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January 3, 2008

Ah. The Lumping! The Goth!

This journal post has nothing to do with the lumpy pancakes that I just made other than this paticular sentence. When one is sleep deprived and has a 10:30 PM pancake attack, they don't tend to be the best pancakes you'll ever eat.

I keep reading the word goth on here and it's pissing me off. Not because I dislike 'goths', but purely because no one around here (well, there are obvious exceptions such as Socialistfreak) know what the hell they're talking about.

Now, having friends of family and relatives alive and very much involved in the scene, I can tell you this much. Goth started in the very late seventies and eighties in England. Those mohawked kids were starting to die out, and their black-clad brethen were starting to pop up. One historical place for this new goth thing, was a club called the Bat Cave (yes, think Batman). If I remember correctly, bands like The Cure and Siouxsie and the Banshees got started there.

The sound of Goth Rock is carried through overdriven and electric sounding guitars that play long notes and ring out. The drumming usually uses a repetative snare beat to kind of propel song. And Goth Rock is home to some of the maddest sounding bass you will ever hear Minus my opinion on the bass, the two above paragraphs are all fact.

So now we know what Goth Rock sounds like, and what a goth is, let me quickly tell which bands are not goth. I'm so sick of seeing this.

- H.I.M. I love them, I really do. According to them, they are 'love metal'. It's more alternative than anything else, there is nothing goth about them.
- Evanescence. Moderately soft rock if anything. The only 'goth' thing about them is Amy Lee's wardrobe which can probably be purchased from Hot Topic
- Cradle of Filth. Just ask Maeniel about this one (oh the lulz).
- Slipknot and KoRn. That's Nu-metal. Not Goth Rock.
- Goth metal is obviously not goth rock.
- Dark Ambient is not goth rock.
- Marilyn Manson. Smart man but no. That is Shock Rock, with touches of metal in some songs.
- My Chemical Romance. I hope I don't have to explain that one.

Goth is not emo.
Not emo in the modern sense, or the actual emo sense (Rites of Spring, Indian Summer).

For an actual goth band, please refer to Bauhaus.
They are considered the pioneers of Goth Rock.
I strongly recommend the song 'Bela Lugosi's Dead'.
I also very much recommend the 69 Eyes, who are one of my favourite bands ever. Aside from their earlier albums which are rather decent glam (such a thing exists), they are Goth rock and they are brilliant.

I keep reading about how people are going to 'turn goth'. Or are already goth because they wear a lot of black, love Evanescence and have dyed their hair black. That is not goth, that's more 'hottopiccore' than anything else. Also known as 'retarted' (yes, with a 't'). This is like explaining how Simple Plan aren't punk.

I am well aware that I sound like a know-it-all-bitch, but Goth Rock is a style of music that I'm very passionate about, and after Sleaze Pop (Bloodhound Gang), it's probably my favourite genre and I get very flustered and annoyed when people make mistakes with it.

Moving on, Goth Rock sounds nothing like actual 'emo' music or the modern crap the big companies are selling you these days. Stop lumping them together, for the love of Nergal. Please! Just stop it.

-End Mini-music Rant-

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