#Costa Rican goth

[gothmusiclatinamerica]

"Rosa oscura" by San José, Costa Rica-based post-punk and darkwave act MOLT off of their upcoming 2024 album Estados Latentes, to be released next month

[nugothrhythms]

"La Tentaci​ó​n" by Costa Rican all-woman post-punk, new wave, and batcave-inspired band DYSTT off of their 2024 album Rito

[acrossthewavesoftime]

I was tagged by @unanchored-ship, thank you!

Favorite Ships

I am not really very much interested in classical fandom 'shipping', I have to say. I occasionally do enjoy fictional relationships in the media I consume, but I would say that 'shipping' is too big a word.

My profile picture also informs me to type out "HMS Preston" for some reason. ;-)

Last Song

Come Here, Fellow Servant, from the afterpiece play High Life Below the Stairs (1759) by James Townley. As I understand, while the words survive, the original melody did not; this is a modern arrangement of what the song may have sounded like.

The play satirises the social hierarchies of the time, with the servants belowstairs trying to mimic the dissipated manner of living of their sybaritic, back-stabbing employers. The song is sung at the servants' secret house party, to which they invite a few aristocratic types interested in the delightful novelty of having to do with commoners. The song, composed by party guest Sir Harry, is sung by Kitty, an upwardly mobile maidservant who thinks highly of herself because she received an education and speaks French.

While perhaps some of the portrayals of characters or critique of contemporary issues in the play do not withstand the test of time (Kitty's belief in her education for instance would certainly carry a positive connotation nowadays), its core message, namely that thoughtlessly emulating someone just because they're considered to be rich and famous holds up poignantly well.

Last Film

Der Bestatter - Der Film. A Swiss comedy based on a 7-season series of the same name. Luc, an ex-policeman-turned-funeral-director-turned-Costa-Rican-beach-bar-owner and his friends, the two police officers Anna Maria and Dörig, ex-apprentice and now successful goth funeral director Fabio, his quasi surrogate mother Erika and Semmelweiß, the somewhat strange coroner have to band together one last time as a holiday stay at a remote hotel to celebrate Erika's birthday is unexpectededly interrupted when the hotel director dies under highly suspicious circumstances.

I can only warmly recommend both the series and the film; not only are the murder cases Luc and his friends solve gripping and often overarching an entire season, giving the storylines ample time to develop, Der Bestatter also deals very touchingly with topics such as loss, grief, death, terminal illness and facing past mistakes while never taking itself too seriously.

Currently Reading

The Spite of Fortune by Kishandra Fulford, a biography about Louisa Carolina Colleton Graves, an 18th/19th century noblewoman with a rather eventful life story. I am reading it not so much for her as for the information on her husband's family, the Graves'. While the author evidently poured a lot of effort into the book, some of her judginess against the physical appearance of some of the people featured in her book, a total lack of foot- or endnotes and the occasional spelling and grammar mistakes sadly don't sit quite right with me. With the right editor, she could have told Louisa Carolina Colleton Graves' fascinating, and also somewhat tragic, story a lot more effectively.

Currently Craving

Spring, a new pleated skirt, and a walk. Maybe some chocolate, too.

@clove-pinks, @professorlehnsherr-almashy and @my-deer-friend, would you like to join in? If anybody else wants to share their list, consider yourself tagged by me.

[mondaysgothicpath]

"Spectre", by Costa Rican goth rock and dark wave act Ariel Maniki and the Black Halos, off of their 2017 album "Ritual".

[the-stray-liger]

There's 5 types of people at costa rican call centers: gays, bright eyed new employees that cannot be dragged into drama, goth girls, middle aged men and people who spend their salary in food at the cafeteria. They all drink monster and smoke

[marcoshassanlevy]

Despite what many thought, goth managed to persist as a subculture in the pop zeitgeist. Who could have predicted that something dreamed up by British youths obsessed with death, punk and eyeliner could be around in 2020? World Goth Day is a thing and we’re here to celebrate it today.

As we have explored in the past, goth has been a mainstay of the modern Latinx music landscape since shortly after its inception. There are goth scenes in Latin America that continue to be fertile ground for the music. However, as much as the style has proliferated away from its birthplace in England, it has transcended time by adapting itself by leaving some of its sonic rigor behind.

There was a time when goth music and goth style were mutually exclusive. Over time, the music began broadening its sounds while their fashion sense took hold of audiences that were not necessarily invested in the music itself. That has allowed goth to propel itself to different arts, disciplines, and even memes. Indeed, making fun of darketos has made an enduring entity instead of debilitating it.

As such, goth continues to be a source of inspiration for Latinxs to this day. Not only are there bands keeping the (cold) flame alive by following in the footsteps of The Cure or Sisters of Mercy; there are also artists who find inspiration in the primordial aspects of the goth aesthetics. A prime example is urbano superproducer Tainy, who regularly rocks out Nine Inch Nails t-shirts and even dressed up like Marilyn Manson for Halloween last year.

For this year’s World Goth Day, we assembled a list of goth acts worth checking out. As such, the list includes keepers of the faith as well as fusionists doing interesting things with elements of the genre. As diverse as the list might be, it’s all united by one singular vision of the beautiful, ecstatic macabre.

