My new favorite band ever.
Neo-folk is an offshoot of goth and industrial that is “folk” in the context of european military folk traditions. It’s usually dark and militant and creepy and beautiful… and fascist. Or “I won’t say I’m not a fascist…” And honestly, is it so much to ask that someone is willing to disambiguate themselves from genocidal racist authoritarians?
So earlier today I was bemoaning how a band I had just started liking was a bunch of fucking nazis, when my friend Unwoman turned me on to Rome.
YOU ADMIRE THE LIONS
YOU DESPISE ALL SHEEP
BUT FOLLOWING LIONS
MAKES NOTHING BUT SHEEP
YOU ARE ALL BENDING IN THE WIND
And also this one, that sounds like Leonard Cohen but even spookier:
Cool. I would have called it dark cabaret out of ignorance of neo-folk but either way its got melancholy two in the morning kind of sound that can great for be closing a DJ set at a bar. Great lyrics on the first song. I glad I don’t know the lyrics of other music in the genre though.
YEAH! a few months ago, a friend put rome’s “swords to rust, hearts to dust” on a mixtape for me and i was so intrigued, i found a bunch more of their music and fell in love with it. anyway, i heard you were just in baltimore and i missed you! alas, next time, i suppose.
Um so Rome are the good guys and Neo-Folks are at best in bad taste? Or is Neo-Folk a genre? I’m confused.
Neo-folk is a genre. And unfortunately, a number of the most prominent neo-folk bands are either fascists or openly flirt with being fascists.
Just listened to that first one. Great lyrics!
Rome has been one of my favourite bands for a while now, I really like what Unwoman does, and I just discovered your works. So this blog post is kind of a congregation of awesome things.
Rome (which is mostly just one guy, I’m pretty sure) is in fact openly anarchist, and their more recent albums make this much more obvious. I love the historical themes in a lot of their songs, and the songwriting in general is amazing.
Well, they are not racist, at least not all neofolk/martial industrial groups. Yes, they are fascist, but they follow Evola’s way, the post-war fascism. Most of them oppose that dumb nazi bonehead shit.
Here’s good essay about the whole thing http://www.shekhovtsov.org/articles/Anton_Shekhovtsov-Apoliteic_Music.html
http://www.reflectionsofdarkness.com/-artists-p-t-interviews-88/10146-interview-rome-september-2011.html
This doesn’t mean I would be advocating for the EU the way it is today or anything. That’s not what it’s about; it’s all about the cultural heritage. Also, every country is different and that’s what I like about it.
Beautiful blog.
I love Rome and even more because they are anti-fascist. There are many bands whose music I like but I can’t resonate with their message/cause.
xx
AbsintheGreen/ greenproquo.com
Don’t forget “Gae Bolg and the Church of Fand”, who openly reject fascism and denies to play in festivals where even play DIJ during the breaks.
Nice ROME and I wonder if there’re more non fascist dark folk / industrial bands.
Thanks