research into Ethereal Goth and Dreampop (and other stuff for fans of early 4AD and Projekt)

their* dammit.

Well those bands aren't soon in danger of overexposure so there's no reason we cant talk about them as much as we want.

I just noticed after over a decade, all of my mp3 tags are for Love Spirals Downwards.

That strikethrough on the final 's' is less visible than I hoped.

by the way, i always disliked bel canto, except for "the glassmaker", which sounds like cocteau twins on crack.

i want to be persuaded to like bel canto! everyone else likes them! i have 'birds of passage', but i've only ever listened to it a few times, eight years ago!

which songs should i try again with?

*from any album

I've only got Birds Of Passage and I like it a lot.

i w9sh you could smile/

i wish you could smile.

i heard the most beautiful music in a dream, the other night. it was ethereal.

--> it's hard to explain, and it might sound funny: it sounded like a cross between Loop/that Daring Buds' album called 'Erotica'/'Nowhere' by Ride/Hum/Love Spirals Downwards.

I don't know how to explain it, but it was the most beautiful thing I've ever heard, in a dream.

Dream pop, dream rock, post-rock, ethereal wave, etc. It sounded like "universe pop". it was the most beautiful thing i ever heard.

the closest it comes to is 'loveless', but much more, at once, poppy and ethereal with female vocals.

help. i need to hear this again.

re: Dream pop, dream rock, post-rock, ethereal wave, etc. It sounded like "universe pop". it was the most beautiful thing i ever heard.

I discovered this 2015 album by British band, Midas Fall that fits your description, earlier this week. and the album is highly recommended.

discovered via:
Abysmal Hymns - the Top 10 Goth Albums of 2015
http://abysmalhymns.blogspot.co.uk/2015/12/top-10-goth-albums-of-2015.html

6-Midas Fall : " the Menagerie Inside"

These guys have assembled pieces of many genres and pasted them together into something that is very much their own.The dramatic piano intro was unexpected as I assumed this was going to be more of a indie rock thing than some weird progressive goth. I can hear a slight Tori Amos influence , but the vocally are very over wrought and passionate and not so Kate Bush tinged.No the same time she she is not a goth singer in the vein of Siouxise either, but more along the lines of a less operatic Nightwish or the Gathering. Her influences seem all over the place as their is even a country tinge to her voice on "After Fall". It is draped in majestic elegance. The guitar twinkle around the song rather than going for the typical chug. This a real solid listen that grows on me with every spin and will make its way over the the sacred iPod, fans of bands like Marriages ...this is a must.

Midas Fall – The Menagerie Inside (CD Album – Monotreme)
http://www.side-line.com/midas-fall-the-menagerie-inside-cd-album-monotreme/
Genre/Influences: Post-shoegaze, gothronica, ethereal-psy-rock.

From the very first notes of the first song you’ll discover the heavenly sound universe refined by piano arrangements and the passionate, ethereal like female vocals.

and

Conclusion: Midas Fall is certainly not the most familiar name, but I can assure you that their new opus has the grace and beauty to make them immortal. This is without a shadow of a doubt one of the most poignant and artistic albums of 2015!

Apparently they were formed in Edinburgh and now based in Manchester.

Official website:

Midas Fall
http://www.midasfall.com/

Described as "chiming vocal-led post-rock", Midas Fall have carved a unique sound, combining elements of electronica, post-rock and alt-goth to create "powerful yet fragile, devastatingly beautiful and beautifully devastating" music (Founder Magazine)

This year Midas Fall released their third album 'the Menagerie Inside' on Monotreme Records.

press
http://www.midasfall.com/press

The Menagerie Inside

'The Menagerie Inside will not disappoint. Sit down, plug in, and be prepared for an onslaught on your emotions. Both musically and lyrically.” – Echoes and Dust

“Their best and most accomplished album yet…I hope this is the record that finally takes Midas Fall to the heights of commercial success they so richly deserve. 4.5/5.” – 17 Seconds

“A beautiful, lonely, haunting, abrasive, intelligent set of songs by a band who really do deserve the future to be theirs. 9/10.” – Reflections of Darkness

"The Menagerie Inside bridges prog and dreampop in a way that hasn't quite been done this way before…a splendid album.” – Pop Matters

“Taut, emotive instrumental drama pervading the album is balanced by Heaton’s rich, bright tone…a breathtaking album…” – Factory Worker Media

"Concrete compositions and gripping performances" - Rocking GR

Midas Fall - The Menagerie Inside

spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/album/72q4NMDbRBzyhdZSHE6yy1

Piccadilly records:
http://www.piccadillyrecords.com/prod/MidasFall-TheMenagerieInside-MonotremeRecords-104822.html

Described as "powerful yet fragile, devastatingly beautiful and beautifully devastating" by The Founder Magazine, UK-based quartet MIDAS FALL have carved a distinctive and captivating sound, fusing elements of electronica, post-rock, shoegaze and alternative rock with progressive and gothic undertones to create taut, shimmering soundscapes led by the hauntingly melancholic vocals of Elizabeth Heaton. Forged in Edinburgh, Scotland and now based in the north of England, the eclectic collective – founding members Heaton and Rowan Burn (guitar, piano) with Steven Pellatt (drums/percussion/piano) and Chris Holland (bass) – has spent the past year composing the follow-up to their 2013-issued Wilderness full-length.

