We will stumble home together as we did the night before

I love rain.  And I love the sort of atmospheric, ethereal music that fits so perfectly with those kinds of days.  I mean, I’ve had an appreciation for Goth Rock and Industrial music since I was first introduced to them in 8th/9th grade, but when I get into this kind of mood I really tend to listen to those bands that straddle both genres.

Of course, the particular style goes under several different names (Goth-Industrial, Elektro-Goth, Darkwave, etc.), to the point that some make it a point of contention over what unique stylistic concerns differentiate one term from the next, but I’m not nearly that anally-retented about it.

So what bands are considered to be in this category?  Well, the main ones I listen to would be The Birthday Massacre (“Promise Me” being the inspiration behind this post’s title) and The Last Dance, although The Crüxshadows, L’Âme Immortelle, and VAST would even be counted in various amounts as well.  Some individual songs from predominantly Goth, Synthpop, or Industrial bands would also figure in as well.  Aleixa’s “Rain In The Air” is a good example from a predominantly Industrial group, as would be ThouShaltNot’s “The Ocean Is Your Voice” or “100 Generations” (the band figuring mostly in the Dark Synthpop category – and honestly, if I have to hear one more person misattributing their song “If I Only Were A Goth” to Voltaire…).  So, without further ado, a mere playlist highlighting some favorite selections of mine from the aforementioned bands:

• The Birthday Massacre – “Promise Me”, “Video Kid”, and “Under The Stairs” (from Nothing and Nowhere), “Play Dead” and “Nevermind” (from Violet), and “Shiver” (from the Looking Glass EP), etc.
• ThouShaltNot – “The Ocean Is Your Voice” and “100 Generations”
• The Last Dance – “Flesh” (from Staring At The Sky, not the remix on Now And Forever After), “Lost” and “Parade” (from Perfect), “Nightmares”, “Rage”, “Wonderlust”, “Breath” (and the Myself Into You mix from Reflections Of Rage), “Dead Man’s Party”*, and “Terribly When” (from Whispers In Rage), “Distantly”, “Wish Me Closer”, and “Special Little Gift” (from Once Beautiful), “Cages”, etc.
• Aleixa – “Rain In The Air”
• VAST – “Touched”, “Pretty When You Cry (from Visual Audio Sensory Theater), “I Don’t Have Anything” (from Music For People), “Lost” (from Nude)
• Scala and Kolacny Brothers – “The Bitter End”* (not exactly fitting in the genres I was discussing previously, but very stirring)
• L’Âme Immortelle – “Tiefster Winter”, “Life Will Never Be The Same Again”
• The Crüxshadows – “Return (Coming Home)”, “Sympathy (For Tomorrow)”, “Täuschung”, “Cruelty”, “Deception”
• Faith and the Muse – “Running Up That Hill”* (the Placebo, Within Temptation, and Lund Hill Clements Churchill Trio covers as well)
• Monolithic – “The Sound Of Tears” (another Synthpop entry)

*denotes covers; “Dead Man’s Party” originally by Oingo Boingo, “The Bitter End” originally by Placebo, “Running Up That Hill” originally by Kate Bush.

I certainly could list more stuff, but I don’t want to spend more time plumbing my music collection.