World Goth Day: Fields of the Nephilim – Occult Cowboys’ Catalog Is Ripe for Rediscovery
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9/26/2020 World Goth Day: Fields of the Nephilim – Occult Cowboys’ Catalog is Ripe for Rediscovery Playlist Donate Menu World Goth Day: Fields of the Nephilim – Occult Cowboys’ Catalog is Ripe for Rediscovery FEATURES 05/22/2019 ARI ROSENSCHEIN On Wednesday, May 22nd, KEXP is celebrating World Goth Day, declared "a day where the goth scene gets to celebrate its own being, and an opportunity to make its presence known to the rest of the world. We’ll be playing all the darkness all day long on-air from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. PT, as well as revisiting some of our goth favorites – like Fields of Nephilim below. Goth rock comes in many shades of obsidian. Art-schoolers Bauhaus preyed on Ziggy’s ghost for dub-in¿ected ditties like “She’s in Parties.” The Mission UK nursed delusions of Zeppelin’s grandeur, even roping in John Paul Jones as a producer. Even a mainstay like Siouxsie and the Banshees transitioned from post-punk into a distinctly British form of quasi-psychedelia. Then there was Fields Of The Nephilim. NOW PLAYING Variety Mix with Morgan RJD2 – Smoke & Mirrors https://www.kexp.org/read/2019/5/22/fields-nephilim-occult-cowboys-catalog-ripe-rediscovery/ 1/9 9/26/2020 World Goth Day: Fields of the Nephilim – Occult Cowboys’ Catalog is Ripe for Rediscovery Playlist Donate Menu Decked out in dust-covered cowboy duds and layers of leather, they ignored the popular Stoker-Shelley approach, opting for a spaghetti western ethos informed more by Sergio Leone than Bela Lugosi. Predating steampunk’s 1990s resurgence and comics like Preacher, Fields of the Nephilim cut an intimidating image. Led by a classic front-person in Carl McCoy, the group embodied the band-as-gang principle. Though identical to the non-initiated, each gunslinger contributed a subtle variant of the somber buckaroo persona. One can almost imagine fans talking while poring over images in Melody Maker. Fan 1: Who’s your favorite? Fan 2: Me, I like him with the vest in front. You? Fan 1: Don’t make me pick! OK, it’s Carl. I’m a sucker for a leather hat. The group hailed from Hertfordshire, a county distinguished by its medieval ruins and for being a Star Wars production site. Following a few singles and an EP on Situation Two (Tones on Tail, Gene Loves Jezebel), Fields of the Nephilim graduated to parent-label Beggars Banquet for its 1987 full-length, Dawnrazor. The opening track of Dawnrazor made plain the group’s intentions. The song is a reimagining of Ennio Morricone's “Man with a Harmonica,” draped in layers of metallic melodrama. From there, they kick into “Slow Kill.” Its lyrics paint a ghoulish gunslinger tale: Up here on the bridge of night To fall it would be so nice NOW PLAYING Chase this misery outV oafr itehtiys Mtoiwx nwith Morgan RJD2 – Smoke & Mirrors Bury my face into the ground https://www.kexp.org/read/2019/5/22/fields-nephilim-occult-cowboys-catalog-ripe-rediscovery/ 2/9 9/26/2020 World Goth Day: Fields of the Nephilim – Occult Cowboys’ Catalog is Ripe for Rediscovery Playlist Donate Menu Ari Rosenschein is the author of Coasting, out now via Pen Name Publishing. He is also a member of the bands The Royal Oui and STAHV and is a former KEXP employee. Related News & Reviews NOW PLAYING Variety Mix with Morgan RJD2 – Smoke & Mirrors https://www.kexp.org/read/2019/5/22/fields-nephilim-occult-cowboys-catalog-ripe-rediscovery/ 5/9 9/26/2020 World Goth Day: Fields of the Nephilim – Occult Cowboys’ Catalog is Ripe for Rediscovery Yes, there was plenty to tie the band to the goth scene: Carl McCoy’s strangled howls, the chorused basslines, layered Playlist Donate Menu guitar mosaics from the Billy Duºy-school. Retro-futurists from the start, the band deployed samples, found sounds, and studio-generated atmospherics, much of which has aged remarkably well. Absent from Dawnrazor are ‘80s hokum like gargantuan snares and slick synths. In its own arcane way, Fields of the Nephilim was a true rock combo. Dawnrazor and its follow-ups, 1988’s The Nephilim (Beggars Banquet) and Elizium (Beggars Banquet, 1990) brim with grim storytelling as well as a few genre deviations. Both “Vet for the Insane” and “Psychonaut” contain touches of space rock, while “Power” sports a cowpunk beat and twangy riºs that brush up against the odd major tonality. Despite these breaks with convention, a crossover hit along the lines of Sisters of Mercy’s “This Corrosion” or “She Sells Sanctuary” by The Cult eluded the band. 1988’s “Moonchild” came closest to the mainstream, reaching #28 on the UK singles chart. Fields of the Nephilim - Moonchild NOW PLAYING Variety Mix with Morgan RJD2 – Smoke & Mirrors https://www.kexp.org/read/2019/5/22/fields-nephilim-occult-cowboys-catalog-ripe-rediscovery/ 3/9 9/26/2020 World Goth Day: Fields of the Nephilim – Occult Cowboys’ Catalog is Ripe for Rediscovery Playlist Donate Menu Far from a singles act, each Fields of the Nephilim release was an