The Story of Goth in 33 Songs

From Pitchfork:

1980
The Cure
“A Forest”

Goth is synonymous with excess—too much echo, too much feeling, too much eyeliner. But “A Forest,” off 1980’s spellbinding Seventeen Seconds, is a masterpiece of minimalism. It is a world away from so many of the band’s other signature efforts: the spiky, sprightly post-punk of Boys Don’t Cry, the druggy dolor of Pornography, the rococo swirl of Disintegration. Composed around a four-note synth part, with bass and guitar counterpoints twirling like vines, it follows a steady motorik groove that’s evocative of train travel; the reverb on the snare feels like it’s going backward and forward at the same time, which only adds to the sense that it could go on forever (a goal they would inch closer to, a year later, with the nearly 30-minute “Carnage Visors”). Deliciously repetitive, “A Forest” stretches from horizon to horizon, bleak as winter branches against a dull grey sky. –Philip Sherburne