In the vast, echoing halls of experimental music, where Gordon H. Whitlow has wandered for over four decades, his latest compilation under the moniker Sorry For Laughing emerges not as a retrospective, but as a living, breathing entity.

Whitlow, a stalwart of the avant-garde ensemble Biota, resurrects his solo project Sorry For Laughing, originally a 1985 cassette endeavor. This revival, sparked by a 2020 reissue from Austrian label Klanggalerie, has since evolved into a collaborative tapestry featuring luminaries like Edward Ka-Spel of The Legendary Pink Dots and Martyn Bates of Eyeless in Gaza.

The compilation opens with "Seen By Candlelight", a track that feels like the auditory equivalent of sepia-toned memories. It's a gentle, almost reverential start that sets the tone for the unfolding journey. "A Hown In the Park" follows, evoking images of nocturnal urban landscapes where the mundane meets the mysterious. The track's layered textures and ambient sounds create a sense of eerie calm. "Milk Wood (Polly's Song)" stands out as a centerpiece. Its title nods to Dylan Thomas's "Under Milk Wood", and the track itself unfolds like a dreamscape, blending ambient textures with haunting melodies.

The compilation's length, over an hour of immersive soundscapes, allows each track to breathe and evolve. Whitlow's mastery in weaving together diverse elements - ambient passages, baroque melodies, and experimental flair - is evident throughout.

In "Selected Works (2020–2025)", Whitlow doesn't just revisit his past; he reimagines it. The album serves as both a reflection and a progression, capturing the essence of his musical journey while charting new territories.

For those willing to embark on this auditory expedition, "Selected Works" offers a rich, textured experience that rewards attentive listening. It's a testament to Whitlow's enduring creativity and his ability to craft music that resonates on multiple levels.

The Birthday Massacre's latest album, "Pathways", released on April 11, 2025, via Metropolis Records, marks a significant evolution in the band's two-decade-long journey through the realms of gothic rock and synth-pop. While the album retains the band's signature blend of dark atmospheres and melodic hooks, it ventures into new sonic territories, offering a fresh yet familiar experience for listeners.

Opening with "Sleep Tonight", the album immediately immerses the listener in a heavier, more industrial soundscape, characterized by downtuned guitars and dense textures. This track sets the tone for an album that balances intensity with introspection. "All of You" continues this trajectory, blending heavy guitars with driving synths, creating a sound reminiscent of the band's earlier works like "Superstition".

Midway through the album, "The Vanishing Game" offers a brighter, more melodic interlude, showcasing the band's ability to craft songs that are both emotionally resonant and sonically diverse. The title track, "Pathways", channels a new wave vibe, drawing subtle parallels to bands like Echo and The Bunnymen, while maintaining the band's unique identity.

"Whisper" stands out with its gothic undertones and Chibi's ethereal vocals, evoking the atmospheric qualities found in their album "Diamonds". "Wish" diverges into 80s pop territory, delivering a nostalgic yet fresh sound that could easily find its place in a retro dance club.

The final tracks, "Faces" and "Cruel Love", bring the album to a contemplative close. "Faces" reintroduces the darker elements, grounding the listener after the upbeat "Wish", while "Cruel Love" serves as a hauntingly beautiful finale, reminiscent of closing credits to a gothic romance film.

Throughout "Pathways", The Birthday Massacre demonstrates their continued relevance and adaptability in the evolving music landscape. The album's production is meticulous, with each track seamlessly transitioning into the next, creating a cohesive listening experience. Chibi's vocals remain a standout, delivering performances that are both powerful and nuanced.

In summary, "Pathways" is a testament to The Birthday Massacre's enduring artistry. It balances the band's classic sound with new explorations, offering an album that is both a nod to their past and a step into their future. For long-time fans and newcomers alike, "Pathways" provides a rich, immersive experience that underscores the band's place in the gothic rock and synth-pop pantheon.

Here we go again! Brooklyn's goth-folk duo, Charming Disaster (Ellia Bisker and Jeff Morris) are on the verge of releasing their sixth album after 2023's 'Super Natural History' on May 16th. 'The Double' explores the world that exists behind the one we know, featuring songs inspired by nature, mortality, magic, ritual, and literary genres ranging from science fiction to Victorian horror. Charming Disaster invites listeners to step across the border of an alternate reality, where spells are cast, time travel is possible, plants are taking over civilization, and vampires lurk in the shadows. Adventures in the darkness lie beyond the threshold. Let's face it, nearly anything is better than the current reality we're all forced to live in at the moment.

