As we mentioned earlier in the week, we’ve had Zola Jesus’s new album Conatus on constant rotation of late, and boy, can we ever recommend it. Although Nika Danilova’s not keen on being labelled goth — “What would be the point of making goth music? It’s already been done,” she told Q magazine in January — she certainly shares some kinship with the likes of Siouxsie & The Banshees and Dead Can Dance, female-fronted or female-centric acts whose music carried a certain ominous air. In this sense, Danilova is the latest in the line of what we might call the dark ladies of rock ‘n’ roll. We’ve selected our 10 favorites after the jump. Who are yours?
Siouxsie Sioux
The woman who invented goth, albeit accidentally — she adopted the label to describe the gloomy, atmospheric direction in which she and the Banshees moved with their 1981 album Juju. Her songs have always carried an air of danger, and it’s doubtless no accident that she chose to adorn the Banshee’s 24-carat classic debut album The Scream with this deconstruction of The Beatles’ Charles Manson-approved stomper “Helter Skelter”: “You may be a lover, but you ain’t no FUCKING DANCER.”
Comments (12)
Nikola Kuperus of ADULT. would be a great addition to this list.
the list is great. I would add a few, one always can, no? What about Grace Jones for instance.
Not a bad list. I’m sure there was a reason you stopped at 10. My list would include some combination of Danielle Dax, Anne Marie Hurst, Texacala Jones, Dinah Cancer, Eva O, Anje Huwe, Lene Lovich and Anna Varney
What about Courtney Love (Hole), Grace Jones, Chryssie Hynde, Joan Jett, Fiona Apple, Tori Amos ????
Re: “lunch”. William S. Burroughs. Just sayin’.
@John – HA. Yes, OK, good call.
What about Johnette Napolitano (Concrete Blonde)and her gorgeous voice?
Exene.
[...] Flavorwire: The Best Dark Ladies in Rock and Roll. [...]
you TOTALLY forgot about karen o. fail.
uh, Jennifer Herrema
[...] can all agree is excellent: Zola Jesus’s Conatus. We simply can’t get enough of, or say enough about, the dark, dreamy, powerful music created by Zola’s Nika Roza Danilova. Wise beyond her 22 [...]
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