HIM...and WATkittens

[oneirophrenia]

When I was at Eide's on Saturday, Jim pointed me toward the band HIM, noting that I'd probably like them since, as he described them, they were oldskool gloomy glam-rock a la the Smiths and the Sisters of Mercy and such. I'd heard about them a great deal, and I knew they were popular around town, but I never really had an urge to check them out until now, so last night I downloaded some mp3s from the album Razorblade Romance.

Hot damn. This stuff is really good.

Sure, the lyrics are wangsty to the point of self-parody, but the music is pretty damned excellent. The SoM influence is very obvious, but there many echoes of Morrisey, Virgin Prunes, and just about every other seminal 80s gothic rock project you can think of. It gives me a special feeling. Especially the song "Poison Girl," which I can more than easily relate to.

Also, RatherGood has a new video out featuring the dancin', singin' kittens. This time, they're getting all stompy to Tanz Mit Laibach. Sooooo fresh.

Comments

[beeporama.livejournal.com]

I have the HIM singles colelction, which is a really good deal if you can find it. It's a box set with their first, like, eleven (?) singles for a really low price (under $40 IIRC).

I find that I like them less over time, though, as their sound becomes smoother and poppier.

[oneirophrenia.livejournal.com]

Ooh. I'd like to get that.

Myself, the more smoother and poppier it is, the more I like it. :) I have little tolerance for the garage-rock aesthetic. Mind you, I'm not one to overproduce stuff, and I love happy accidents and random stuff as much as the next guy--probably more so, since it breathes life and humanity into music--but I still think that all music has a right to be smooth and fresh!