By Jenn Sussman aka DJ Belladonna

The Sisters of Mercy

1. WCollide “White Rabbit” – Inspired by last weekend’s release of Tim Burton’s re-imagined twist on Alice inWonderland, I’ve got Collide’s dark and pseudo-gothic version of Jefferson Airplane’s classic LSD-fueled, Alice-themed fantasy in heavy rotation this week. Originally released in 2000 on Collide’s debut album Chasing The Ghost, Grace Slick’s powerhouse vocal is replaced here by the melodic, erotic and whisper-like delivery of Collide chanteuse kaRIN, as the guitars of the original give way to a surreal and hypnotic synthscape that could have been dreamed up by The Mad Hatter himself. Spooky, sexy and provocative, this is one rabbit hole you’ll want to fall into again and again.

2. Apparat “Arcadia” – Whether you call it electronica, ambient, balearic or chillout, there’s no doubt that Apparat (aka German dance music impresario Sascha Ring) delivers the sonic equivalent of a very stylish lounge chair on this standout track from 2007’s Walls. Mellow beats support a soaring yet plaintive vocal that inspires thoughts of floating somewhere above humanity, adrift in a hazy blue sky, in search of beauty. For those who prefer a slightly harder edge to their ambient experience, Chicago-based remix artists Telefon Tel Aviv provide a darkwave-esque take. Pick your pleasure.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1959yE_ozA&feature=related

3. Candy Flip “Strawberry Fields Forever” – Perhaps one of the best Beatles covers you’ve never heard, ‘90s “Madchester” scenesters Candy Flip really took this classic track to a whole other level. Though they never received the critical acclaim of UK peers the Stone Roses and Happy Mondays, their trip-hoppy version of this beloved classic is ballsy and bound to be in your head for awhile. There has never been a time that I’ve played this in a club and haven’t had at least two people ask me who it is. Originally released in 1991 on their debut album Madstock… and on a wavelength somewhere between brit-pop, synth-pop and trip-hop, this remains one of my favorite cassette singles of all time despite Candy Flip’s disappearance into obscurity. And yes, you read that right…I said cassette single.

4. The Cure “100 Years” – One of the lesser known tracks from The Cure’s breakout and beloved 1982 album Pornography, you can still catch DJ’s in NYC’s goth/industrial scene spinning this one for the devoted masses in black (yours truly is both DJ and devotee). If you’ve ever wondered what paranoia, despair, lust, confusion and terror would sound like when blanketed in grinding guitar riffs, Robert Smith is here to educate you with his own personal pre-NIN downward spiral. So, unlace your corset and surrender yourself to the teacher… just don’t take his tips on hair and makeup.

5. Juliette Lewis “Hardly Wait” – Ohhh, Juliette…who knew?! In a memorable scene from 1995’s futuristic conspiracy thriller Strange Days (directed by Oscar-winning Hurt Locker director Kathryn Bigelow), Ralph Fiennes’ drug-clip peddling, former vice cop hustler Lenny turns up at a club that’s reminiscent of a cross between ‘80s-era Limelight, former NYC fetish club The Vault, and a hardcore punk show — just as his beloved ex-girlfriend and current hooker-cum-low-level-rockstar Faith (as portrayed by Ms. Lewis) takes the darkened stage in a chainmail dress and begins to sing…a PJ Harvey cover! And, she kills it. For more of Juliette’s rock n’ roll exploits, check out the first (and best, in this DJ’s humble opinion) Juliette & The Licks record, …Like A Bolt Of Lightning.

6. The Cramps “Sunglasses After Dark” – A long screech of electric guitar feedback careens into a thudding, tribal drumbeat, and then, like an echo from the farthest edge of the black lagoon… “I’ve got somethin’ to say to you and you better listen / I’m gon’ tell you how to be cool in one easy lesson…GO!” And so begins one of the most memorable tracks from the 1979 debut album Songs The Lord Taught Us by psychobilly pioneers The Cramps. Anchored by the late Lux Interior and the like-minded love of his life, Poison Ivy, and recorded at the legendary Sun Studios deep in the heart of Nashville, The Cramps offered a perversion of the traditional rockabilly sound, adding punk, surf and horror-inspired elements to create a sound all their own. If you really want to learn how to be cool, take an easy lesson from Lux and Ivy and throw this album on the turntable. You’ll get Cramp-ed in the best possible way.

7. Catherine Wheel “Black Metallic” – There’s something strangely sexy about this shoegaze classic from UK act Catherine Wheel’s 1992 debut, Ferment…though, you’re not sure what it is exactly, and you’re not even sure you know what the singer is talking about. If you were in high school when this rock gem was getting airplay, it didn’t matter anyway. For those of us who didn’t respond to bubblegum pop or formulaic rock back in the ‘90s, this track was the sound of teen angst, MTV’s 120 Minutes, and make-out sessions with that alternative chick or dude from your biology class with the Jane’s Addiction t-shirt. Also, be sure to take a listen to my other favorite track from Ferment, “I Want To Touch You.”

8. The Sisters of Mercy “Gimme Shelter” – Card-carrying goth genre members The Sisters of Mercy are well known for their cover versions, some more successful than others (Jolene, anyone?). Fortunately for goths everywhere, they got it right on their redo of this classic cautionary tale by the Rolling Stones, featured on the collection Some Girls Wander By Mistake. Actually, Sisters maestro Andrew Eldritch manages to achieve a sense of forboding and paranoia that the original doesn’t possess, and which resonates with the lyrics and makes you feel that maybe war, rape and murder really are lurking just beyond the doors of the goth club. Better grab a friend to go with you for that clove cigarette, children.

9. April March “Laisse Tomber Les Filles (aka Chick Habit)” – This flat-out fun track featured on the soundtrack of Quentin Tarantino’s homage to fast cars and psycho killers, Death Proof, manages to simultaneously conjure up images of ‘60s pop icons in white leather knee boots, B-movie actresses in small Texas towns, and bad girls with prosthetic legs…all of whom are speaking French. Here for your listening pleasure is the original French version from April March’s 1995 album Chick Habit (the English version appears on the Death Proof soundtrack). C’est si bon!

10. Electric Six “Be My Dark Angel” – According to this track, Detroit rockers Electric Six inhabit a world of Canadian go-go girls, Japanese karate girls, black girls, white girls, China girls, Australasian, European, Pan-American girls. If you wanna get with those girls, or if you want to find out if the Jacksons are reuniting and going on tour, then get with this hilarious track from 2005’s bizarre and hilarious Señor Smoke.