Alright, I've given Omni's mix two listens now, and here are the results. Ratings are on a scale of 0 to 5.
1. Joy Division - Transmission (4/5)
Joy Division have a strange way of rocking, but rock they do. The song has a really nice mood - upbeat in a way, but also with a touch of darkness and danger. The echoey sound makes the song seem more grandiose, too.
2. Death in June - Rose Clouds of Holocaust (3/5)
Good atmosphere, evocative lyrics, and really pretty melodies (though a little obvious
). The vocals are a bit anemic, though - I think someone more charismatic/expressive could do a better job.
3. Swans - Song for Dead Time (4/5)
God, what an amazing sound. It seems to originate from a very high place, like outer space or Heaven. The melodies are really subtle, and kind of roll across you like a breeze throughout the song. Great stuff.
4. Dead Can Dance - Xavier (3/5)
Really striking five-chord phrase at the beginning. The overall sound is nice and lush, though the music is a bit too 'straightforward', I think. More development would be nice.
5. Rome - Der Brandtaucher (2/5)
After hearing the previous songs, I can't help but notice how much less carefully crafted the atmosphere seems here, with a reliance on sound effects rather than a clever use of instruments. Some pretty melodies here (particularly the "I offer myself to the night" section), but overall this seems too much like a generic movie soundtrack piece.
6. Nico - My Only Child (2/5)
I'm not too accustomed to this kind of music, so maybe I'm not hearing it the right way, but the vocals just seem really ordinary - perhaps a bit too 'clasically trained'. I think it takes more emotion to carry music like this. No major complaints from a songwriting point of view, though.
7. Cocteau Twins - Persephone (4/5)
Now here's a talented vocalist. What a weird mood this song has. In a way it's laid-back and clubbish, but it's also really dramatic, like it belongs in an artsy film.
8. Current 93 - Beausoleil (5/5)
What the fuck. God, this is wild. It's like a troupe of Shakespearean actors on drugs. Or a gnome doing musical stand-up comedy. I have no fucking idea. It's surprisingly catchy too. It's awesome how they can maintain a recurring musical phrase centering around this weird "Beausoleil!" chant, and yet constantly be developing the song around it.
That's a good use of minimalism.
9. Depeche Mode - Halo (3/5)
Eh, there's something nauseatingly generic about Depeche's sound, but I guess it works for what it is - catchy, danceable, slightly spooky pop.
10. The Chameleons - View from a Hill (2.5/5)
Songwriting's pretty bland, sound is decent, vocals are good. Overall, neither good nor bad as far as I'm concerned.
11. Von Thronstahl - Dressed in Black Uniforms (2.5/5)
Another one I'm neutral on. The vocals are really eerie - seemingly engineered to sound as if they were being sung by ghosts. An interesting touch, though the rest of the song is pretty run-of-the-mill folk balladry.
12. Hekate - Ocean Blue (3/5)
A pretty sound - spacious and elegant. I would expect something like this to be pretty wishy-washy musically, but it's actually got a fair amount of life to it.
13. The Sisters of Mercy - Lucretia My Reflection (3/5)
I generally like goth rock (when it actually rocks), so I enjoyed this. It is a little simplistic, though, and I can't overlook that for the rating.
14. Coil - Things Happen (3.5/5)
Damned amusing vocal delivery. Would be nice to have a little singing mixed in with it, though - the drugged-out rambling does get a bit old. The sound is really fucking sinister - feels like I'm about to get murdered or something. I could have easily rated this higher if it were only a little more musical.
15. Sol Invictus - Stay (3/5)
Has a nice, quiet sense of drama. Tasteful use of guitar and strings. Although the songwriting is a little barren, I can overlook it since there does seem to be an underlying momentum to the song. The vocals were a little too ordinary, I think.
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Of the above, I plan on looking into the Swans, the Cocteau Twins, Current 93, Sisters of Mercy, and Coil. I've heard good things about most of them. I'll probably check out Dead Can Dance too at some point, since a lot of people seem to like them, but the song in this mix didn't really grab me. Current 93 definitely wins this mix - that was one bizarre fucking experience. Overall the mix was pretty good, and definitely worth the listen. Good taste, Omni.
