Ice Queens - Darkwave

Dolores Marguerite C

marta014@yahoo.com (Marta) — Fri, 12 Aug 2005 14:32:45 -0400

ICE QUEEN: Dolores Marguerite C
BAND: In The Nursery
ORIGIN:
GENRE: Darkwave
ACCOMPLICES: Klive Humberstone, Nigel Humberstone, Q.
DISCOGRAPHY: "When Cherished Dreams Come True" (1983), "Twins" (1986), "Stormhorse" (1987), "Koda" (1988), "L'Esprit" (1990), "Sense" (1991), "Duality" (1992), "Anatomy of a Poet" (1994), "Praha 1" LIVE (1996), "Deco" (1996), "Lingua" (1998), "Groundloop" (2000), "Engel" (2001), "Praxis" (2003).
INFLUENCES:

IMHO: Very landscapey sound, like Boards of Canada meets Faith and The Muse. Still getting into them, but very pleased so far. "Angelorum" is a great start.
ITN's unique filmic approach has seen them commissioned to provide new soundtrack scores (the Optical Music Series) for silent classics The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari 1996, Asphalt 1997, Man with a Movie Camera 1999, HindleWakes 2000 and A Page of Madness 2004.
The scores have been accompanied by live performance screenings at independent cinemas throughout the UK, Europe, Mexico and Australia.

FAVOURITE SONGS: "Angelorum"
FAVOURITE ALBUM:

WHAT OTHERS SAY: "IN THE NURSERY's recorded musical history covers the past 21 years and has constantly expressed their desire for progress and experimentation. The latest musical technology is augmented by classical arrangements and orchestral percussion evoking a timeless quality." from their website

Debra Fogarty

marta014@yahoo.com (Marta) — Mon, 23 May 2005 16:24:35 -0400

ICE QUEEN: Debra Fogarty
BAND: Diva Destruction
ORIGIN: Hollywood, U.S.A.
GENRE: Darkwave.
ACCOMPLICES: Sharon (keyboards, backup vocals), Benn Ra (guitarist), AntheM (drums).
DISCOGRAPHY: "Passion's Price" (2000), "Exposing the Sickness" (2003), "Run Cold" (2006).
SIMILAR ICE QUEENS/INFLUENCES: Liz Fraser (Cocteau Twins), Tina Root (Switchblade Symphony), Siouxsie Sioux, Danielle Dax.

IMHO: I discovered this band because I read they were similar to Switchblade Symphony. Actually, they remind me much more of the early Cocteau Twins. Debra does that vibration on her voice that Liz used to do and even Marc Bolan of T-Rex. I wish I knew the technical name of that. Bullshit apart, "Passion's Price" is such a hidden gem. I think this album represents exactly what I expect from Goth music: weird and unsafe musical environments, voice experimentations, a taste of macabre and cruelty, and always that 80s feel to it. Sooo creative. However, "Exposing the Sickness" and "Run Cold" never made it to the heights of the first album, and they are just repetitive and boring.

FAVOURITE SONGS: "Enslaved", "The Broken Ones", "Snake", "In Dreaming", "Cruelty Games".
FAVOURITE ALBUMS: "Passion's Price" all the way. What a fucking good album.

WHAT OTHERS SAY: "Classically trained pianist Debra Fogarty turned Goth-Rocker cleverly mixes electronic dance beats with Beethoven-esc strings creating an unusual contrast of musically genres of Goth, industrial, and darkwave. " Losingtoday.com

Christa Belle

marta014@yahoo.com (Marta) — Sun, 22 May 2005 03:24:10 -0400

ICE QUEEN: Christa Belle
BAND: Hungry Lucy
ORIGIN: Kentucky, USA
GENRE: Darkwave trip pop
ACCOMPLICES: War-N, Trevor, Chloé.
DISCOGRAPHY: "Apparitions" (2000), "Glo" (2003), "To Kill A King" (2004).
INFLUENCES: Bjork, Olivia-Newton John, Jimmy Scott, Anneli Drecker and Madonna.

IMHO: Some of these ethereal electronic bands can sound very alike, and this is the problem I have with this band. They sound like everyone else and I can't find anything to make them unique. I mean, I don't mind listening to them, it doesn't bother me, but at the same time it doesn't do anything special. I'd rather listen to Single Gun Theory or Switchblade Symphony.

FAVOURITE SONGS: "Her song", "Stay", "Shine", "Blue Dress."
FAVOURITE ALBUM: N/A

WHAT OTHERS SAY: "Hungry Lucy began by chance in 1998 when War-N Harrison (Fishtank No.9) was asked to contribute to a Depeche Mode Tribute. War-N asked vocalist/lyricist Christa Belle to record vocals for the song Blue Dress. The couple found they worked so well as a team that they began writing together and Hungry Lucy was born. The first fruit of this labor was "Bound in Blood" [now considered a Hungry Lucy classic]. After writing and recording a handful of songs, War-N & Christa decided to put them up on MP3.com and the emails began to flood in from around the world! Pleasantly surprised by all the positive feedback, Hungry Lucy embarked on a full-length CD." From their website

Lisa Hammer

marta014@yahoo.com (Marta) — Sat, 21 May 2005 16:50:08 -0400

ICE QUEEN: Lisa Hammer (maiden name Lisa Houle)
BAND: Mors Syphilitica
ORIGIN: New York City, USA
GENRE: Gothic/Darkwave
ACCOMPLICES: Eric Hammer (plays all instruments)
DISCOGRAPHY: "Mors Syphilitica" (1996), "Primrose" (1998), "Feather and Fate" (2001).
SIMILAR ICE QUEENS/INFLUENCES: Requiem in White (their first band), early Cocteau Twins.

