gothic

Record #1014: The Cure – Songs of a Lost World (2024)

/ Nathaniel FitzGerald

Man, did I get really into the Cure at the right time or what.

Long time readers will remember how long my road to Cure fandom, which trekked from detached respect to casual enjoyment to an explosive burst of superfandom just last year. Across that time, I have mourned many times that I didn’t get into them as a teenager, when their brand of emotional rawness would be the most potent.

But as it turns out, Robert Smith & Co. have a really great handle on middle aged angst as well. Songs of a Lost World offers a profound sense of mortality and gothic romanticism set to as archetypal a Cure Record as could be devised. Continue reading →

Record #1013: Chelsea Wolfe – She Reaches Out to She Reaches Out to She (2024)

/ Nathaniel FitzGerald

Chelsea Wolfe has been a ubiquitous character in metal circles for a while now. She’s collaborated with artists like Converge, Deafheaven, Emma Ruth Rundle, and so many more. Her 2017 record Hiss Spun featured performances from Troy Van Leeuwen of QOTS and the one and only Aaron Turner of Isis, Old Man Gloom, and Sumac.

And if this is your point of reference to her catalog—as it was mine—her newest record, She Reaches Out to She Reaches Out to She Reaches Out could come as quite a shock. While Wolfe’s delivery and songwriting are mostly familiar, the sonic palette is almost entirely electronic, replacing thick guitar riffs with bristling synths and aggressive drum machines a la Depeche Mode and Nine Inch Nails.

Continue reading →