Mechanical heart within half human half skeleton body.

gloomy, infectious, influential, nocturnal, synthy

Depeche Mode ~ Stripped [1986]

Martin Gore famously paraphrased co-producer Daniel Miller’s shellacking of his demo tape, stating, “The songs aren’t good enough, there aren’t any singles and it’ll never get played on the radio.” That demo tape would become the basis of Depeche Mode’s fifth studio album Black Celebration. Lead single, “Stripped”, would be described as an “ominous and intriguing pop song”, reaching the top ten in five European countries (Finland, Ireland … Continue reading Depeche Mode ~ Stripped [1986]

disturbedByVoicesMarch 1, 2023May 28, 202316 Comments

affecting, arty, cerebral, influential

Portishead ~ We Carry On [2⊘⊘8]

I cannot count the number of times I was warned of regrets for inaction, but never reminded that actions themselves could also be rued. That gut hurt, that vulnerability more mental than physical we dolefully feel when we disappoint ourselves and others. We are all human, and therefore fallible, but that is of little consolation when mistakes are made that cannot be retracted or adequately amended, especially when unclear. “God … Continue reading Portishead ~ We Carry On [2⊘⊘8]

disturbedByVoicesFebruary 13, 2023May 28, 202311 Comments

For the 12" version of the single, a photograph of a grieving angel on the Ribaudo family tomb in Genoa's Monumental Cemetery of Staglieno (sculpted by Onorato Toso c. 1910) was used. The photograph was taken by Bernard Pierre Wolff in 1978.

arty, bittersweet, cerebral, influential

Joy Division ~ Love Will Tear Us Apart [198⊘]

Released mere months before he died by suicide, Ian Curtis’ lyrics ostensibly reflect his troubled marriage with wife Deborah Woodruff. While touring with Joy Division in 1979, he met Belgian journalist and music promoter Annik Honoré and the two began a close but chaste … Continue reading Joy Division ~ Love Will Tear Us Apart [198⊘]

disturbedByVoicesJanuary 21, 2023May 28, 20233 Comments

gloomy, infectious, influential, raw

The Cure ~ Primary [1981]

Arguably, The Cure is the greatest goth band to ever exist, but not if you ask co-founder and frontman Robert Smith who dislikes the gothic label. “We got stuck with it at a certain time when goths first started. I was playing guitar with Siouxsie And The Banshees, so I had to play the part. Goth was like pantomime to me.” That said, he continues, “Every goth I’ve ever met has been very nice, you know? As a subculture, I think it’s full of wonderful people. But I have never liked what’s classified as goth music.” “The innocence of … Continue reading The Cure ~ Primary [1981]

disturbedByVoicesDecember 12, 2022May 28, 20236 Comments

dancey, infectious, influential, subversive

The Presets ~ My People [2⊘⊘7]

“Tall and tan and young and lovely,” the first verse perhaps beginning a brief homage to the Brazillian bossa nova jazz song, “The Girl from Ipanema,” itself a worldwide hit of the 1960s referencing the fashionable neighborhood of southern Rio de Janeiro and (then) seventeen-year-old, Helô Pinheiro. She was, “the paradigm of the young Carioca: a golden teenage … Continue reading The Presets ~ My People [2⊘⊘7]