Blood Ruby creates atmospheric alternative music somewhere in the vein of dream pop, ethereal, and neoprogressive rock. The band's two subtly emotive female vocalists ply a range that spans from lyrical, sweet mezzo, to smoky, jazz-rooted alto, delivering haunting melodies and crafted lyrics full of evocative imagery and cinematic storytelling.... [+] Read More

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Dead Can Dance combine elements of European folk music -- particularly music from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance -- with ambient pop and worldbeat flourishes. Their songs are of lost beauty, regret and sorrow, inspiration and nobility, and of the everlasting human goal of attaining a meaningful existence.

Over the course of... [+] Read More

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A joint effort by Rhys Fulber and former Front Line Assembly bandmate Bill Leeb, Delerium has produced some of the most unusual sounds to emanate from Vancouver, Canada. With Leeb responsible for finding samples, writing lyrics, creating bass lines, sequencing, and overseeing the project and Fulber handling the sampling and programming, and... [+] Read More

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With their 1991 hit "Sadeness," Enigma brought the new age fascination with Gregorian chants and old-world culture to the clubs; the resulting single was both unique and irresistible. The rest of the album followed that pattern successfully, although without quite matching the stunning success of the hit single. On their second album, 1994's... [+] Read More

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With her blend of folk melodies, synthesized backdrops, and classical motifs, Enya created a distinctive style that more closely resembled new age than the folk and Celtic music that provided her initial influences. Enya is from Gweedore, County Donegal, Ireland, which she left in 1980 to join the Irish band Clannad, the group that already... [+] Read More

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When punk and new wave blew up in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, the fallout was felt on a global level even though acts from the U.S. and the U.K. snagged most of the attention. Minimal Compact from Tel Aviv, Israel were one of the little-known post-punk acts outside of the usual suspects. Formed in 1981 by vocalist Samy Birnbach, bassist Malka... [+] Read More

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Siouxsie and the Banshees were among the longest-lived and most successful acts to emerge from the London punk community; over the course of a career that lasted two decades, they evolved from an abrasive, primitive art punk band into a stylish, sophisticated unit that even notched a left-field Top 40 hit.

Throughout its numerous... [+] Read More

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The gothic dream pop collective This Mortal Coil was one of the most representative bands on the 4AD label, not least because they were run by 4AD president and co-founder Ivo Watts-Russell. Whether they played covers (of Watts-Russell's favorite artists) or originals, their material epitomized the haunting, ethereal sound that came to be... [+] Read More

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Astley is more widely known for the people she's played with than her own records. A classically trained British pianist and flutist who also happens to be Pete Townshend's sister-in-law, she contributed piano to Townshend's "Slit Skirts," and has played sessions for Siouxsie & the Banshees. Her late-'70s band, the Ravishing Beauties, also... [+] Read More

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