Album Name - Soft Black Stars
Artist - Current 93
Label - Durtro Records
Year - 1998
Genre - Goth, Gothic Folk, Apocalyptic Folk, Noise,
Experimental, Neofolk
Preference Rating (1- Hate, 2-Dislike, 3-Okay, 4-Like,
5-Love) - 5
Production Quality (1-Noise, 2-Home, 3-Standard
4-Profesional) - 4
Music Quality (1-Bad, 2-Novice, 3-Amature, 3- Professional,
5-Great) - 5
I am assuming most of you do not know who Current 93 is.
Fear not you are in exalted company. Unless you have some affiliation to the
Gothic community (i.e. a friend, read weird websites, etc.) you most likely
will not have heard the name. Even those near the Gothic community have only
heard the name and not the actual band. It is often just one of those bands you
recite in litany to prove your credentials. I am sure other people listen to
Current 93 as well, but there is a lot of truth in the story I just told you.
Current 93 often preforms a style of folk preceded by the words gothic,
apocalyptic, and/or neo. Though no two albums are the same style in any
substantial way. I am a huge fan he is one of my favorite artists, and this
album is my favorite. Soft Black Stars is art. Most of the album is beautiful
and melancholy piano ballads haunted with the somber & romantic lyrics of
David Tibet all accented by ghost violin, mandolin, flute and the like. The lyrics are a blend of romantic, gothic,
and Christian symbolism. He talks about ‘deaths heads.’ They reveal themselves
as death in the conventional since. The death of a loved one, child, friend, or
oneself. He also talks of death metaphorically. Of relationships, eras, and
ideas. Of course the last of the death heads is apocalypse, the death of all.
Most of these songs are like poetry and ballads to differing audiences.
Sometime they are to his lover. Sometimes they are to his audience. Sometimes
they are to death. The last track and its different versions, while
complimentary, offers us a taste of his experimental and or noise genre
abilities. It’s like an enthralling and personal dialog with some person and eschatology.
Not for everyone perhaps but you never know until you try. Grab your favorite
beverage and or vise (a nice pipe) and sit in the most comfortable place you
can and try soaking it in…Just my suggestion….
Resources:
- David Tibet + Current 93 (http://www.davidtibet.com/) Artist’s website
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