Music Nerd: 5 Early Goth Albums for Halloween

Welcome, my friends. It is now only a little more than a month until my favorite holiday, the ghoulish spectacle that is All Hallow’s Eve! In honor of this creepiest of celebrations, I have a little something special prepared. Lay back into my enchanted, time-traveling coffin and I will take you on a macabre journey to the darkest, most blood-curdling, and downright spooky era in human history--the early 1980s--to witness the birth of a frightening and elegant beast whose reverberating moans can still be heard today. Behold, a beginner’s guide to the origins of gothic rock!

Closer by Joy Division

Okay, so as you may have guessed from that introduction, a big part of what I enjoy about this genre is the theatricality, the over-the-top-ness of it. That said though, this album is deadly serious, and should be treated as such. Joy Division were never a part of the goth “scene” (and for that matter, many bands who were would try to disassociate themselves from the label) but they were very influential to its inception. On this second album especially, they succeeded in taking the best elements of punk rock--its energy, its individualism, and its ragged, spiky sound--and married them to the dark poetry of a tortured genius. If you truly want to plumb the depths of human despair, (and who doesn’t, from time to time?) Joy Division is the band for you.

Faith by the Cure

Now, I could write an entire blog post about The Cure, and specifically why it is unfair to pigeonhole them as a goth band, given they have as much a penchant for bouncy, jangly pop tunes as for deathly dirges. This record, though, really hits that gloomy sweet spot of dirgey goodness. Just depressive enough for long walks in the rain and fog, but not so emotionally draining you want to crawl into a hole and never come out. (They have other records for that). This album is where they fully embraced atmospheric gloom, but could still have a little fun with it. It’ll have you dancing at the Funeral Party in no time!

Hyaena by Siouxsie and the Banshees

The Banshees too explored several different moods and textures during their career. On this album, however, amid lush strings and somber atmospherics, they truly hit the heights of gothic grandeur. It certainly doesn’t hurt that they were joined in writing and recording here by none other than Robert Smith of The Cure. Siouxsie’s formidable voice runs the gamut here from spooky and seductive whispers to the namesake wail of of her backing band. Vampiric imagery and a driving groove collide on standout track We Hunger, the perfect soundtrack for running from (or to) things that go bump in the night.

The Sky’s Gone Out by Bauhaus

Of course, no Halloween playlist would be complete without Bela Lugosi’s Dead, but that was a standalone single and didn’t appear on any of Bauhaus’ albums proper. This record, on the other hand, kicks off with a menacing cover of a song by none other than my main man Brian Eno, and the darkness doesn’t let up from there. These guys were the High Art contingent of early goth, and their pretensions are on full display here. Again, for me, it’s all about finding a way to perform completely earnest music about death and madness, yet somehow not taking oneself too seriously. It’s a hard balancing act, and Bauhaus were more likely to fall on the too-serious side of the line, but when they get it right, it’s a beautiful nightmare like no other.

Floodland by Sisters of Mercy

The Sisters tried to buck the “goth” label as much as the other bands on this list in interviews and the like. Musically, however, in my opinion, the joy of their music is how much they really lean into the stereotypes of goth rock. This record especially is gloriously over-the-top, featuring singer Andrew Eldritch’s deep, eerie baritone crooning over both industrial-sounding drum machines and Jim Steinman-directed choirs--often at the same time. Listen to all ten rollicking minutes of This Corrosion and just try to tell me it doesn’t make you want to strap on some black Doc Martens and go stomping through some dusky catacombs. I’ll meet you by the entrance to the underworld--I’ll be the one in the cape.