"Witch House" - A Great Performance From A Scene I Don't Really Believe In

Made-up genres are undeniably annoying. Maybe it's the smugness you glean from reading (because inevitably you find these concoctions in written form) certain publications throw together random words to christen a new "scene." Better yet, maybe it's the irritation of hearing these same random combinations written about in a matter-of-fact manner. Let's make it clear: these "genres" are catch-all terms for disparate bands, not a universally-defined collective.

Excuse my rant, which has little to do with this post except as a disclaimer. The "Witch House" "scene" bandied about a few months back is a terrible case of pre-emptive labelling. Undeniably, a number of bands have emerged with similar aesthetics and an ill-defined musical base that seems to vary from description to description; some ascribe it to the "chopped and screwed" remixes pioneered by the purple drank-swilling DJ Screw, others to house music, others to broader hip hop, 80s synth pop, etc etc. These variations expose the dangers of creating a scene united on a merely aesthetic basis; after all, if this scene is defined vaguely by sound, but concretely by a gothic horror image, where does it stop? Why not just drag in every goth band that experimented with certain beats, or the dark hip hop style known as horrorcore, another scene defined mainly by aesthetics?

Second disclaimer over: I really like some of the bands that supposedly embody this scene. Many have been put forward as part of the "Witch House" style; some were merely dull but others were indeed very intriguing. I especially liked this live session from Tearist, featuring the song "Civilization." It's a very intense listen, crossed somewhere between heavy synth-pop and 4AD goth (the latter conjured up by the extensive reverb and delay drifting above the drum and synth base). Vocalist Yasmine can be heard creating this reverb fog with a voice that brings to mind none other than goth pioneer Siouxsie Sioux. A great performance here:

The Great Forward-Thinking Sound of the Silver Apples!

The Silver Apples are one of the most interesting bands in pop music history. Propelled by the constant, propulsive drum rhythm that would later become known as "motorik" when used by Neu! and textured with early synths, the result is a clash between control and chaotic noise. The synths ambush the ears and create a trippy atmosphere, the antithesis of the steady rhythm section. Well worth a listen if you want to hear the strange beginning of not just krautrock, but the foundations of electronic music as a whole.