This third instalment of the Goth/Post-Punk Revival Blog Top
50 of 2020 countdown begins with arguably the most controversial choice of them
all, Marilyn Manson. Some will baulk at the suggestion that the 90’s prince of
vaudeville industrial glam’s musical output fits into either of the genres
under discussion, whilst others, with arguably more justification will state
that in 2020 of all years, with the real issues (Covid-19, BLM etc) that
the world has had to face, that the mock horror and tired shock tactics of an
artist whose star is decidedly on the wane have become so far removed from the
zeitgeist that it would be better instead to promote another artist who didn’t quite
make the Top 50 this year, like The Birthday Massacre, Pilgrims of Yearning, Bootblacks, Vlimmer, Orcus Nullify, Twin Tribes or Paranormales. This feeds into the wider argument
as to whether one should judge the current output of past goth stars on their
merit, place them on a pedestal and give them an automatic pass to the top table
regardless of quality, or rule them out of contention on the grounds that they’ve
had their time and are unlikely to reach earlier peaks once more. Just for the
record, I’m choosing the former path, and a couple of other names familiar to
fans of the first two waves of our beloved genre will also appear in this
rundown. But for now, on with numbers 40 – 36…
40 Marilyn Manson – Red, Black and Blue
The days when a new Marilyn Manson album was a major
musical event are long gone, but the mall goth superstar always has a couple of
decent tunes per album up his sleeve and his 2020 release We Are Chaos is
no exception. Whilst perhaps not the “masterpiece” which Manson himself
claimed, tracks like Red, Black and Blue hinted (after a rambling
introduction – I’d advise starting it at 1:15) at the visceral rush that
accompanied his seminal releases around the turn of the millennium, with skull-crushing
riffs and sleaze-fest lyrics to the fore. Although shunned by most goths (with
some justification) as a risible posturing charlatan, the pale emperor still
knows his way around a good chorus.
39 Instant Lake – Delicate Obscenity
If any song in this year’s top 50 typifies the post-punk scene sound
of the past years, it’s this track from Italians Instant Lake’s
sophomore album Dystodream, on the appropriately-named Brazilian label Wave Records. There are hints
of coldwave, darkwave, gothgaze, industrial and most other strands of the current broader gothic spectrum, with the classic reverbed simple guitar riff, driving EBM
beat, echoing baritone vocal, buzzing descending bassline and an overriding
atmosphere of menace, midway between Front 242 and Holygram. Good work.
38 Cliff and Ivy – Will To The Power
Touted as Alaska’s premier goth duo, an accolade for which
there is surely not much competition, Cliff and Ivy play a powerful yet
tongue-in-cheek brand of drum-machine driven gothic rock, with Cliff’s angled
powerchords the perfect backing for Ivy’s effortlessly cool but slightly
unhinged vocal. Unashamedly 80’s influenced, Cliff and Ivy have successfully
mined the same furrow for the past decade, but this year they really came to greater
prominence thanks in part to some excellent live streamed performances during
the lockdown.
37 Iamtheshadow – Pitchblack
Pitchblack is the title track from Pedro Code’s Iamtheshadow
project’s 2020 album and I expect it to feature towards the very top of end of
year lists of those whose preference lies in full-production
dancefloor-targeted synth-based coldwave electro-goth. The Portuguese act has produced
a strong set of deep-vocal EBM-based dark club tracks with a BPM which will
fill alternative club night floors across the globe and enhance Code’s
reputation as one the genre’s foremost sonic terrorists.
36 Paar – Modern
A simple, repeated bass riff from the eight-to-the-bar Craig
Adams school, fx-drenched guitar reminiscent of Whispering Sons and a strong
female vocal drive this wistful track which mixes power and fragility in equal
measures. The album from which it’s taken, Die Notwendigkeit der
Notwendigkeit hints at a band still in search of a definitive sound, but Modern
is an ideal template from which to work in the future.
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