Gothwar II! Taking Sides: Clan of Xymox vs Faith & the Muse vs Miranda Sex Garden

"Liar, liar, Jesus on FIRE!"

"here come the bone people"

Just a quick note to anyone who might possibly be vaguely interested.
Theres a goofy crooner/comedy act called "Voltaire (Oh My Goth!) which is the real life equivalent of a Vlad Al Yankovic novelty tune guy of the gothoid stripe. Look for the song "Vampire Club", its a hoot.

i heard an early a cappella miranda sex garden song on one of those 'heavenly voices' compilations and thought it was really cool. i'm listening to the 'madra' album of their's now, and, god, this is really just fucking awful. this is some of the most pretentious, shitty goth that i've ever heard. and, you know, i hear quite a bit of pretentious, shitty goth (except i usually enjoy it).

i have 'the burning season' by faith and the muse. i really don't like it at all, but it's just not my thing, i guess. i can totally give them credit for what they do, though. on that album at least, it sounds like they're kind of trying to reference when goth rock and post-punk weren't so far apart. it's almost kind of like early siouxsie but much more mournful. but, the album just doesn't do it for me, though.

xymox is clearly the sane choice here, if you have taste, that is. i can't really say why, but they can, on their album 'medusa'.

this is some of the most pretentious, shitty goth that i've ever heard.

it's an entire album of english madrigals from the 16th and 17th centuries. what did you expect it to sound like?

haha, i guess i can't say. heather phares at amg seemed to think it was great in her review of it though, and we both seem to share the same tastes when it comes to these dreamy, gothy things. that album really just gave me a headache, though.

it is pretty great, for what it is, but it's not postpunk-derived ethereal/goth music at all, really. i like it much more than the other miranda sex garden albums, which are industrial goth affairs. katherine blake eventually went back to making madra-like albums with mediaeval baebes. and topped the UK classical charts!

i'd pick xymox as well.

I'm properly listening to the first S/T Clan of Xymox album lots today and I really really like it. How I mostly missed it at the time baffles me as that was the height of my 4AD obsession, the mid 80s. Hunh. Still. It really is perfectly all I love about 4AD, 80s and goth all rolled into one sweepy melancholy strummy package.

their guitar sound is still kinda unique! the one that features all throughout "a day" and is held in reserve all through "no human can drown" and then unleashed around 2:57 to great effect!

makes me want to put on "a million lights" by trisomie 21, it's of a kind with the first couple of xymox records. who i thought were pretty great all the way up through phoenix... "down to earth" is a wonderful b-side.

"no human can drown" is a really lovely song.

Come on people, Miranda Sex Garden compeletly owns these Gothwars... 'Suspiria' is one seriously classic album.

No Xmal Deutschland, no credibility

I think they're due for Gothwars III

... with Danse Society and the March Violets?

Skeletal Family will kick all their asses.

But then just when it looks like it's all over, Red Lorry Yellow Lorry will come bursting through the fog and take Skeletal Family down crying "you went on to sing with Ghost Dance and they were rubbish!"

I liek or love all these bands (March Violets in the cheesy Missionesque way though)

I do declare there are far too many closet goths on ILM based on the replies to this thread, har. (me and Curtis dont count, everyone already knows we're sadass goths)

make that BADASS goths

Wheres that pic Sean did of me with the sesame street guys.

Katharine Blake has a new solo album streaming on her myspace page and it is actually pretty good.