Titled The Menagerie Inside, MIDAS FALL’s third long player was captured live at Red Wall Studios, mastered by Seattle legendary engineer Ed Brooks (Pearl Jam, Caspian, Fleet Foxes et al) and offers up ten sprawling tracks of sonic enormity. From the sorrowing echo of wilting violins in “Counting Colours,” to the emotionally gutting close of “Circus Performer,” the forty-six-minute epic is as heavy sonically as it is cerebrally. An introspective journey through dark and light, The Menagerie Inside is at once graceful, urgent and star-gazingly compelling. Cascading riffs ebb, flow and surge into rich, ethereal piano crescendos, the weight of Heaton’s delicate angelic resonance adding depth to her every echoing word. With The Menagerie Inside, MIDAS FALL manifests a sound and atmosphere that’s organic, emotionally stirring and habitually awe-inspiring, further verifying the strength of their songcraft and musicianship.

rym:

Midas Fall - The Menagerie Inside
https://rateyourmusic.com/release/album/midas_fall/the_menagerie_inside/

Elizabeth Heaton
vocals, guitar, piano, synthesizer, recording engineer, mixing engineer

Rowan Burn
guitar, piano

Steven Pellatt
drums, percussion, piano

Chris Holland
bass

Ed Brooks
mastering engineer

Midas Fall
songwriting

Joni Fuller
strings

via ILM search

their only previous mention on ILM was by Glenn Mcdonand on New and Noteworthy Additions to US Spotify on board I Love Music on Sep 18, 2015

honestly, i got a serious drinking problem, and i'm probably not fit for ilx, anymore... anyway, i'm doing my best to stay straight in this thread (it's my favorite genre and the main thing i care about on ilm).

as promised, i'd like to key you guys in on another obscure, ethereal band, called:

Velvet Belly

(they must have taken the name from This Mortal Coil).
check them out on Discogs, here: http://www.discogs.com/artist/82221-Velvet-Belly

i felt sentimental about this band from day one... and, i'm not quite sure why. i don't even love them or anything, but they really are a special little band, in their own way.
i don't have too much to say, there's just something about them, though.

they're another one of those bands that straddle the line between actual ethereal wave and actual dream pop (with some indie pop flourishes).
i must have all of their albums -- i'd say just start with the first and work from there.

for fans of: Area/Moon Seven Times, Ars Poetica, Elysium, Johanna's House of Glamour

i'm not exactly sure how i found out about them, but i suspect it may have been through the Ectophiles' Guide: http://ectoguide.org/genre/ethereal
(which is, actually, a really good resource for ethereal goth if you take your time with it).

Also: projekt really, REALLY, needs to reissue that Heavenly Bodies album. I'm guessing it's the sax that turns Mr. Rosenthal off.

Anyway, projekt fans would love it, and it's an absolutely essential piece of the history of this genre (it featured Caroline Seaman of This Mortal Coil on main vox).

More importantly, however (I know, I've said this before), it's the first fully realized ethereal goth album not on 4AD. Yes, yes, 4AD had the ethereal goth thing going for a while before this album, and a few non-4AD bands did similar things too, but for me, this album is really where the genre takes off and, how to say this... makes it OK to be a 4AD band not on 4AD.

I really want that Heavenly Bodies album. Hard to find at a good price.

Well, I'm quite drunk now, but I did my part today, by talking about a couple of old, obscure, wonderful ethereal bands.

Now i'm a break it down and tell a little story
Straight out the box, from the gothic category

^ That's an Eazy-E reference, but I don't know if anyone gets it here. ANYWAY.

So, I decided to go to Goth Night a few months ago, for the first time [I will not say at what club/location, for personal reasons].
I don't even have any irl "goth" friends, so I decided to just go on my own, since I was drinking, bored, and curious.

So, I went alone.

I'm more of a death rocker and ethereal waver, although those two have nothing to do with each other, if that makes sense, if it matters.

Anyway. So, I get to the club alone. It's a club I go to often, but I've never been there on Goth Night.
So, I don't really know anyone there, except for the bouncers and barkeeps.
I just hang around in the backroom for a while - smoking, drinking cheap beer, mingling, joining and leaving groups, having an all-around OK time.

