I collect vinyls passively as a hobby. These are ones I own from artists I like:
Siouxie and the Banshees: The Thorn, All Souls
Ghost: I literally own every single album.
Rezurex: Skeletons
Alice Cooper: Road
I tried to pick songs I like from each artist listed. I also tried to avoid songs with a lot of swearing in them, but be aware the lyrics may have themes of violence, death, and other less than cheery things. In short it's probably not the best idea to crank the volume on this stuff at work (unless your boss is super cool in which case, ROCK ON). All links open in new windows for your convenience.
Rock or metal, alto to baritone vocals, usually on the slower side. Darker lyrical subjects, may reference horror films or science fiction. Less harsh than Industrial (ex: Marilyn Manson, Rob Zombie, Nine Inch Nails), harder than psychedelic (ex: Velvet Underground, The Doors). There is almost no screaming in Goth, ever.
Example bands (click to hear a song!)
:
Siouxie and the Banshees, Aurellio Voltaire, Type O Negative
Bands to avoid
:
The Cure, Clan Of Xymox
Questionable music talent, often has a discordant sound, lyrics express real world problems without whining about them, frequently influenced by other genres like reggae or do-wop. Some bands scream all their vocals. I don't like that.
Example bands (click to hear a song!)
:
Against Me!, The Misfits, The Damned
Bands to avoid
:
AFI, Green Day, anything that is marked "pop punk" or "post punk" (ugh, emo), any band with a lot of screaming
Visual Kei
Defining traits:
A hybrid of goth and glam metal with a strong emphasis on vocals and storytelling. Alto to soprano vocals which may actually have male vocalists singing in falsetto. A highly theatrical style that is often better live than studio recorded. Typically in Japanese, but not always.
Example bands (click to hear a song!)
:
Buck-Tick, Dead End, Takayoshi Ohmura
Bands to avoid
:
Japan X
Dark Synthwave / Dark New Wave
Defining traits:
The name is a reference to the minor key and gloomy sound, not lyrical content. Sometimes the lyrics are actually cheerful! Smooth waxy vocals, typically alto to soprano with some rare first soprano. Technically complex, heavily mixed, synth heavy, and at times very aggressive. Some bands are all synth with no vocalists.
Example bands (click to hear a song!)
:
New Order / Joy Division, Carpenter Brut, Perturbator
Bands to avoid
:
Gunship (Only "Dark all day" was decent)
Horror Rock
Defining traits:
Usally rock-based but may have punk or folk influence. The lyrics almost always are something out of a horror movie. In fact, the lyrics sometimes are actually about various horror films! May be very theatrical on stage with costumes, staged scenes, and special effects.
Wednesday 13, Alice Cooper, Rezurex
Bands to avoid
:
Twiztid, Insane Clown Possee, and other "Horrorcore" bands (they're actually Hip Hop). Skynd.
Basically anything genuine and dark
Defining traits:
Minor keys abound, may have a heavy sound with lots of bass and synth, lyrics can be about anything as long as it feels genuine. There's so many "mixed" acts out there that it's hard to list them all. When in doubt, toss me a band and I'll let you know what I think!
Example bands (click to hear a song!)
:
Killing Joke,
Bands to avoid
:
Any band that has traits from my "disliked" list. Or that screams all their vocals.
Emo ("Pop Punk", "Post Punk", ect)
Defining traits:
High pitched (often soprano) vocals, jangling guitars, may feature synth, lyrics complaining about things, a studio-influenced "fake" sound.
Example bands (click to hear a song!)
:
Paramore, Panic! At the Disco, Fall Out Boy
why I hate it
:
The high vocals are annoying. The lyrics are whiny and feel concocted to appeal to as many suburban teens as possible. The whole thing reeks of studio interference and big label mandates. It's goth and punk with all the teeth removed so they can sell it. Soulless trash.
Hip Hop, Rap, R&B
Defining traits:
Repetitive often stolen music clips ("sampling"), thud-thud-thud bass, zero musical skill outside of looking pretty and being able to talk in rhythm. Empty lyrics glorifying sex, drugs, and low living that at the same time demonstrate the fact they have literally never lived anything lower than middle class. Built to RIAA standards, sometimes has nothing more than a hook as the first verse and a chorus. The hook and chorus repeat for the entire song running time with no variation.
Example bands (click to hear a song!)
:
There is too much of this to even list. If you really need examples, you are among the lucky ones.
Why I hate it
:
Can't I just listen to the songs they are stealing from? Also, Punk does it better and is more real about it because most punks actually have life experience and aren't just mimicing Scarface.