SOUNDTRACK: SISTERS OF MERCY-Floodland (1987).
Since I’m reviewing a goth book, why not talk about a goth record? Back in the day, I really liked Floodland (and still think it’s pretty cool). The album is over the top, but it’s quite apparent that I’m really drawn to theatrical music.
It’s opens with a wonderfully driving medley of “Dominion/Mother Russia” (I can recall singing “Doh-Min-E-Un!” at the top of my lungs on many a car ride.) The second epic track, “Lucretia, My Reflection” is another great over the top ode to darkness. I get that melody in my head and it doesn’t leave for days.
“1959” is the odd track on the disc: a straightforeward piano ballad. It shows Andrew Eldritch’s voice works well solo as well as when he’s emoting with the “band.” This is followed by the great spooky chorus of voices that open “This Corrosion.” This song, which starts out so theatrically, morphs into a keyboard based bouncy dance track. The chorus keeps coming back, giving this a delightfully operatic quality. (I was going to make a comment in the first paragraph about liking theatrical artists like Meat Loaf, and when I looked this disc up I learned that this track was produced by Jim Steinman, Meat Loaf’s major producer guy. Huh).
The end of the disc can’t reach the extreme heights of the earlier portion (although the guitar lines of “Flood” are quite nice). But after the trio of “Dominion,” “Lucretia,” and “Corrosion,” you’ve easily satisfied anyone’s criteria for great goth disc.
[READ: May 9, 2010] Wet Moon Book 3
I can’t believe it took me this long to read the continuing saga of Cleo and friends. When I finally had a window, I devoured almost the whole book in a sitting.
The biggest change in the book is in Cleo’s eyes. They are suddenly HUGE! They’re very cartoon-like (specifically like Bugs Bunny’s nephew Clyde). It’s very disconcerting since everything else is so meticulously true to life. Contextually, it can be argued that at the end of book two, when Myrtle kissed Cleo for the first time, her eyes popped out of her head, but that’s stretching it, I think.
Aside from that incongruity, the rest of the cast remains the same. I was delighted to have a flashback to high school, where we could see a young (evil) Cleo, and a young Trilby (with hair!). (more…)
I Just Read About That... 