Opening with the low key "Black Locust" you might almost think you were hearing the Cowboy Junkies gone darkside, except for the distinctive voices of Ellia and Jeff. It's a sweet, if not particularly gripping number that picks up towards the end. More formidable is "New Moon," a neat, mid-tempo indie rocker full of urban insomnia and restlessness. The melody is a little familiar, but welcome. "Trick of the Light" is the likely spooky first single off the album as the duo balance quirkiness with commercial potential. (I could imagine this song in an episode of 'Wednesday'; it would fit perfectly.) "Time Machine" fantasizes on the "what if" factor, assuming we could go back in time. While not a bad song, "Scavengers" seems like filler and ground tread by this band before. "Beautiful Night" has a nice string arrangement, but once again, offers nothing new. Much better is "Vitriol" couching cool social commentary in coded language. Nice arrangement too. The cabaret style 3/4 time of "Haunted Lighthouse" is a dark carnival delight, most welcome at this stage of the album. "Gang of Two" is more about Ellia & Jeff's relationship than anything else, but I'm not sure following the previous song with another in 3/4 time was a great idea. More fluff than great stuff. Gardening and its fruits is the subject of "Green Things," the most rootsy track on the album for obvious reasons.

'The Double' is a good album with a few great songs on it. Some of the other folks who helped make it happen are: Don Goodwin: bass, drums, percussion, horns; Peter Bufano: piano, accordion; Mike Dobson: percussion; Kate Wakefield: cello; Stefan Zeniuk: reeds. 'The Double' also serves as a double album offer, this one being released with 'Time Ghost' (2024, a collection of tracks released as singles from 2013-2024) on vinyl only.

In the vast, shadowy corridors of the digital music realm, where synths hum like distant neon lights and drum machines pulse with the heartbeat of a sleepless city, emerges "Dream Reflection", the latest EP from Religion of Heartbreak. This Kansas City trio - comprising Dedric Moore (vocals, guitar, synths, programming), Mikal Shapiro (vocals), and Krysztof Nemeth (baritone guitar, electronic percussion) - has concocted a sonic potion that could make even the most stoic goth crack a smile, albeit a melancholic one.

From the get-go, "Forget About You" propels listeners into a robotic dance frenzy, reminiscent of a caffeinated cyborg on a mission. The track's urgency is infectious, setting the stage for "Make the Green Grass Greener", a song that suggests perhaps the grass is greener on the other side because it's been watered with tears of existential dread.

The title track, "Dream Reflection", stands as the ghost in this synth-pop machine. Shapiro's vocals float effortlessly over Moore's gritty synth landscapes, while Nemeth's percussion adds a layer of depth that feels both familiar and alien—like recognizing your reflection in a funhouse mirror and realizing it's been judging you all along.

"Dark Hour of Meditation (Dark Dance Mix)" offers a six-minute journey into introspection, perfect for those moments when you're brooding in the club's darkest corner, contemplating the void. The EP closes with "Skeptic", a brief yet poignant piece that leaves listeners questioning everything, including why the shortest track always leaves the deepest impression

Religion of Heartbreak has masterfully distilled the essence of darkwave, EBM, and synth-pop into a five-track experience that resonates with the collective loneliness of the digital age. It's as if they've hacked into the mainframe of human emotion and programmed a soundtrack for our beautifully desolate existence. So, don your darkest attire, find a dimly lit room, and let "Dream Reflection" be the cathartic dance partner you didn't know you needed.

In a positive way The Funeral March (Of The Marionettes) remind me a lot of The Danse Society, esp. as Joe Whitaker's voice is not to far away from Steve Rawlings'. In England this 1987 founded project might have been a lot more succesful than in Rockford, Illinous, USA. From the mid-90ties the band was on hiatus but got reactivated in 2017 and released a string of Singles & EP's with It All Falls Apart being the final one recorded already in 2023 and issued now with additional Remixes.
Produced and recorded by William Faith (Faith & The Muse, Mephisto Waltz, ..) this is classic darkwave stuff; the melodramatic, romantic "Stars At Night" opens the original 5 songs, followed by "Shadow Games" fittingly aided by a chorus not far away from Modern English. "Bobblehead" is a bitter ballad about being left behind with heavy bass foundation. "Save Us" is for me the highlight, a punchy hymn starting with ranting lines:

Can’t trust the TV station
Talking heads divide the nation
Blood…
In the ratings war
No restraint on aspiration
Plumb the depths of degradation
Pride…
Goes before the fall...

This one and the title song benefit from real drums supplied by Robert Hyman of [melter] supporting the trio; guitarist Wayne Thiele, and bassist Darius McCaskey alongside singer, keyboarder J. Whitaker.
"It All Falls Apart" is also remixed twice and was published as lead track with video. The Bellhead remix is an extended version with an Love Like Rockets like choir but the real treat is the Joy Thieves Remix, shifting from the more dramatic approach into post punk urgency with added emphasis on the guitar work.
Both versions of "Stars At Night" remixed by Tweaker add a more cinematic feel and some electronic percussion - just enough to keep the original euphoric mood intact.
It All Falls Apart goes out as final statement of The Funeral March due to the untimely death of Joe Whitaker in May 2024.

Sadly the band is now no more but a compilation of the various releases from that productive 2nd phase including their brilliant cover of "Mirror People" from 'The Work Of Sinners, The Work Of Saints (A Tribute To Love & Rockets And Tones On Tail)' would be welcome.