Express.