Ask Lemmy

I love Robert Johnson's "me and the devil", it ends with that devilish sentence :

You may bury my body, ooh Down by the highway side So my old evil spirit Can get a Greyhound bus and ride

Devon Cole - W.I.T.C.H https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcLy05ywVM8

Curveball incoming Yello - Angel No

My best move was memorizing Merlin’s Charm of Making from Excalibur. I used it a lot when I played a witch.

“Anál nathrach, orth’ bháis's bethad, do chél dénmha.”

In modern English, this can be translated as:

“Serpent's breath, the charm of death and life, thy omen of making.”

https://youtu.be/AvkmQceOWbw

For some reason I didn't read the title from left to right, I read random words first. The first word i read was D&D, but I misread it.

I was trying to figure out what exactly a witchy gothic DNS was, and how I could get one too.

The hacker - flesh and bone

Hmm... I am a fan of this aesthetic so...

Hard to beat Darkher for dark and witchy. Incredible music in its own right as well.

But also...

Eivor Pålsdottir

Nyghtegale from the Green Knight

Amira Elfeky

Jolene via Joliet

Halfsleeper

Bulgarian choral music

Rïcïnn

Hetane

Linea Aspera

Lindy Fay Hella is hella fey. (Sorry)

Lamb has something to them that feels right too.

Kati Ran of course.

Noeta

The Negative Harmony cover of Maneater though lots of negative harmony covers could angle toward that uncanny valley feeling of illusionists.

Something in the Dark

Cloak of Feathers for something more metalic

Alice Francis if she's a bit cocky

Kovacs has a touch of spooky in her jazzy

Espers - Dead Queen

Caitlin Myers - Ghosting You

Beats Antique - Beauty Beats

Ghost Data - The Sheppardess

Pendragon - Morgana

Gawr Gura - Ash Again

Derivakat - Revived

For a summoner or necromancer, this could be fun:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3BtkVV6v90

Witch Doctor - De Staat

https://youtu.be/0ttGgIQpAUc

https://witchbottle.bandcamp.com/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUQiUFZ5RDw

Have you ever seen that meme where people write increasingly eldritch lyrics to Jolene?

Someone recorded a version like that: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yj_Q6VhX6l8

Diamanda Galás
Making the Devil shit himself.

Witches Burn - The Pretty Reckless Sanctify Me - In this Moment

Chinese Burn by Curve This one has big chaos pixie energy.

Notable lyrics: She burns friends like a piece of wood, she's jealous of me because she never could, holds herself up without a spine...

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Temple of Love by The Sisters Of Mercy

Classic trad goth with a drum machine and operatic drama.

Notable lyrics: Fucking all of them man, Som songs are pure poetry. There's lots of elemental references here and it hints at a much more epic love story and fantasy setting too.

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Happy House by Siouxsie And The Banshees

Big chaos energy again, but with much more sinister discordance this time.

Notable lyrics: We're all happy here, in the happy house.... The whole song is creepy fey realm shiz, seriously just read it

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Et Moi by Nym

This is a mostly electronic instrumental track, with a hypnotic rolling beat that's kinda haunting and catchy at the same time.

Like with name of the song and name of the band, the actual song here is also in French, but it all translates to big fey vibes imo. Lots of similar themes to the songs above too but from a different, more melancholic prespective. Link to translated lyrics here

Good luck with your character!

(Edited as I fucked up the formatting originally)

The Evil Eye - Joe Jackson Whistling Passed The Graveyard - Tom Waits There's a Moon over Bourbon Street - Sting

Check out The Bridge City Sinners

Very cool female led band. Numerous witchy vibe type songs.

Edit

https://youtu.be/ldbA86MZIJ0

https://youtu.be/_tCvb39Lt7k

You can't get more witchy and gothic than Inkubus Sukkubus. Maybe Heart of Lilith? It's not their most catchy song. Pagan Born is nice. Alternatives: Midnight Queen, Vampyre Erotica, or Aradia.

For something OG (Original Goth) maybe Spellbound by Siouxsie And The Banshees.

Heuse & Anica: Going Insane

Kuoga: Coquette

Rok Nardin: Her Gaze

Sevdaliza: Soul Syncable

Mordred’s Lullaby, by Heather Dale might be a pretty good choice. It’s creepy, although creepy in the abusive narcissist way, so I don’t know if that’ll be your jam.

Not sure what theme, style, or use you're looking for. I don't have suggestions that would hit in a fun powerful way like the soundtrack to American Horror Story: Coven (but I guess that playlist is a recommendation). I'm into metal and I'm imagining higher feminine vocals that may not be entirely understandable, so that's what I have. Generally, the top tracks on Spotify are representative of the sound I associate with each.

