So I’m minding my own business; multitasking and listening to some Pandora when it drops this on me:

Followed by this:

My “goth” phase lasted maybe 2 years at most, but I will say some of my fondest memories were going to The Bank (Google it) on a Friday or Saturday night (hopefully the fake ID would work) dressed like a Cure reject and harrassing the DJs to play my favorite tracks. Some nights I even danced!

As most of my teenage endeavors to forge a predetermined identity for myself, this was all because of a girl or multiple girls…to be honest, it was probably multiple girls.

Luckily, my time dressed in obscure t-shirts and wearing nail polish exposed me to some fantastic music from the Cruxshadows, The Cocteu Twins, Apoptygma Berzerk, The Virgin Prunes, Alien Sex Fiend, The KIlling Joke, Christian Death, Wolfsheim and London After Midnight.

I can keep going, but I’ve got other things to do.

Anyway, if you’ve never listened to Dark Wave, Shoegazer, or Industrial music, give some of those bands a shot. Obviously, music from a niche like this is never everyone’s cup of tea, but I think if you can pull away from the whole “scene” you find some phenomenal talent and some really influential stuff.

Or you might even start rocking Legendary Pink Dots t-shirts and wearing black eyeliner all the time. Your mileage may vary.

– Be easy