Check out our Unhappy World Goth Day playlist here.

1

Cazzu

It shouldn’t take you long to understand that the Argentine urbano artist is one with the Hot Topic mindforce. Her logo is a skull-and-bones with pigtails, for crying out loud! However, the influence of the genre doesn’t stop there. Her music often features melancholic guitar like prime-era My Chemical Romance and even nods to Evanescence here and there.

2

Dani Shivers

Hailing from Tijuana, Dani Shivers remains an underrated queen of lo-fi dark pop. With every subsequent release, she pairs her knack for pop melodies with simple yet atmospheric keyboards, which can make even the blackest heart smile, at least a little.

3

Romeo Diablos

With a tag like “brujacore” attached to the music, it’s hard not to make the case for Romeo Diablos’ place in the current spooky urbano subgenre. The producer cites both Daddy Yankee and industrial pioneers Throbbing Gristle as influences of his noisy experiments meet culo-shaking beats.

4

PHI

Continuing the legacy of acts that combine folk-based songwriting, atmospheric darkness and penchant for ecstatic washes of noise, Guadalajara, Mexico’s PHI are one of the most interesting bands playing around the edges of the goth label. Hypnotic, morbid and strangely life-affirming music in a single package.

5

Something Obscura

Peru has given us some of the OGs in the goth genre and the scene thrives to this day thanks to bands like Lima’s Something Obscura, a band that combines monochromatic soundscapes with brooding vocals that respects the genre’s roots and adds it’s personality to it.

6

Lust Era

This San Juan, Puerto Rico duo is one of the most prolific bands on this list. With more than 30 releases since 2013, including albums, EPs, singles, and alternate projects. They have explored music from the intangible and slow-burning to rocking melodies for results that are both menacing and fun.

7

Saturno Devorando

While the Costa Rican duo of Fiamma Aleotti and Ronald Bustamante Medina might not recall the more familiar tones of The Cure or Bauhaus, the heavy sorrow in their music and adventurous spirit puts them in league with the classics of the dark mascara set.

8

Meldamor

Dave Parley might be better known as half of the cholo goth legends Prayers, but his other band pays tribute to another dark corner of the scene. With his wife Mel he forms Meldamor, a fun throwback that gives us some premium danceable malevolence.

9

Kelman Duran

A contender for urbano goth producer newcomer crown, Kelman Duran has made Kanye West and techno titans Demdike Stare fans of his slightly abstract take on dembow. This Dominicano producer shows that the thick mist of darkness can easily be applied to avant electronics.

10

La Procesión De Lo Infinito

Colombia’s La Procesión De Los Infinito is proof that goth en español can be as somber and menacing as its English counterpart. In the process of their career, the band have accumulated fans around the world.

Friday, May 22, 2020 at 5:05 PM EDT

[pandaslowpoke]

Costa Rican Gothic.

There are dogs in every learning related facility.

You heard that there are places in which traveling cross country takes days, you don´t belive in them.

The pigeons keep growing in number in all the parks, you try to ignore the screaming when you pass by at night.

There is a chinese rstaurant in every city, you wonder where do they come from sometimes.

The sun always sets by 6pm , you wonder what makes it want to leave so early.

There is a park in front of every church,they often have a Gazebo like estructure built in them, you hope the seals on them don´t break.

You see people selling coloring books in the intersections, no one you know has ever brought one.

There is a tree growing in the middle of the sidewalk,soon it shall overtake it.

[gothmusiclatinamerica]

"Espejo" by Costa Rican all-woman post-punk, new wave, and batcave-inspired band DYSTT off of their 2024 album Rito, released today

[gothmusiclatinamerica]

"Falsas Apariencias" by San José, Costa Rica-based post-punk and darkwave act MOLT off of their 2024 album Estados Latentes

[nugothrhythms]

“Arte pl​á​stico” by San José, Costa Rica-based post-punk and darkwave act MOLT off of their upcoming 2024 album Estados Latentes, to be released this June

[gothmusiclatinamerica]

"Torbellino" by San José, Costa Rica-based deathrock group Angustia Espiritual off of their 2023 release Visión Trágica

[gothmusiclatinamerica]

"V​í​as estrechas" by San José, Costa Rica-based goth band Caídas Libres off of their 2019 album Afuera y vacío

[gothmusiclatinamerica]

Today’s video is on the 2023 album A Dream or a Vision by Costa Rica/US international gothic rock act The Waning Moon. This band was founded by members of Ariel Maniki and the Black Halos and The Kentucky Vampires.

[gothmusiclatinamerica]

"Nada m​á​s desvaneciendo" by San José, Costa Rica-based goth band Caídas Libres off of their 2022 release Sangre

[gothmusiclatinamerica]

“Autoflagelaci​ó​n” by San José, Costa Rica-based deathrock group Angustia Espiritual off of their 2023 release Visión Trágica

[gothmusiclatinamerica]

“Hyenas” by Costa Rican goth band Ariel Maniki and the Black Halos off of their 2023 album Fractals, released today. It sounds like they’ve evolved their sound a bit since their past album.