Ethereal wave, also called ethereal darkwave in Europe and ethereal goth or simply ethereal in the US, is a term that describes a subgenre of Dark Wave music. Developed in 1983/1984 as an outgrowth of gothic rock, ethereal was mainly represented by bands such as Cocteau Twins (e.g. "Five Ten Fiftyfold", "The Spangle Maker", "Otterley", "Pink Orange Red" and "Ribbed and Veined") and early Dead Can Dance (e.g. "The Fatal Impact", "The Arcane").
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Ethereal wave, also called ethereal darkwave in Europe and ethereal goth or simply ethereal in the US, is a term that describes a subgenre of Dark Wave music. Developed in 1983/1984 as an outgrowth of gothic rock, ethereal was mainly represented by bands such as Cocteau Twins (e.g. "Five Ten Fiftyfold", "The Spangle Maker", "Otterley", "Pink Orange Red" and "Ribbed and Veined") and early Dead Can Dance (e.g. "The Fatal Impact", "The Arcane").
Typical of this kind of music is the use of atmospheric guitar soundscapes, including sound effects like echo and delay. A second typical characteristic is the use of breathy male or high register female vocals – often with hard-to-decipher lyrical content – and a strong influence of ambient music. The website "A Study of Gothic subculture" describes it as being "most characterized by soprano female vocals combined with [...] bass, lead guitar, and drums which creates a surreal, angelic or otherworldly effect e.g. Love Spirals Downwards, Cocteau...
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