IMHO: MS was one of the first darkwave bands I discovered thanks to this guy that I met on the Portishead mailing list. I think his name was Patrick, but I don't remember where he was from. He sent me three mixed tapes that I still have, and the first one, first song, was MS's "Below the Baleful Star". So, if you're used to pop, trip hop and other conventional genres, so to speak, it is like a culture shock to hear something like that for the first time. I got that album right away and still today it mesmerizes me.

FAVOURITE SONGS: "The Woman Who Believed", "Dreams of the many".
FAVOURITE ALBUMS: "Mors Syphilitica".

WHAT OTHERS SAY: "The history of NY's Mors Syphilitica dates back to the goth scene of the mid-80's. Guitarist Eric Hammer and vocalist Lisa Houle first played together in Requiem In White, whose mix of dark, swirling sounds and operatic vocals won them a huge following. After moving to the Big Apple from Boston, they played shows with nationally known bands like Biohazard and Type-O Negative. Eric and Lisa, now married and sharing the same surname, formed Mors Syphilitica {two years ago}. Unlike other bands who rely on pre-programmed backing tracks, the group includes a live rhythm section, which helps them stand out among their peers. Lisa's vocal range can hit high C or dip into the bottom range. Not only does she have the pipes, but she knows how to use them creatively. The end result has drawn comparisons to Switchblade Symphony or Dead Can Dance, but Mors Syphilitica has their own thing going." from the band's page at Projekt

Francesca Nicoli

marta014@yahoo.com (Marta) — Sun, 13 Mar 2005 15:52:35 -0500

ICE QUEEN: Francesca Nicoli
BAND: Ataraxia
ORIGIN: Italy
GENRE: Darkwave
ACCOMPLICES: Vittorio Vandelli (classic, synth and medieval guitars, vocals), Giovanni Pagliari (keyboards, harmonizing, piano, vocals), Ricardo Paggiari (percussions), Lorenzo Busi (light and dance acts).
DISCOGRAPHY: "Simphonia Sine Nomine" (1994), "Ad Perpetuam Rei Memoriam" (1994), "La Malédiction d'Ondine" (1995), "The Moon Sang On The April Chair" (1995), "Il Fantasma Dell'Opera" (1996), "Concerto N.6: A Baroque Plaisanterie" (1996), "Orlando" (1996), "Historiae" (1998), "Lost Atlantis" (1999), "Sueños" (2001), "A Calliope... Collection" (2001), "Mon Seul Désir" (2002), "Des Paroles Blanches" (2003), "Saphir" (2004), "Odos Eis Ouranon" (2005).
INFLUENCES: Mediaeval, Baroque, Renaissance

IMHO: These guys make such weird stuff. It totally reminds me of Diamanda Galás. Very bizarre operatic medieval/modern music. It really makes you look out of the window and make sure you're in the right century. Love that feeling.

FAVOURITE SONG: It has to be Kate Bush's "Wuthering Heights" cover, which they call "La Nuova Margherita". It's a trip.
FAVOURITE ALBUM:

WHAT OTHERS SAY: This is fresh from their website when self describing their music...
"We love to define us as craftsmen of the sound, we create an unusual melange of sacred and profane, Mediaeval and Renaissance, ethereal and atmospheric, contemporary and early music. We have inherited the treasures of History and Time and through our music we make researches into the European and Eastern legends crossing the ancient Greek and Latin myths. We try to preserve the past in order to give it back to the present. "

Melora Creager

marta014@yahoo.com (Marta) — Sun, 13 Mar 2005 00:19:10 -0500

ICE QUEEN: Melora Creager
BAND: Rasputina
ORIGIN: Kansas, USA
GENRE: Darkwave
ACCOMPLICES: Zoe Keating (cello), Jonathon TeBeest (drums).
DISCOGRAPHY: "Thanks For The Ether" (1996), "Transylvanian Regurgitations" EP (1997), "How We Quit The Forest" (1998), "The Lost & Found" (2001), "Cabin Fever" (2002), "My Fever Broke" EP (2002), "Frustration Plantation" (2004), "A Radical Recital" (2005).
INFLUENCES:

IMHO: Rasputina is a trio of girls in corsets playing cello and singing darkwave tunes (actually, their line up today includes a guy, so I guess they dropped a girl on the way. If you know the comings and goings of the band, please write -does the guy wear a corset too?) They have gotten all sorts of attention since their beginnings, even from Marilyn Manson (together they recorded "Transilvanian Concubine"). Melora's voice has a constant weep quality to it which can make it endearing or irritating, depending on the listener. However, the sound of a cello is just plain beautiful. In their later recordings they add wacky electronic sounds which add a dose of morbidity to the whole thing. M-hm.

