and if these troubles should vanish like rain at midday, well, I've no doubt there'll be more

I ran across mention of Technorati again, and sighed, and thought maybe it had been long enough, I could get something resembling an honest answer out of them.

[Support #26673] Technorati.com: Getting the "This URL has been flagged by our system…" message immediately?

Dear Technorati User,

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There is no need to reply to this message right now. Your ticket has been assigned an ID of [Support #26673].

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URL: http://razorblade-cookies.blogspot.com

Message:
So, I'm hoping by leaving enough time between the first claiming of my blog, and the three months you were moving where you pretty much ignored the claiming process entirely, there will now be the ability to claim my blog.

Let's see if it works. I admit, at this time, I snark first, ask questions later. Much later. BECAUSE IT'S BEEN THREE MONTHS, GUYS, WTF?!?

Also, the hell?? AKA, Google does weird things in Australia.

Now, then. Going back to this list, let's take on The Tenth Stage next.

John von Ahlen and Roberto Massaglia are the founders of The Tenth Stage, and they met in 2005, though they didn't form as a group until 2006. While von Ahlen is still with Australian band Tankt, and Massaglia still owns and operates Subterrane Studio, together they're The Tenth Stage now, dark, moody and evocative.

Ironically, they see themselves as more of a theatre performance troupe, not a band, which has led to a sort of wandering collective of like minds approach--with the best of Australia's crop of darkambient/industrial alternative artists rotating in and out in live performance, and on their records (three on their own, though they appear on at least five others) since their formation.



(Robert Massaglia performing with Angelspit--he's the fellow in the middle on synth. All rights reserved to Angelspit and BruteBrother.)

They don't always dress up for gigs, but usually, if they're not performing with other people, they're in token bowlers and top hats, whiteface and button-down vests, singing to the masses with precision and dark glee.

Francois Martin
I Never Promised You a Rose Garden (live)



(The poster for the release of their latest album, Grand Guignol, in Melbourne.)

They reference past happenings a lot, and by that, I mean, severely past--not just the 1800s, no, they sing about Tyburn hangings, leper colonies, the life and the dark dreams of the early 1600s. This is not your usual goth-synth fare.

Elixir (remixed as an iPod ad)
Ballad of the Decomposing Man (at the Melbourne Fringe Festival in 2008)
St. Giles in the Fields (also at the '08 Fringe Festival)



(John von Ahlen performing at Euchronia, New Years' Eve, I believe 2008. All rights reserved to the Tenth Stage.)

Some of their songs--like "One-Eyed Lisa", linked below--are fairly modern, all in all. But even in the modern beats, one can hear the past, echoing, just out of range...it's in songs like "Requiem for Molly" that that distant past becomes present, rushing in and pushing, pushing to be heard.

One-Eyed Lisa
Requiem for Molly



(The Euchronia poster. And yep, 2008. All rights reserved to the poster creator and The Tenth Stage.)

Overwhelmingly, they sound dark. Goth, darkambi, darkwave, take your pick of term--but when you get beyond that, when you start to pry into the hooks of melody and the orchestral nature of everything else...steampunk? The term does come up. From their lyrics:

noose-branch swings every Monday
from the Tyburn tree
morning bells called for cart rides
and nowhere to flee
wear your best dress and pray
for a mercy pull
as soon enough you'll be dancing
the Tyburn jig

to their sound, heavy on overdub, sure, but also percussion, piano and pianoforte, choral rises, and the small little sounds in the background--clinkings, strikings, harp strings, steam, hissings and slidings....Oh, yes, these are very very technical boys, but they're also very much steampunk.

They have a last.fm page, and you can also find their work on CDBaby. Give them a listen. They're definitely worth your time.