Poltergeists is a biweekly feature in which Michael and Wes share tracks that they have had on repeat over the past two weeks.
Michael
PSY’AVIAH - “Before I Die (feat. Diana S.)”
I am not sure how exactly I came across this song by Psy’aviah - or the equally great remix by Schwarzblut- but I love them both. It is definitely a song that I will be playing if I ever DJ again and the crowd is in the mood for some thumpy bass. It is a great dance song and it gets me pumped up for a night on the town, not to mention a fun message.
[:SITD:] - “Dunkelziffer”
The new SITD album is out! This really begs the question: How many times can they make the same album and I will still love it?! Normally I have a pretty low tolerance for things like this, but for some reason I really enjoyed this album; it is catchy, it is dance-time, and it is well written. Another quick note - If someone could explain to me what is happening in this video, that would be awesome. Death sent them up the hill...to child graves...but the children are just toys left behind...and then church?
Wes
Gazelle Twin - “Anti Body”
I’m not really sure how to describe Gazelle Twin. There are a lot of elements in her work that I would associate with industrial; her music often incorporates brooding, repetitive bass lines, distorted snares, and uncomfortable squelchy synths. On the other hand, her vocals often feel steeped in indie electronica stylings. In the song “Anti Body”, from her album UNFLESH, Gazelle Twin combines the repetitive bass elements with an almost uncomfortable spoken word delivery of the lyrics, weaving in shuffling snares and howls. While not strictly goth or industrial, the music definitely feels heavily influenced by darker sounds.
What Moon Things - “Staring at the Radio”
What Moon Things has quickly cemented itself on my repeat list since I recently discovered them trolling the “Goth” tag on Bandcamp. They combine the lamenting vocal style of some of my favorite Deftones with a post-punk sound that almost borders on indie-rock; there are times when listening to early tracks on their self-titled album when I almost hear the familiar twangs of old Modest Mouse records. For me this marriage lands very successfully. While it scratches my itch for darkness in my listening, I can see it landing successfully with people who have no connection to the darker modes of music.