Underground Listmaker

Electronic music spans a vast and diverse landscape, but the cold and dark subgenres hold a special place for their atmospheric depth and emotive intensity. These tracks are characterized by moody, intricate production, and often explore themes of introspection, dystopia, and the human condition. The artists in this realm push the boundaries of sound, crafting music that is both haunting and mesmerizing. The past few decades have seen a significant evolution in these subgenres, with innovation and experimentation leading to some truly unforgettable tracks. Electronic production is often associated with newer music...I don't necessarily agree with this, but there is a definite tendency towards some more recent tracks here. Nevertheless, there is a good amount of older stuff in this playlist as well. Below is an unranked (but carefully curated) playlist of some of my favorite cold and dark electronic songs from across the years. Hope you enjoy! 1. The Knife - Silent Shout  ||  S...

 As someone who's been a fan of Ulver for a long time, this album was quite a letdown.                                                            Synthpop  ||  Released August 28, 2020 For a band who started out as black metal and later changed on-a-dime to an experimental electronic band with very few inhibitions, "Flowers of Evil" is completely tame, with no bite to it whatsoever. From the raw and engaging "Bergtatt", to the experimentation of "Blood Inside", the deathly beauty of "Shadows of the Sun", we've...progressed...to this. Maybe I shouldn't have been surprised...after all, the band's previous effort, "The Assassination of Julius Caesar" wasn't exactly what you would have called "innovative", but at the very least it marked a distinct shift in Ulver's everchanging musical style. This album feels like no more than c...

Previous installments: One   ||  Two All of my album ratings for albums released this year (so far). This is the third installment. I've been devoting a proportionally significant amount of time to finding new and obscure records in an attempt to broaden my horizons.  A couple of albums shifted upwards on the list, most significantly the new  Tapir! record. New entries are in green. Note: in general, I will not listen to something unless I think I might possibly enjoy it.  1. Chelsea Wolfe - She Reaches Out to She Reaches Out to She   ||  Darkwave, Post-Industrial, Trip Hop  ||   10/10  2. Allie X - Girl With No Face   ||  Synthpop, Darkwave, Electronic  ||   9.5/10  3. Adrianne Lenker - Bright Future   ||  Contemporary Folk, Singer/Songwriter  ||  9/10 4. The Smile - Wall of Eyes   ||  Art Rock, Post-Rock, Krautrock  ||   9/10   5. Ally ...

Other Installments: One   ||  Three All of my album ratings for albums released this year (so far). This is the second installment. We've had a decent year so far. The top 10 on this list don't touch last year's, but it's early days yet. New additions to the list are are indicated. 1. Chelsea Wolfe - She Reaches Out to She Reaches Out to She   ||  Darkwave, Post-Industrial, Trip Hop  ||  10/10  2. Allie X - Girl With No Face  ||  Synthpop, Darkwave, Electronic  ||  9.5/10 (NEW)  3. The Smile - Wall of Eyes  ||  Art Rock, Post-Rock, Krautrock  ||   9/10   4. Ally St. Ives - Dryleaze Marching Band   ||  Post-Rock, Neo-Psychedelia, Experimental  ||  9/10   5. Kim Gordon - The Collective  ||  Industrial Hip Hop, Trap, Experimental Rock, No Wave  ||  8/10 (NEW)  6. Sonic Youth - Walls Have Ears   ||  Noise Rock, No Wave, Archival ...

"The Waste Land" by T.S. Eliot  “A heap of broken images, where the sun beats, And the dead tree gives no shelter, the cricket no relief, And the dry stone no sound of water. Only There is shadow under this red rock, (Come in under the shadow of this red rock), And I will show you something different from either Your shadow at morning striding behind you Or your shadow at evening rising to meet you; I will show you fear in a handful of dust.” “My nerves are bad to-night. Yes, bad. Stay with me. 'Speak to me. Why do you never speak? Speak. 'What are you thinking of? What thinking? What? 'I never know what you are thinking. Think.” The Waste Land is one of the most impactful pieces of poetry that I have ever read. A British work written in the wake of WWI, it is an early example of modernism in poetry, and in fact inspired the entire literary movement almost on its own. It requires heavy interpretation and direct attention from the reader to understand and digest i...

Other Installments: Two   ||  Three All of my album ratings for albums released this year (so far). One of my top 10 artists ever dropped (no points for guessing which), and Kanye is being Kanye (which has become more and more of a bad thing). Overall I have high hopes for the rest of the year. Obscurity Rating*: 5.44 *OR Scale - 8. Extremely Obscure, 7. Very Obscure, 6. Obscure, 5. Slightly Obscure, 4. Slightly Popular, 3. Popular, 2. Very Popular,  1. Extremely Popular 1. Chelsea Wolfe - She Reaches Out to She Reaches Out to She  ||  Darkwave, Post-Industrial, Trip Hop  ||  10/10 2. The Smile - Wall of Eyes  ||  Art Rock, Post-Rock, Krautrock  ||  9/10 3. Ally St. Ives - Dryleaze Marching Band  ||  Post-Rock, Neo-Psychedelia, Experimental  ||  9/10 4. Yikii - Chorion  ||  Post-Industrial, Neoclassical Darkwave  ||  7/10 5. Gruff Rhys - Sadness Sets Me Free  ||...

Similar / relevant lists: Gaian Doom Boxset               Chelsea Wolfe Interview Compilation                 Radiohead Song Ranking Björk Ranking                          The Joy Formidable Ranking Chelsea Wolfe is a strong contender for my favorite artist of all time. Her and the eponymous band's style is versatile, and, contrary to the views of some detractors, not chameleonic; all of her work is very dark and often gothic, but there are many different facets and angles of her own unique darkness that she comes at in her work. Genres she has explored include ethereal wave, dark folk, doom metal, and gothic rock. In this ranking, I will list my favorite studio albums in reverse order. Underneath, I will rank my 50 favorite songs of hers. 8. Mistake in Parting  ||  Alternative Rock  ||  2006  ||  5.5/10 7. Birth ...