Argh.
I really tried to get this up by Halloween, but it took quite a bit of work, i.e. rummaging through old VHS tapes, then some encoding, blah blah. So just pretend itÁ¢€â„¢s 24 hours ago for maximum effectÁ¢€¦
For a few years on the early-to-mid Á¢€Ëœ80s, each Halloween evening would see MTV break their normal playlist format to spotlight Á¢€Å“spookyÁ¢€, Á¢€Å“scaryÁ¢€ or Á¢€Å“creepyÁ¢€ videos. This would be just about the only time of the year youÁ¢€â„¢d see Blue Oyster CultÁ¢€â„¢s Á¢€Å“GodzillaÁ¢€ (why youÁ¢€â„¢d want to is beyond me) or Edgar Winter Jr.Á¢€â„¢s Á¢€Å“Frankenstein 1984Á¢€ (seriously).
While IÁ¢€â„¢m not much of a horror fan, I would make it a point to try to record or see some of this marathon each year because I knew they would play one video IÁ¢€â„¢d never get to see otherwise Á¢€” Á¢€Å“Something Inside Me Has DiedÁ¢€ by an L.A.-based goth band called Kommunity FK.
Kommunity FK was basically vocalist/guitarist Patrick Mata, drummer Matt Chaikin and a revolving door of support musicians who tended not to stick around very long. Their 1983 debut album Á¢€Å“The Vision and the VoiceÁ¢€, besides being nearly impossible to find, is quite good Á¢€” thereÁ¢€â„¢s more going on here than just droning gloom. Lots of Joy Division creeps into the mix and there are hooks aplenty. However, their 1985 album Á¢€Å“Close One Sad EyeÁ¢€ is really their jewel Á¢€” the hooks remain, but the production seems to be more up to the task. Everything is crystal clear and IÁ¢€â„¢ll be damned if that bass isnÁ¢€â„¢t downright funky at times Á¢€” not quite what you expect from a goth band.
Á¢€Å“Something Inside Me Has DiedÁ¢€, woeful title aside, is basically a bouncy little new wave-ish number and quite possibly, next to BauhausÁ¢€â„¢ overplayed Á¢€Å“Bela LugosiÁ¢€â„¢s DeadÁ¢€, one of the most fully realized goth rock songs ever. MataÁ¢€â„¢s voice is fantastic, the synth drones in the background and when the guitar screeches and Mata yelps Á¢€Å“DIIIIIIIIEEED!Á¢€ youÁ¢€â„¢re right there with him.
The video was a combination of truly atmospheric and downright hilarious. There are some well-composed shots in beautiful black and white and some of the sets are quite effective and moody. I know goth is dress up and all, but get ready to see some serious hair violations and lots of Á¢€Å“IÁ¢€â„¢m DYING INSIDEÁ¢€ eyerolls to the back of the head. Keep in mind, however, that when youÁ¢€â„¢re 16 years old in 1985, you take this shit seriously. At least I did enough to make sure I kept it on tape for 20 years.
Download Á¢€Å“Something Inside Me Has DiedÁ¢€.
Watch the video.
Visit Kommunity FK online (theyÁ¢€â„¢re still touring!).
Amazon has the first Kommunity FK
CD in print and used copies of “Close One Sad Eye” (but prepare to pay for it).
Á¢€Something Inside Me Has DiedÁ¢€ did not chart.
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