Last week’s selection by FunkSinatra reminded on of the great Bauhaus, so I decided to have a blasting Goth weekend this week. Even though the true Goth scene of the 80’s is long gone, nowadays we have colorful mixes of metal, industrial and electronic music that are considered parts of a new-school Goth scene. So, ready or not, here we come, all black haired and tortured souls!

First thing first, let’s start with one of the leading Goth bands of the 80’s, a band that has a tremendous impact on today’s Goths of all kinds, shapes and sizes. That’s right - the Sisters of Mercy were doing their dark new-wave thing from the very beginning of the 80’s, and even though the 90’s saw their “Vision Thing” LP - a solid rock/metal album, they (or shall I say - he - Andrew Eldritch, that is) will always be remembered by THE greatest Goth anthem of all times, Dominion, taken from 1988’s Floodland. This album featured bass player and Goth goddess Patricia Morrison, and together they have created an absolute classic.

Moving on to The Mission UK, a band featuring two ex-Sisters of Mercy members, Wayne Hussey and Craig Adams. They had a smilier sound to the Sisters, meaning dark, delicate and melodramatic rock, and this video called “Wasteland” is taken from their 1986 album, “God’s Own Medicine”.

And now to one of the most dominant Goth-metal bands ever, Paradise Lost. They actually started out as a Death Metal band, but quickly developed a more atmospheric and romantic approach. As they moved on with their musical career, they adopted an electronic sound as well, as seen and heard on their latest video, Forever After, taken from their s/t album released last year.

Yet another well-known and very popular Goth-metal band is NY’s own Type-O-Negative. With frontman/bass player Peter Steele’s charisma and strength, this band has a huge cult following and deals with serious and depressing subjects such as death and suicide, but they do have their little sick sense of humor. Just watch the next video for “I Don’t Wanna be Me” taken from “Life is Killing me” which came out in 2003…

A Different Goth band that focuses on electronic beats is Clan of Xymox, hailing from the Netherlands. They have been around from the mid 80’s, and are considered to be one of the pioneers of Electro-Goth sound. This video tribute is made to their song “Innocent”.

Another Electro-Goth name to remember is Norwegian Stephan Groth, a.k.a Apoptygma Berzerk. He is one of the most influential musicians on the E.B.M (Electronic Body Music) scene, and uses chilly Synths, catchy dance music and popish melodies. This video is called “Unicorn” and is taken from 2002’s “Harmonizer”.

I hope you enjoy this week’s picks, you crazy Goths you! Now don’t get too depressed …

We all know the Grammy Award-winning American singer-songwriter Alecia Beth Moore or as we REALLY know her “P!NK”. Yeah, she’s back with some tracks to kick ur butt with! And a whole new album showing off that Pink attitude of hers, getting all mad about stupid girlz and other stuff that pisses off Mrs. (grumpy bear) Pink.

If u dint know it already, the young punkster has won a lot of awards! For example, she has won 11 MTV Awards till today and 2 Grammy awards! Hey, gotta give that a little respect!

Anyways, her new album “I’m Not Dead” is her fourth album out. It was released April 4, 2006 and it sold 126,000 copies in the first week (which tied the first week performance of her second and very successful album “M!ssundaztood” in terms of units sold). The album got 2x Platinum in the “Australian ARIA Album” Chart and in the US it got to 36 on the “US Billboard Hot 200″. (She’s got what it takes!).

The first single she put out off her latest album is “Stupid Girlz” and in my opinion the song was the perfect choice for the first single because it’s poppy, powerful, very catchy and complete with the Pink attitude!

Pink explained that the song is about her noticing many young girls near her Los Angeles home aspire to the hypersexual personae of female pop icons, rather than careers or talents. The unorthodox pop star was inspired to write “Stupid Girls”, in which she deplores the lack of good role models for girls whilst encouraging them to cultivate independence.

The song got to #13 on the “U.S. Billboard Hot 10″ but on the “World Singles Top 40″ chart the song got to #1! So, hell ya!

And now for the ringtone: I think it’s awesome… I mean it’s got all the elements of the rhythm and pop side but yet it’s also pretty powerful! Warning: trying this ringtone will get you real hooked, you’ll see! I’m giving this ringtone 8 TONY’S! Don’t agree? Let me know!

Free The Robots is a band that generously bridges the gaps between the large variety of music styles such as hip hop, techno, jazz, indie, electronica and more. Your ear may spot while listening to the tracks, that this is what is so great about bands that make you feel like the world of ideas is endless: they give you the option to find the horizon line (good luck with that).

Their music can be described as a bunch of energetic tunes with hidden tendencies of relaxation and catchiness, that aren’t buried deep enough to go by unnoticed throughout all the pleasuring complexity of these orgasmic tunes. Robotic mc’s to blast off your vocabulary simply controlled by the dj, dominant pounding bass to get your groove on and as you can hear in ‘Listen to the Future Song’, delightfully creative enough to even combine some Hawaiian vibes and various special effects mixed into the melody to make your ride a bit more interesting as your nodding upgrades into full system physical chaos.

