Whimsigoth

Introduction

I just saw this interesting post by Samantha Parrish and thought the very words were just positive and wonderful. We usually associate Goth with darkness and fear, but "Whimsigoth" (or should it be "WhimsiGoth"?) brings some fun and lightness to the genre.

Wiktionary provides a definition here, and you can see so much on Google here

So stealing Samtha's Whimsigoth playlist idea , I will share some sons with may fit this particular genre, but also lots of comedy such as "The Addams Family" and "What We Do In The Shadows" are in this universe as are films like "Young Frankenstein" and "Corpse Bride", but this is about the music, but I will add a couple of my pieces on the TV programs I mentioned in the final addendum.

I then thought how should I do this? Look on Google for WhimsiGoth songs, and then thought, NO, I have a huge record collection, and I will just choose what I think fit the genre.

These are half a dozen that I think fit the required criteria.

Experts may disagree, but they will be right for me and hopefully Samantha will agree.

The Cure - "Pictures Of You"

The cure are archetypal Goth, but with songs like "Love Cats" and "Caterpillar" have some absolute whimsy in the songs that they produce. This I think is absolutely magical and I also used it in my piece on my friend Pandora's artwork that you can check out here:

Massive Attack - "Teardrop"

This has a darkness but the sound is dripping with menace but Elizabeth Fraser's voice is a magical light against that backdrop.

Fleetwood Mac - "Rhiannon"

Incidentally, Rhiannon is the name of one of my diabetes consultants. This Stevie Nicks song was inspired by legends of a Welsh Witch.

In the Mabinogi, Rhiannon is a strong-minded Otherworld woman, who chooses Pwyll, prince of Dyfed (west Wales), as her consort, in preference to another man to whom she has already been betrothed. She is intelligent, politically strategic, beautiful, and famed for her wealth and generosity.

Black Sabbath - "Changes"

Although this is not a happy song it is a ballad that still has gothic tomes while contemplating loss, and the only instrumentation is a piano and an electronic string section. A Gothic departure which can be considered WhimsiGoth is my opinion.

Uriah Heep - The Wizard

The first band I ever saw live (at Preston Public Hall, which incidentally was the first place I performed in public as part of a school choir). This was from the "Demons and Wizards" album that they were touring and the only song I know to feature a steaming kettle (the high-pitched noise you can hear throughout the song). While the album contained a lot of dark and heavy songs, this one is full of hope and therefore qualifies as WhimsiGoth in my humble opinion.

Jordan Reyne - "Johnny And The Sea"

Jordan Reyne is one of the most incredible composers and performers that I have heard and seen and one of the few artists whom I automatically buy every new album she releases.

Her songs are often dark and have a mythological and ancient folklore feel. This si the story of this song:

Johnny answers the call to adventure and turns his back on the normal life. On returning to the land, the call of the sea continues to haunt him begging him to return to her murky depths. Moby Dick meets Oliver Twist in this darkly wonderful animation directed by Eloise Coveny and Jonathan Lamb

This is the interview I did with Jordan:

Addendum

Thank you for reading this piece.

Please let me know what you think and add any suggestions in the comments.

These are the TV series that I mentioned.