FAVOURITE SONGS: "The New Zero."
FAVOURITE ALBUM: "How We Quit The Forest."

WHAT OTHERS SAY:

Tina Root

marta014@yahoo.com (Marta) — Sun, 13 Mar 2005 00:09:10 -0500

ICE QUEEN: Tina Root
BAND: Switchblade Symphony
ORIGIN: San Francisco, USA
GENRE: Darkwave
ACCOMPLICES: Susan Wallace
DISCOGRAPHY: "Serpentine Gallery" (1995), "Bread And Jam For Frances" (1997), "Three Calamities" (1999), "Sinister Nostalgia" Remix Collection (2001).
INFLUENCES: Siouxsie Sioux, Nina Hagen

IMHO: SS were the most macabrously funny and original darkwave band ever. Imagine two chicks dressed up like ragged dolls singing morbid lullabies in a trip hop background. REALLY cool! Too bad they're not together anymore. Tina liked to experiment with her voice, and her vocals ranged from singing like a little girl -hence the morbid lullabies- to operatic style; she reminds me a lot of a young Siouxsie Sioux (in "Wrecking Yard" she sounds just like her). The band called it quits in 1999 and now Tina is embarked in a solo project called Tre'Lux.

FAVOURITE SONGS: "Witches", "Dirty Dog", "Invisible", "Sleep", "Dissolve", "Clown"...
FAVOURITE ALBUMS: "Serpentine Gallery", "Bread and Jam For Frances."

WHAT OTHERS SAY: From their website... "Switchblade Symphony, a compelling union of chemistry and circuitry, was formed in San Francisco in 1989 by composer Susan Wallace and vocalist Tina Root. These talented artists took dreamy, dark visual imagery, the poetry of alienation, and the timeless romance and grandeur of classical and theatrical styles of music, and layered these elements over dynamic heavy beat industrial and lush electronica to create a unique and vivid auditory tapestry. "

Monica Richards

marta014@yahoo.com (Marta) — Sat, 12 Mar 2005 23:52:12 -0500

ICE QUEEN: Monica Richards
BANDS: Faith & The Muse, Strange Boutique
ORIGIN: Washington D.C., USA
GENRE: Darkwave
ACCOMPLICES: William Faith
DISCOGRAPHY: F&TM: "Elyria" (1994), "Annwyn, Beneath The Waves" (1996), "Evidence Of Heaven" (1999), "Vera Causa" (2001), "The Burning Season" (2003). SB: "The Loved One" (1991), "Charm" (1993), "The Kindest Worlds" (1994).
INFLUENCES: From Dark Alternative Rock and Electronica to World Music & Neo-Classical, to Jazz, Avant Garde and Folk.

IMHO: F&TM was the first Goth band I ever listened to. What appealed to me about them was the capability to combine fast pace rock-styled pieces, medieval songs played with ancient instruments and haunting dark melodies. Another bait that got me were their lyrics. I remember I fell in love with F&TM when I heard "Cantus" for the first time, the lyrics from which, sung in Old latin, go something like: "She is a savage and serpiform creature, flying over the aether on her wings, exhausting one and all, let him have her, let him possess her, in her embrace of love he will stay forever." Although this is just an example, which out of context can sound pretentious, all their albums are masterfully written by MR and her inspiraton and eloquence go beyond any literary borders of an ESL student. On another aspect, Monica Richards' voice is as appealing as her strong stage personality and presence. She has a limited range but she works it perfectly. Very unique and seductive. Her and William Faith (the other half of the band) complement each other viciously, very erotically. I saw them live at Rothko in NYC a couple of years ago in a small show for "The Burning Season" and flipped, or wigged, or whatever verb one would use to describe thorough enjoyment. Please do yourself a favor and discover their music. They do a fabulous, epic, megalomaniac, Gothic cover of Kate Bush's "Running up that hill."

Oh, and Strange Boutique is the D.C. local punk band that MR used to front before F&TM. Their stuff is totally recommendable and somehow you can see the F&TM genesis in them.

FAVOURITE SONGS: "Cantus", "Anwynn, Beneath the Waves", "Running up that hill" (Kate Bush cover), "Shattered in Aspect", "Patience Worth", "In The Amber Room", "The Silver Circle."
FAVOURITE ALBUMS: "Vera Causa", "Evidence of Heaven."

WHAT OTHERS SAY: From her own webpage..."Monica Richards is an uncompromising Artist in the broadest sense of the word. Vocalist, Lyricist, Composer, Painter, Illustrator, Graphic Designer, Author, Poet, Philosopher and Scholar, her talents are incredibly diverse, limited only by will and imagination. In all manifestations of her art, Monica seeks to express the ancient, the earthy and spiritual aspects of life that she finds largely absent from today's society; creating myth and legend for our times." Damn... This woman does it all.

"Monica Richards is the Original 'Riot' Grrrl and the Fairytale Queen all roled up into one unbelievably talented artist. She belongs in the Avante Garde of today's music, forever changing, evolving, true to herself." - J. Tomkins