I can’t point out many projects or bands or single artists that work alone out there, or any possible scene and genre I can think of that conduct themselves out there on their main scene like this band does so modestly, and I can’t think of one band or project that reaches such high octaves of interest and originality. These kind of bands are an endangered species nowadays in the jungle of music, so be sure to get your groove on to the right beats.

Via Sonific.com:

High enery punk band with awesome melodies, and hard hitting lyrics this album is a blend of energy, motivation, melody, and drive featuring an intense and sometimes emotional mix of songs that deliver with every note.

Visit A Step Behind on MySpace!

Now look what ICQ can cause to friendships! I’m sure you can recognize the situation: you’re starring at your ICQ/MSN/AIM/whatever screen, and the word “typing” just appears next to your best friend’s nickname… just watch what happens next. Sympathize?

Via Sonific.com:

Guitar driven post punk rock with thoughtful and at times angst filled vocals.

Visit Feverdream’s page on CDBABY!

Hmmm, let me see… trashy tights; electro dance; Korg synth; Japanese technology… Yup, that’s right, this commercial must be the most 80s thing the 80s ever produced, other than “The Breakfast Club”.

Via Sonific.com:

Lateduster are multi-instrumentalists running live drums, bass, guitar, turntables and keys through samplers and effects that culminate in a stunning end result.

Visit Lateduster’s official website!

Today brings back old and very, very sad memories: Cliff Burton, the second bass player of Metallica, who co-written and played on three of their classic albums (and best, for some): Kill ‘Em All (1983), Ride the Lightning (1984) and Master of Puppets (1986), died exactly 20 years ago – on September 27th, 1986.

Cliff Burton was a true driving force of the band, being very involved and pushing all the way, even though he was a shy and very secluded person. One night on the Damage Inc” European tour and while in Sweden, the Metallica tour bus flipped and tipped over a few times during a horrifying accident, throwing Burton out of the window and then crushing him to death. You can’t expect a more un-expected tragedy to ever happen, but sadly it did. The reason for the accident is still in the mist after all these years, while a lot of accusations are pointed at the tour bus driver being drunk. Another theory is that the bus hit an ice pond – a thin coating of glazed ice that surfaced the road.

Burton’s death left Metallica and their fans grieving and mourning until this day and probably forever. Enter Jason Newsted at the new bass player spot, question marks about the band’s musical direction had started to appear regularly, especially during and after the “Black Album” years. Some believe that this change could never have happened if Burton was still alive and active in the band. As we all know, the bass player spot is now taken by Robert Trujillo, and everybody are waiting to hear what the new and upcoming album, now produced by legendary producer Rick Rubin, will bring.

Cliff Burton was an important part of an amazing and oh so influential band, and a talented musician. His love for the Misfits, Samhayn and Glenn Danzig has left its mark on the entire band, exploding in the cover of “Die, Die My Darling” on their covers album, Garage Inc, from ‘98.

R.I.P Cliff, we all know you’re still rockin’ up there.

This Ringtone review is brought to you by The Cell Freak.

Ok, I’ve been waiting for a couple of months for this band to release a new single and here it is… I wrote a post about them last month or so and I’m stoked to get to this point again because this band is amazing. After “Over My Head” (which reached #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 and got Double Platinum), The Fray now bring us “How to Save a Life” (that’s also the actual title of the album that it’s out from).

According to lead singer Issac Slade, the song is about discussing a friend’s crack cocaine addiction at a summer camp.
Touching.

The song up until now has reached “Gold” and is at number 7 at the “The Billboard Hot 100″. It was also featured on episodes of “Scrubs”, “One Tree Hill”, MTV’s “The Hills” and “Grey’s Anatomy” (the song was used in the main ABC promotion for the third season premiere and saw a large rise in the Billboard charts as a result).

In my opinion the song has made it and it deserved to make it. It’s just a song that you can’t not like…gr8 lyrics, gr8 passion, the music is tight and the vocals are really unbelievable… The ringtone for the song is also very good. Really, the song is catchy and addictive so you’ll like the ringtone for sure! The vocals rhythms on it are very nice; the bass line is filling the ringtone out like hell! Really I think this is a winner…yes….it’s gonna get 10 TONY’S!!! And it well deserves it!!! U think different, tell me about it!

How to Save a Life (Lyrics):

Step one you say we need to talk
He walks you say sit down it’s just a talk
He smiles politely back at you
You stare politely right on through
Some sort of window to your right
As he goes left and you stay right
Between the lines of fear and blame
And you begin to wonder why you came

Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend
Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a life

Let him know that you know best
Cause after all you do know best
Try to slip past his defense
Without granting innocence
Lay down a list of what is wrong
The things you’ve told him all along
And pray to God he hears you
And pray to God he hears you

Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend
Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a life

As he begins to raise his voice
You lower yours and grant him one last choice
Drive until you lose the road
Or break with the ones you’ve followed
He will do one of two things
He will admit to everything
Or he’ll say he’s just not the same
And you’ll begin to wonder why you came

Where did I go wrong, I lost a friend
Somewhere along in the bitterness
And I would have stayed up with you all night
Had I known how to save a life

How to save a life…