If you’re looking for some atmospheric music to play by candlelight, here are a couple of artists you might check out.

Nox Arcana’s albums include titles such as “Darklore Manor,” “Carnival of Lost Souls,” and “Blood of Angels.” Their latest, “Shadow of the Raven,” is a Poe-inspired album:

Delve into the haunted realms of Edgar Allan Poe, as Nox Arcana enriches the classic tales of the literary master of the macabre with a lush musical tapestry of Victorian elegance and Gothic nightmares. This dark soundscape of ghostly melodies, mournful dirges, eerie sound effects and ominous orchestrations is accompanied by Joseph Vargo’s lavish artwork depicting Poe’s classic horror tales, and even offers fans a hidden “gold bug” riddle.

(Joseph Vargo also did the artwork for The Gothic Tarot, which is very pretty.)

Midnight Syndicate advertises themselves with the slogan, “Gothic Nightmare Soundtracks,” but I think that sells them rather short. (Their bio mentions their quest to create “soundtracks for the imagination,” which is closer to the mark.) They’re a favorite with haunters trying to enliven–or, um, endeaden, I guess–their attractions, but I like them as background music. The all-instrumental albums are meant to tell a story, so (for example) their “Gates of Delirium” album begins with “Arrival,” moves through tracks such as “Cage of Solitude” and “Non Compos Mentis,” and winds up with “Ebony Shroud” and “Sleep Tight.” Lovely!

If you like Dead Can Dance, you ought to like these two. Check ’em out!