# STAFF PICKS: GOTHTOBER Each week, staff members compile a themed playlist and spotlight some of their standout picks. For this week, we selected some goth tracks to sink into autumn. # "Life Goes On" by The Damned ## By Anna Brammer-Depuy All four minutes and three seconds of this song are a pleasure to listen to. Opening with a guitar riff which later inspired that of [Killing Joke](https://www.instagram.com/killingjokeband/?hl=en)’s “[Eighties](https://open.spotify.com/track/2ZWiZv8tk1tAnX9NV1udMC)” and [Nirvana](https://www.instagram.com/off1cial_nirvana/?hl=en)’s “[Come As You Are,](https://open.spotify.com/track/4P5KoWXOxwuobLmHXLMobV)” the deep and velveteen sound pulls listeners into a state of bliss. The vocals are sweetly baritone, performed by bassist Captain Sensible instead of lead vocalist Dave Vanian. Together with guitarist Brian James and drummer Rat Scabies, they form The Damned. The London-based group are still (mostly) together and currently touring. The band has accrued international admiration as a seminal part of the post-punk and goth scene. “Life Goes On” is their third-biggest hit and has a conspicuously different sound from the other two, which are thrashier and faster paced. During concerts the song is used to calm the crowd, as anyone who’s heard it and felt its honeylike melody drip into their ears would understand. This track is perfect to listen to on cloudy October days when the cracked, charcoal-colored sidewalks are sprinkled with fallen leaves and pumpkins are placed on seasonally conscious doorsteps. The song evokes a spooky feeling, an anthem for living fit for ashen skies and bare tree branches—for vampires, perhaps. The listener is urged to continue living even if “it’s all gone wrong,” and the reminder that “this is the happiest day of your life” serves to rouse one from wrestling with thoughts of the past and focus instead on the present. The Damned are in the fall leg of their cleverly dubbed 50th anniversary Final Damnation Farewell Tour, which will conclude this November in the US before moving onto the UK. It’s their final tour, and I’ll be damned if I’m not going! https://open.spotify.com/track/5o4ZMgROr8560cA4gbVcYG?si=0e8f445b6b5f40b2 # "Your Funeral... My Trial" by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds ## By Lindsay Hawes 1986 release [*Your Funeral…  My Trial*](https://open.spotify.com/album/3o9mIGmabqGlA8DD9Aphgu?si=8QnQiXv6QdmiQ7VL9GUltQ) is a very underrated early chapter within the long and wonderful discography of [Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds](https://open.spotify.com/artist/4UXJsSlnKd7ltsrHebV79Q?si=509gVsZESEKmbhvcaJ3L4A). It was the first album of theirs I listened to around my sophomore year of high school. I was a little stunned and confused by it, but the impression it left on me cannot be understated. It’s an extremely beautiful album. Title track “Your Funeral… My Trial” borrows its name and chorus from “[Your Funeral And My Trial](https://open.spotify.com/track/2P9IoX60r6s3UVFMpPfFUi?si=79aff2d690454b17)” by blues legend [Sonny Boy Williamson ll](https://open.spotify.com/artist/69VgCcXFV59QuQWEXSTxfK?si=mo0yhIcaQvepoyyw1gFKGw). The Australian-born [Nick Cave’s](https://open.spotify.com/artist/1RM5gp0RFfjpJhCYFPB30p?si=gixXtcLTRDePvocPja7Uqw) obsession with the blues, a pretty classically American genre, defined a lot of his early work with The Bad Seeds. [Einstürzende Neubauten](https://open.spotify.com/artist/7KomCxZv6D5qCVvefwMnwB?si=ipezL2piRSeJbRi8uaxrUQ) founder [Blixa Bargeld](https://open.spotify.com/artist/0ecGioDyIR2QiyujHeiwHw?si=l2V-dGNcS7mLrrUV-Lb3Ww) and Bad Seeds founding member [Mick Harvey](https://open.spotify.com/artist/5RyAbJ3y4yw8EbDcRblB8S?si=f6dWfdr5TAC5-ZqgywrlFA)’s post-punk backgrounds contribute a gothic tone to the album. On this song, Bargeld and Harvey’s evocative guitar work, additional piano by Harvey, and a hammond organ by Cave builds a beautiful, melancholic sound. The cryptic lyrics add to how intense the song is. Biblical language and imagery and allusions to nighttime make for a southern gothic feel. I particularly love the lyrics, “One thousand Marys lured me / Into gullies damp with clover”. *Your Funeral… My Trial* can be a challenging listen, but I highly recommend this song and album for anyone interested in post-punk adjacent stuff,Nick Cave’s work, or those he’s worked with! Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds recently concluded their thirty-two show tour across the UK and Europe in August. Stream their most recent release, [Live God](https://open.spotify.com/album/3aeOI8sfePIYc8SKwrPAt9?si=TvEIUxBiTxalZ120xRNiXw) wherever you get your music! https://open.spotify.com/track/1HV08dnowVocMRk4k9VZdS?si=610850fef9ca41de # "In Praise of Bacchus" by Type O Negative ## By Lane Webb As the leaves start changing and the air becomes crisp, there is no better time of the year to listen to [Type O Negative](https://open.spotify.com/artist/0blJzvevdXrp21YeI2vbco?si=LA3fU1psQPasO8yxJv6k4Q&utm_source=copy-link). I remember discovering them  right after the pandemic hit in 2020 as I was deep-diving into different metal genres. It was autumn when I first listened to the album [*October Rust*](https://open.spotify.com/album/6BkeUWI72Lssc077AxqQek?si=yiH5sR_zQTmDR-aoGtkUvQ&utm_source=copy-link) and I immediately fell in love with their sound. Released in 1996, *October Rust* is the band's fourth studio album. In my opinion, It contains some of their best work, as they drifted away from their doom metal roots and experimented with gothic ballads and synth-heavy guitar. [Peter Steele’s](https://www.instagram.com/petersteelerocks?mdxt=cGx2bzBrd3o1MDlq) deep, pronounced vocals blend seamlessly with the chugging bass riffs and complex lead guitar melodies. Most tracks on *October Rust* feature the use of a drum machine, which is quite controversial in the metal genre. Steele was adamant that the programmed and triggered sounds would establish the atmospheric blend they were aiming for. Thanks to keyboardist [Josh Silvers](https://www.google.com/search?q=josh+silvers+type+o+negative&client=safari&hs=WqAW&sca_esv=4dc8063a2e18b58e&hl=en-us&sxsrf=APpeQntNv0DBKHSDUlWNeNhq10DfwNrYjw:1792383325813&ei=XZnVaqqcMdmB5OMP1qKYgQ4&biw=393&bih=695&oq=josh+silvers+type+o+negative&gs_lp=EhNtb2JpbGUtZ3dzLXdpei1zZXJwIhxqb3NoIHNpbHZlcnMgdHlwZSBvIG5lZ2F0aXZlMgUQIRigATIFECEYoAEyBRAhGKABMgUQIRigATIFECEYoAEyBRAhGKsCMgUQIRifBTIFECEYnwVI6yhQhwZY5CdwA3gBkAEAmAF-oAHVDaoBBDQuMTK4AQPIAQD4AQGYAhOgAsMOwgIKEAAYRxjWBBiwA8ICFxAuGNwGGLgGGNoGGNgCGMgDGLAD2AEBwgIKEAAYgAQYFBiHAsICBRAAGIAEwgIGEAAYFhgewgIIEAAYFhgeGArCAgcQLhiABBgNwgIIEC4Y8gYYjwfCAgcQABiABBgNmAMAiAYBkAYOugYECAEYGZIHBDUuMTSgB-9tsgcEMi4xNLgHqg7CBwgwLjEuMTYuMsgHYoAIAQ&sclient=mobile-gws-wiz-serp&iga=1&utm_campaign=safari_share_1) studio programming and drum samples, they certainly achieved the sound they wanted. “In Praise of Bacchus” is their standout track for me. The opening riff immediately evokes the emotions I experience feeling the first chill of fall. Steele’s almost whispery delivery of the opening line “Hey Bacchus” gives me chills. When the intense ensemble commences after the gradual build-up, where Steele sings, “She hates me!” The lyrics evoke romantic self-pity and wine-induced nostalgia, given that Bacchus is the god of wine and religious ecstasy. The track was exclusively written by Steele in 1996 and the song has deep personal meaning to him. In an interview with Genius Lyrics, he recalled being drunk on a rainy night at his old apartment in Red Hook, Brooklyn, gazing at cobblestone streets and the Brooklyn bridge. He describes having this furry feeling inside while being drunk, hence the line, “A furry vino-tinted slave”(Genius Lyrics, 2016). The bridge is absolutely my favorite part of the track. It features female guest backing vocals by [Val Ium](https://www.metal-archives.com/artists/Val_Ium/168416), bassist of [Pist.On](https://open.spotify.com/artist/7i5SNZSnLm9J4QImRyS3Pr?si=L4kRz13JT2OZHARFEhVNHQ&utm_source=copy-link), singing “She said burn, together / We’ll burn, together” alongside Steele. The song ends with more of Ium's backing vocals and Steele singing a verse in Latin. It is an excellent conclusion for a song riddled with themes of wine drinking and a Roman god, and an amazing listen for October and throughout autumn. https://open.spotify.com/track/66FEeug2tlsdIYMyJKLIwE?si=36f67360cb56443d ### Listen to the full playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0uBYClJyfjZlB8RJMSm8eh?si=oK21GId-QXmBwCMeCeNpig Contributors: Anna Brammer-Depuy, Lyle Byrne, Maya Eberlin, Lindsay Hawes, Caroline Maurer, Cara Reddington, Aya Soussi, Gabe Sullo, Lane Webb Cover photo - Type O Negative