After a while, jeez, I must have been really drunk, I entered into a suspicious circle.

All I remember is this girl asking if she could bite my neck. I was probably just like ". . . O. . . K. . . If you must".
So, I let her bite my neck really,REALLY, REALLY, hard. I can't believe she didn't draw blood.
(She said she was an expert at not drawing blood.)
The thing is, she bit my right side... I felt uneven... So I asked her to bite my left side.
(She did.)
She said she gets that all the time, after biting people.

I think I let her bite my wrist, too.

It isn't like any of this needed to happen, but I live without a care, so whatever.

I never saw her again. I'm not quite sure how I got home that night (it must have been an expensive, single cab).

I still feel funny remembering it.

And, that's the story. That's the story about my FEELINGS.

Robert: private message me, about, ya know, the stuff

::cough::cough::heavenly bodies::cough::cough::

I don't think I sufficiently praised Rosewater Elizabeth for their second album upthread (I still need a digital music player so I can hear their debut). It has one of the things I find most lacking in ethereal/dreampop: unusual structures. I know it's called dreamPOP and Cocteau Twins got an amazing mileage out of mostly sticking to a fairly predictable structure, but this type of music is begging for more experimental and symphonic structures. The later Trance To The Sun albums have a lot of longer tracks on them.

oh, man. i need to talk about rosewater elizabeth! i dislike them! except for "milk", which is kind of an incredible song.
i think i'll listen to it, now. it's been years.

Monsieur Gilmour, let me know if you got the stuff, ::cough::cough::heavenly bodies::cough::cough::

My favourite Rosewater Elizabeth is "If Evil Is A Hollow Man".

They turned into a band called Underwater. Listed as triphop, so I doubt I'll like them as much but their albums are ultra cheap, so I'll have to try them some time.

Then one member joined an indie folktronica band called Allegra Gellar, named after the character from eXistenZ, they even have a song called Jennifer Jason Leigh.

Death To The Demoness Allegra Gellar!

Good insights into Rosewater, Robert. And, also, great insights during your early posts here, as well.

I never liked Rosewater Elizabeth much, though. However, as I said, I love "Milk", so I feel like I should give their album another shot, and probably check out their other eps, based on the strength of that song.

I hate speaking ill of any ethereal band, and I worry that band members could see this, so... I don't want to be to critical or say anything too harsh. Overall... Rosewater just wasn't my thing, although I love their influences. Anyway, I should give them another listen. Other people like them.

too critical*

fucking hell. i'm about to listen to "pandora (for cindy)" by the twins.

i haven't heard it in some five years. this is my comfort music.

i was psychologically abused by a pathological liar and a person with actual Narcissistic Personalty Disorder. it's gone on for years, so, i drink now.

i just want to hear this song, and i just want my thoughts to fuck off (hundreds of hours of thoughts about the trauma this person caused me).

i used to listen to this song when i was a boy. i want to go back.

Don't know what to say, I have no experience with this stuff but I wish you well.

i shouldn't have said that stuff.

i'm having my last drink, right now. i will probably be back at the mental hospital by the end of the day.

i'm very ill. i'm sorry.

i'll be back back in a couple weeks. (the sundays are my favorite band! i hope you download my heavenly bodies link, robert!)

I listened to Heavenly Bodies and "An Obsession" in particular is very good.

I'm on drrugs:!! B. I love u:

Heavenly bodies is quite good

did you ever listen to Heavenly Bodies, Robert?

I'm still fucked up.

Yes, I'm enjoying it. I bought the Facing The Other Way book recently and it mentions them doing gigs among 4AD bands and that they had former Dead Can Dance members.

yeah, i was always aware of the rumor they had former dcd members, but, then again, the only real members of dcd were lisa gerrard and brendan perry. it's all a wash, but however, as i've fuck-upedly bumbled on about, - Heavenly Bodies are important - so, i'm glad we got that straight. i know it's hard to believe coming from me, but still...

randomly (importantly): search the steve roach remix of black tape for a blue girl's "kinski". it's on a "million tear-stained memories). you need this.

ah. otherwise, finish up collecting the dewdrops catalog. i don't know.

it may have sounded arrogant when i earlier called myself an expert on this genre. well, i am, but i fell out of touch with it about six years ago. Robert, you probably know as much (or perhaps more) than i do at this point.

i might need to leave ilx/ilm, but, before i leave this thread...

