> DEATZ BEATS

Siouxsie Sioux is the beginning of my list. She was part of a short, but powerful goth music sound, and she successfully channeled her style into some mainstream success while maintaining her identity as a bad-ass artist.

Xmal Deutschland: If you aren’t listening carefully, you’d swear their singer was Siouxsie Sioux. Dark, luxurious goth. And it’s all in German. So goth. So dark.

Uncompromising is a good way to begin describing Lydia Lunch (more on Wikipedia). Not sure where to end. My most notable experience with her is the song I’m featuring here (Death Valley ’69 with Sonic Youth), but she may be one of the most influential artists in the deep underground of the 80’s and beyond.

For me, Sinéad O’Connor is characterized best by her sense of identity in her voice and her refusal to conform to norms, even when record companies were clearly trying their hardest to mold her to their idea of what kind of pop star she should have been. Thank goodness she fought them. Rest in peace!

Joan Jett is a rock goddess, full stop. Now, pretend for a second that she is ACTUALLY a goth rocker. Listen to I Wanna Be Your Dog like it really is a goth song, and HOT DAMN. It is. It just is.

Yeah, I know, Sonic Youth has TWO songs on this list, and it seems kinda unfair. Except that Kim Gordon is a GIANT, and Lydia Lunch isn’t allowed to crowd her out. Gordon is still crushing it, commanding her legions of fans to listen differently, to think differently, and to embrace difference. At least that’s my take on her. Her most recent album Play Me is not Sonic Youth. Not even close. It’s way different.

Tori Amos plays piano like no other. I mean, Mozart did some crazy shit. So did Elton John and Billy Joel. I mean, those two brought piano smarts to the stage, and they proved piano players could rock the house, too. Tori, though? She took it to a whole new level, and she brought piano to alt-rock, crazy music production, and rage, rage, rage. Did I forget to mention she can sing?

Björk is largely recognized as the world’s first Icelandic superstar. That’s a fact. And she marched and still marches to the beat of her own drum. If she doesn’t embody the spirit of independence, non-conformity, and confidence in her own identity, no one does. I mean, she’s frickin’ weird.

Assuming you’ve read this far, you might think that Brody Dalle from The Distillers is an odd entrant on this list. In the grand scheme of things, The Distillers, compared to the rest of the names on this list, are pretty unknown. But damn. She is a killer lead singer for a kick-ass punk rock outfit that should have existed 40 years ago, and instead came together in the early oughts. Kick-ass!

Florence Welch and her Machine are not goth. Or are they? I don’t know. She has had such success as a titan of witchy music and witchy power, I think she is just late to the goth party. And, when you watch her sing, it seems like she’s exerting absolutely no effort, but, BAM! Power in the house!

Just listen to Lady Gaga for a minute, and stop thinking about her as an uber-successful dance music star. I mean, she IS an uber-successful dance music star, but… She is an incredibly talented musician who has defined her path her own way. I mean, she mounted her head to a motorcycle! What more can I say?

Billie is Billie, right? We’ve listened to her and watched her as she’s grown up, and we’re still listening to her and watching her as she grows up. She’s a kick-ass indie pop star. She’s not goth. No freakin’ way. Raw talent, truth to self, and amazing music production. Goth Diva!

I’ve talked about Mannequin Pussy before, especially here (Mannequin Pussy vs. The World!!!). What a great band from Philadelphia. They are a force to be reckoned with, and their music stands well alongside all of the giants on this list!