Steampunk is one of those genres that always seems about to break into the mainstream, but then falls on its face! :( Every year, there are new predictions that steampunk will appear as a standard in everyday culture, but none of them ever seem to come true.

Graphic by IBM

Steampunk isn't weird, though! A little out there, but aren't we all? We all have something special inside of us that we should let shine. I'm not ashamed of embracing my steampunk obsession and playing my steampunk music out loud, except when there's literally anyone else in the room who could overhear it. I mean Jesus Christ, I'd fucking die.

1. "Steampunk Revolution" by Abney Park

When I'm by myself, I can believe that lyrics like "You can keep your hip-hop techno-pop-rock schleppin-dub" are brilliant. But when another human being walks in the door, who am I even kidding? What is "schleppin-dub"? Omigod I'm so embarrassed.

2. "New Albion, A Steampunk Opera"

The prelude is a whole song about a mechanical city with "aphrodisiac" clouds and "a red-haired dwarf with just one eye." Sometimes I wonder why the radio just plays recycled pop songs when it could be playing this, and then I remember that no one really wants to hear about a guild of zeppelin pilots with a castrati boss and sordid prostitutes copulating in doorways, nobody meaning my roommate, family, or literally anyone who knows me. My door has been open this whole time? Omigod you didn't hear anything did you?

3. "Hold My Heart" by Lindsay Sterling

"A dark twisted version of Alice in Wonderland firmly rooted in Hot Topic aesthetic" hasn't been overdone, and I bet there are still fresh iterations out there. Actually, who am I kidding, I'm a complete failure of a human being.

4. "Danger! High Voltage" by Electric Six

I would absolutely not be ashamed if my roommate walked in right now and saw this video of a Victorian gentlemen sitting in a high-backed chair while an electric sensor strapped to his groin lights up to signify his sexual arousal, as well as the sexual arousal of the moose he rides on. Either that or I'd jump out the window.

5. "Days of Steam" by Poison Garden

We can all branch out in our music tastes, and songs that combine steampunk with screamo are my guilty pleasure. And by "guilty," I mean that I literally attend Confession every time I listen.

6. "A Steampunk Symphony" by Victor Sierra

"We're heading to a place where no one ever dies!" This line really highlights that steampunk is becoming the "rock n' roll" of our generation - a revitalizing force in which its fans are young forever. Or maybe that your parents will kick you out of the house if they hear you listening to its unholy siren call? Oh God they didn't hear anything, did they?

7. "Goodbye Happiness" by Birthrite

Vampire hookers, a skull microphone with its own goggles, jump scares, and a pentagram so insufficiently satanic that they had to write "DEATH" underneath just to show you it was evil: this video has everything I could ever ask for, which is also everything that I hope no one ever sees about my personality as long as I live.

In conclusion, steampunk is an awesome subculture in which everyone can express themselves, and then maybe feel vaguely guilty about it, I don't know? Maybe? It's not like I'm an expert, I actually don't know anything about it, please don't judge me.