I am absolutely no fan of goth music. It annoys me, it irritates me. The tones are offensive, the lyrics pretentious and overblown and self-indulgent, the rhythms assaulting, and the whole culture distasteful.
That being said, I find myself strangely drawn to one of the more preeminent bands of the whole Goth movement.
I was first exposed to "Disturbed" when I saw a fan-made video for "Buffy The Vampire Slayer." Someone had taken a bunch of video clips of Willow and her most powerful (and darkest) moments as a witch, and set them to "Down With The Sickness." A truly ugly montage, set to extremely ugly music, but it somehow worked.
Next, on the Muzak at work, I happened to hear a couple of covers of 80's hits I rather liked. One was a punked-up version of Don Henley's "The Boys Of Summer," but the other was a (dare I say it) "Disturbing" cover of Tears For Fears' "Shout." Again, somehow, it worked for me.
Then I discovered Richard Cheese, the guy who does Vegas lounge versions of music that really shouldn't lend itself to such treatment. Including a version of "Down WIth The Sickness" that is so wrong that it was featured in the recent remake of "Dawn Of The Dead."
But now it's gotten personal.
A friend of mine played a track from Disturbed's latest album. The opening sounded vaguely familiar. I kept listening, and a little voice kept telling me I KNEW this song...
No. No. NO!!!!!!!
Yes. They've covered "Genesis." I was listening to a remake of "Land Of Confusion." And again, I found myself liking it.
However, I think they succumbed to the popularity of the song, fueled by the "Spitting Image" puppets in the video (including a Mike Rutherford with an extremely phallic nose). I think they'd have been better doing "Tonight, Tonight, Tonight" or the "Domino" suite from that album.
And no, I'm NOT buying their album.
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Comments (12)
I, too, have found myself d... (Below threshold)1. Posted by Michael Diaz | September 26, 2005 8:19 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
I, too, have found myself digging Disturbed on occasion.
However, technically they are not Goth. For Goth try Sisters of Mercy, Rosetta Stone, or Black Tape for a Blue Girl.
1. Posted by Michael Diaz | September 26, 2005 8:19 AM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on September 26, 2005 08:19
2. Posted by mesablue | September 26, 2005 10:01 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Sacrilege!
I was a bigger fan of the Gabriel Genesis, but that's still wrong.
Couldn't imagine them doing that to Supper's Ready.
Thankfully I couldn't find this on Rhapsody.
2. Posted by mesablue | September 26, 2005 10:01 AM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on September 26, 2005 10:01
3. Posted by SilverBubble | September 26, 2005 10:37 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
*sighs*
Michael is right, Disturbed is not Goth.
Old people... pffft.
3. Posted by SilverBubble | September 26, 2005 10:37 AM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on September 26, 2005 10:37
4. Posted by SilverBubble | September 26, 2005 10:38 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
By the way, I absolutley love the Ataris cover of "The Boys Of Summer"... I couldn't stand the original.
4. Posted by SilverBubble | September 26, 2005 10:38 AM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on September 26, 2005 10:38
5. Posted by cirby | September 26, 2005 10:44 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Rasputina is a fun goth band. Two cellos. "Transylvanian Concubine" turned up on the Buffy soundtrack, too.
(One of the local bars here has Cheese's "Lounge Against the Machine" in the jukebox, because you've gotta fight for your right to party. Yeah.)
5. Posted by cirby | September 26, 2005 10:44 AM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on September 26, 2005 10:44
6. Posted by JimK | September 26, 2005 11:29 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Dear God...Disturbed described as Goth.
I really thought I'd seen everything. ;)
6. Posted by JimK | September 26, 2005 11:29 AM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on September 26, 2005 11:29
7. Posted by John Irving | September 26, 2005 1:43 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Disturbed is best described as either heavy metal or nu-metal, depending on how ornery you get about classis heavy metal. I saw them three times while living in New Hampshire, first at the Pop Sux tour with Trustcompany and Korn, then in Massachusetts, then at that open-air stadium in central NH (forget the name, but i'm sure someone here knows).
I've heard they've gone a bit anti-war, but their only comment at the beginning of the war (the Mass concert) was to "support our brothers and sisters in the military" and led the crowd with a "U.S.A!" chant. At the open-air concert, after some crowd-surfing girl got groped fairly badly, they came out and asked for the men in the crowd to look out for their "sisters in metal" and basically put a beatdown on anyone disrespecting the ladies that way.
Chivalry isn't dead, it's just wearing a different suit of metal these days.
7. Posted by John Irving | September 26, 2005 1:43 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on September 26, 2005 13:43
8. Posted by spurwing plover | September 26, 2005 2:21 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Do you ever remember some of the classic rock music by HERMINS HERMITS and CREDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL?
8. Posted by spurwing plover | September 26, 2005 2:21 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on September 26, 2005 14:21
9. Posted by SilverBubble | September 26, 2005 5:14 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Spurwing, CCR is one of my all-time favorite bands. Ever. Just thought I'd let ya know.
9. Posted by SilverBubble | September 26, 2005 5:14 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on September 26, 2005 17:14
10. Posted by fatman | September 27, 2005 7:21 AM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Those who think Jay Tea's old because he called Disturbed a Goth band would probably think that someone who's never heard of Disturbed (like me) must be ready for the dirt nap. (Though I do like CCR and Skynyrd, among others.)
10. Posted by fatman | September 27, 2005 7:21 AM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on September 27, 2005 07:21
11. Posted by brainy435 | September 27, 2005 12:31 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Seems there's been a run on remaking Collins-related music lately. Nonpoint does a pretty kickass rendition of "In the Air Tonight."
11. Posted by brainy435 | September 27, 2005 12:31 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on September 27, 2005 12:31
12. Posted by eLarson | September 27, 2005 5:33 PM | Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Check out Cheese's "Did it All for the Nookie", too.
12. Posted by eLarson | September 27, 2005 5:33 PM |
Score: 0 (0 votes cast)
Posted on September 27, 2005 17:33