- check the c'est la mort discography on discogs
- as above for projekt, obviously (and the webstore especially - much of that ethereal stuff for sale isn't even on projekt)
- as above for hyperiume, obviously (discogs)
- double check third mind on discogs (it's mostly straight darkwave, with some ethereal thrown in)
- check out kalinkaland (sp?)
- check out ventricle records on discogs (mysterious, lost, ambient-ethereal-goth as hell label)
- if you want ethereal ambient, check out the Hypnos label on discogs (this has little to do with anything in this thread, unless you like sad as hell-dreamy ambient stuff)
- check out the --ethereal-- section on the Ectophile's Guide to Good Music

I might be forgetting things. I'm trying, however! I'll come back and speak plainly about it, if I recall something else (won't post anymore nonsense).

hyperium*

Thanks.

My favourite tracks from Lycia's A Line That Connects are the three that sound quite like something from Tripping Back Into The Broken Days and Time Has Come And Gone. "Blue" is particularly good. It's a great style and I wonder if they could explore it much further.

Black Tape For A Blue Girl have a new album and they've returned to their original style (weehee). Oscar came back and brought his daughter into the band.

Yup. Entertaining stuff.

Faith And The Muse - Annwyn, Beneath The Waves. Apparently all based on Welsh mythology, there's a Welsh folk song, one track takes some Goethe for the lyrics, the sleeve has lots of centuries old poetry. "The Dream Of Macsen" and "The Birds Of Rhiannon" are brilliant.
Really love this album, it's probably even better than Elyria (although my memory of it isn't too sharp). Bigger soundscapes I think.

Slightly relieved that Tara Vanflower doesn't like Trump.

Lycia uploaded a lot of pre-Wake material

https://soundcloud.com/lyciummusic-lycia

And speaking of Projekt -- interviewed Sam himself for my latest Bandcamp piece:

https://daily.bandcamp.com/2016/11/09/projekt-records-guide-sam-rosenthal-interview/

Thanks for the article. Only taken me two months to finally read it. Somehow never noticed they were going more in an ambient direction. Interesting that Plaster is on the new Black Tape album.

In the last days of 2016, Trance To The Sun's newest album Via Subterranea came out.

Faith & Disease - Insularia.

Maybe their most varied studio album (haven't heard the final one yet), taken me an unusually long time to get into this and I might need to come back to it another year to get a fuller effect from it.

"Yellow Dress" must be one of their best songs. I much prefer the first half of "Marie Don't Sleep In Your Makeup" to the second part. There's a cover of Cowboy Junkies "Witches" (not familiar with the original). I like the pairing of "Violet II" and "Space Song II".

Rosewater Elizabeth - Faint

Such a lovely album, more enjoyable overall than Le Petit Morte, but I like the latter just as much because it's more adventurous, unique and the best parts are possibly better. Not sure though. Faint is definitely more watery.
"It Swallows Me Whole" has beautiful drumming.

Great band, they should rank fairly high among the bands on this thread. Now I have to check out the band that came after: Underwater. Odds and ends of Rosewater Elizabeth are probably too hard to find right now, apart from an album of remixes which I'll pass on for now.

Quiet revive to note that Projekt, no doubt in response to my post from two years ago, have re-issued Lycia's Ionia in a limited run of 500 CDs! With t-shirts and tote bags, even, so I can bring Lycia to the farmer's market.

It sounds great, especially blasting it driving down country roads on a freezy winter night.

I've been enjoying Speaking Silence and I'll write more about them soon.

Demen - Nektyr should probably be mentioned here, TMC probably the closest comparison.

If we're rounding up thislisty albums from 2017, NOÊTA - Beyond Life And Death also merits a mention. Sounds like something on Projekt from 1996, drawing from Black Tape, DCD and a touch of Americana. The album alternates between a funereal ("Beyond Life") and more organic ("In Drowning") tracks.

rose chronicles

(kristy thirsk)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-6pP2iMggM

reminds me a lot of lush

That Demen album was among my favourites from last year. Guess I should start listening to This Mortal Coil – my knowledge of the precursors is pretty limited.

Awesome thread, btw.

Thanks guys.

Meant to note a bunch of Japanese bands but I can't remember the tracks I was going to pick.

Fiction and related bands Gille' Loves and Luci'fer Luscious Violenoue.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwWHLNb8flM
Could have swore one of them had a good song called Sepharita

Jack Or Jive (should have got one or their albums years ago, their presentation is very 4AD but with more extravagant costumes and stage design)
Pale Cocoon (very early band in this genre, probably ahead of their time for sad bedroom goth)
Funeral Party - Double Platonic Suicide
Gilles De Rais - Vampire (1981)
Kuroyuri Shimai and related band Juri Et Lisa(neoclassical leaning)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60DLx281Tv0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Uhdgz6jXy8

Interesting list here. You might need to leave the page to load for several minutes. Has a separate section for EPs. Might be a minefield because there's some obscure choices I adore and quite a few I was underwhelmed by. A lot of new bands I've never heard of. Don't know why some famous bands are listed but no Cure, they even feature a Cure clone.

https://www.dreampop.it