exercise in world-building. The music possessed an undercurrent of mysticism imbuing everything from lyrics to cover art. Even the band’s name was steeped in biblical symbolism. Genesis describes the Nephilim as the progeny of "sons of God" and "daughters of men." In Ezekiel, an alternate translation of the word appears as "fallen.” Contrarily, Fields of the Nephilim's catalog is strewn with material inspired by occult practitioners—Aleister Crowley, Austin Osman Spare among them. That dichotomy might owe to McCoy’s rejection of his Jehovah's Witness upbringing which led to an admiration of chaos magick. In 1991, the original lineup splintered into factions: Rubicon and the Ne¼lim. This bled into decades of legacy-dulling: stop-start reunions, unsanctioned collections, general brand confusion. The Crowley-¼xation and spells must have paid oº: McCoy continues to front a version of the group—his voice and appearance seemingly untouched by time. Maybe, given its murky mystique, the shadows suited Fields of the Nephilim. In those darkened corners, the band continues to in¿uence practitioners of gothic and metal ritual. Or as McCoy sings on “Love Under Will,” in that burly baritone of his: Between the cracks and hollows The earth is good, the earth is good Dig through the sand and soot to unearth Fields of the Nephilim's enduring musical legacy. Millennial Moonchildren, take note. NOW PLAYING Variety Mix with Morgan RJD2 – Smoke & Mirrors https://www.kexp.org/read/2019/5/22/fields-nephilim-occult-cowboys-catalog-ripe-rediscovery/ 4/9 9/26/2020 World Goth Day: Fields of the Nephilim – Occult Cowboys’ Catalog is Ripe for Rediscovery Playlist Donate Menu VIDEO ROUNDUP Video Roundup: World Goth Day 5/22 Layer on the black eyeliner and cue up Siouxsie Sioux — it's World Goth Day! READ MORE FILTER BY CATEGORY COLUMNS AIR Residency Series Deserted Enthusiasms Fabulous Sounds of the Paci¼c Northwest Friday Night Spotlight Friday Nite Spotlight Graphic Nature Immigrant Songs In Our Headphones Intern(al) Oh My Virgin Ears! Review Revue Rock n' Roll Pest Control Three Imaginary Girls Throwaway Style NOW PLAYING Weird At My School Variety Mix with MorgaWn here The Funny Matters RJD2 – Smoke & Mirrors Why Music Matters https://www.kexp.org/read/2019/5/22/fields-nephilim-occult-cowboys-catalog-ripe-rediscovery/ 6/9 9/26/2020 World Goth Day: Fields of the Nephilim – Occult Cowboys’ Catalog is Ripe for Rediscovery COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT END-OF-YEAR COUNTDOWN Playlist Donate Menu 2009 Countdown 2010 Countdown 2011 Countdown 2012 Countdown 2013 Countdown 2014 Countdown 2015 Countdown 2016 Countdown 2017 Countdown 2018 Countdown 2019 Countdown FEATURES Add to Cart Audiolympics Black History Month Celebrating Independence Feedback From the Vault International Clash Day Interviews KEXP Documentaries KEXP Live from Mexico City Live at KEXP Compilations Live Video Local Artist Spotlight Music Heals National Radio Week Press Play Rewind Saturday Afternoon Artist Six Degrees Sub Pop 30 The New York Report Tour Blogs Twin Peaks Under the Covers Video Roundup FESTIVALS Bumbershoot Capitol Hill Block Party City Arts CMJ Decibel Festival Friction NYC Iceland Airwaves JellyNYC MFNW NOW PLAYING NXNE Variety Mix with Morgan OFF Festival RJD2 – Smoke & Mirrors Pickathon https://www.kexp.org/read/2019/5/22/fields-nephilim-occult-cowboys-catalog-ripe-rediscovery/ 7/9 9/26/2020 World Goth Day: Fields of the Nephilim – Occult Cowboys’ Catalog is Ripe for Rediscovery Pitchfork Pop Conference Playlist Donate Menu Sasquatch SIFF SXSW Trans Musicales Upstream Music Fest + Summit KEXP EVENTS Ballard Day City to City: San Francisco Community Partnerships Concerts at the Mural Hood to Hood KEXP BBQ Kids Dance Party Little Big Show Mastering the Hustle Songbook Yule Bene¼t LOCAL MUSIC MIXTAPE WEEK NEWS Music News Daily Roundups In Stores Now KEXP Premiere KEXP Presents KEXP Suggests Record Store Day TV Eye PHOTO GALLERIES POWERING KEXP Fundraising Drives KEXP New Home Membership Pick 3 REVIEWS Agitated Atmosphere Album Reviews Book Reviews Live Reviews SHOWS Audioasis El Sonido Expansions Jazz Theater NOW PLAYING Larry's Lounge Variety Mix with MorgaMnidnight In A Perfect World RJD2 – Smoke & Mirrors Positive Vibrations Preachin' the Blues https://www.kexp.org/read/2019/5/22/fields-nephilim-occult-cowboys-catalog-ripe-rediscovery/ 8/9 9/26/2020 World Goth Day: Fields of the Nephilim – Occult Cowboys’ Catalog is Ripe for Rediscovery Preachin the Blues Quilty 3000 Seek and Destroy Playlist Donate Menu Shake The Shack Sonic Reducer Sound and Vision Street Sounds Sunday Soul Swingin' Doors The Afternoon Show w/ Kevin Cole The Best Ambiance The Midday Show w/ Cheryl Waters The Morning Show w/ John Richards The Roadhouse Wo' Pop Back To All News KEXP IS A LISTENER POWERED NON-PROFIT ARTS ORGANIZATION About Support KEXP Doing Business Community Volunteers Internships Jobs Contact PRIVACY POLICY/TERMS FCC PUBLIC FILE HELP https://www.kexp.org/read/2019/5/22/fields-nephilim-occult-cowboys-catalog-ripe-rediscovery/ 9/9.