Heavenly Voices

Her new single and trailer for her album Naiades got my attention (partly thanks to A Darker Shade of Pagan podcast and the late night hours of Pagan Radio Network when they have at least one gothy DJ) not out of previous fandom-Faith and the Muse were always hit and miss for me-but nostalgia, because this is the kind of music that they had the only and now dead goth and industrial music store in the Pacific Northwest (at least that I know of), both good and bad. Richards obviously knows her stuff. It's the soundscapes, and even some of the romanticism that got me in to the ethereal genre, or at least, good ethereal if done right. I hope there are at least a few goth/industrial music shops in the North East coast.

But anyway, perfection, I don't always need it, a lot of my favorite tracks are from artists that don't always come out with a hundred percent perfect material. Hopefully when I have a bit more money this year I'll splurge on audio releases instead of just my current perfume oil addiction. I might not like everything Monica Richards comes out with, past band included, but when she's good at manipulating soundscapes, she's really good, and I'm a sucker for ear candy.



The Mighty





Official Naiades Preview




Death Is The Ultimate Woman




Jarboe, where have you been all my life?
Jarboe - A Women's Dream (feat. Monica Richards/Paz Lenchantin)

I will not have to visit a used CD store tonight because I can download Curve directly for a fee via BandCamp:

http://curve.bandcamp.com/


After listening to some of the tracks on YouTube, I don't really understand where the allegations of Garbage 'stealing' anything came from. If anything Curve was more like just part of the trend in the UK of some artists and bands in the UK in the early 90's combining softer electric guitar with more ethereal vocals, like with One Dove (well, at least with the track 'White Love') or other bands that are on the tip of my tongue but can't type out now. Hell I think even Suede is more like Curve than Garbage ever was (let's just say I was more of a fan of UK and European music in the early 90's, and that was despite my limitations, as I didn't live in a big city at the time). Garbage, at least as far as I'm concerned is more bitter and confrontational in comparison, and too obviously influenced by, well, way too many other things to pin them down to copying just one thing. Well, that and it seems no matter how loud the instruments played in Curve tracks, the music always sounds more feminine.

Anyway, I think they're great, and like One Dove, far too ignored. But they should also be remembered as part of the whole of an early 90's UK ethereal rock and pop music trend, not just a part or leader.


ETA: I was partially incorrect, most of the full length albums aren't uploaded for our enjoyment yet. I may be visiting that used CD store after all.

These tracks appeared on my favorite album of their's, Zal.


Chanson d' Automne



Soft Snow



Ariels Song (sadly edited)