Chelsea Wolfe comes to mind first. She drifts between metal and folk (sort of?), but the lyrical content is largely consistent. Hiss Spun (2017) is the album I like most, followed by She Reaches Out To She Reaches Out To She (2024) if the other is too metal. She also put some work into the X/MaXine/?? horror movie trilogy score with Tyler Bates

I lied, some more upbeat bands would be Cellar Darling (hard rock, fantasy themes, cello solos) or Castle Rat (if you needed Iron Maiden to beseige a castle).

Not exactly jams or bangers, but my autumn work/build grind playlist consisted of Heriot, Faetooth, Author & Punisher, Conjurer, and King Yosef. This is some heavy background score material to give me that fay metal mood without too much focus on the music itself. They're what built my 7ft tall deer reaper for Halloween. Discovered this genre(?) from a goth burlesque/freak show performance.

The game soundtracks of Hades and Hades 2 maybe?

Edit: sorry many of them don't have lyrics if that's what you are looking for, but there are a few bangers with lyrics too.

Secrets by the Pierces.

hmmmm if you want historical-inspired stuff, try Katharine Blake's projects, e.g.

• The Witching Hour, Floralia: https://thewitchingtale.bandcamp.com/track/floralia-2
• Miranda Sex Garden, Gush Forth My Tears: https://mirandasexgarden1.bandcamp.com/track/gush-forth-my-tears
• Medieval Baebes, The Jabberwocky https://mediaevalbaebes.bandcamp.com/track/the-jabberwocky

as well as

• Heather Christian, Grace Chorale: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3OWowYMY1M
• Jocelyn Pook, Thousand Year Dream: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xBQqnYMDvwM

If you want stuff your character can sing, there's always the traditional song:

• Libana, Earth Air Fire Water Return - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTyBQelWS18

here's a bunch of modern stuff that oughta put you in the mood:

• Bambie Thug, Ritual: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrKgGeQ1nWY
• Daisy Chainsaw, Love your Money: https://youtu.be/44IKv9mD7P4?t=9
• Switchblade Symphony, Clown: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3y7e7o
• Patriarchy, Hell Was Full: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9f6tCy-FT84
• Luna13, Evil Loves: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Jro-5tvF-c

check out !gothindustrial@lemmy.world for more fun!

For something without many vocals and just atmosphere try Heilung. All of their music feels like you are in a ritual or summoning.

Seven Devils by Florence and the Machine is a fun one :)

Checkout the new Florence + The Machine album 'Everybody Scream' https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLSSxZ58hOAnBdVziONxCeCej570TLDPgR

Ribbons by Sisters Of Mercy

It reminds me of the type of song that would play over a scene where someone is on their way to do something incredibly violent.

“I tried to tell her, about Marx and Engles, god and angles-
I don’t really know what for…
but she looked good in ribbons.”

I'm not sure about specific songs (most of the ones with lyrics I know are more sentimental than anything), but CocoRosie's whole vibe is pretty much fae-folk-hiphop. Very witchy sound in a lot of different ways. Lots of nature based/related lyrics as well.

War Zone Urchin by Jazmin Bean is spooky and very aggro.

Mindkilla by Gang Gang Dance can also be interpreted as manipulatively witchy in a casting glamours kind of way. Def fits in sound too (imo) if electronic-heavy stuff is welcome. It's also just a really, really sick track lol

Image by Magdalena Bay might fit the theme too. Also another incredibly groovy banger of a song.

Supernatural by Frost Children and Haru Nemuri (such a random and rad combo) might fit too. Higher barrier to entry on this one tho. Less immediately approachable than the other recs.

Wuthering Heights by Kate Bush is explicitly spooky and can also be read/re-framed as manipulative.

Cocteau Twins might have some of what youre looking for, too. I think thats all I have atm

No wait-Rill Rill by Sleigh Bells also exists, but it is not really related to the theme at all. It just came on and I like it lol

Edit: Rhiannon by Fleetwood Mac would be a snap-pick too imo. Surprised it wasn't the first to come to mind, actually

Gather Up - Matt Berry

I put a spell on you by Nina Simone maybe?

Jenny Lewis — "Head Underwater"

T. Rex — "Ride a White Swan"

Slaughterhouse - Harpy

Honestly most of her work is perfect for this.

Ludo - Horrow of Our Love

https://share.google/23N1ieiuI2etBSsUs

"Cloak of Feathers" by The Sword https://youtu.be/AlCJ1BsfMWc

"of owl and of raven, of peacock and dove, of swan and of sparrow, woven with her love. face hidden in shadow, beneath a hood of quills, the pinions of her raiment conceal all her ills."

Anything by CLANN

Oh honey you can do way better

KiNG MALA's last album especially is some real vibey heresy, start there

Portishead, obviously, deserves a mention too

If you don't need lyrics, try tabletoprpgmusic.com.

I filtered by "fantasy", "forest", and "mystery" and got The Feywild Manor, which sounds like a decent match to your descriptors.