Contango involves a scenario where future prices for a given commodity are higher than spot prices whereas backwardation involves a scenario where future prices for a given commodity are lower than spot prices.
The spot month period is specific to each commodity contract, need not correspond to a month-long period, and may extend through the period when delivery obligations are incurred.
If you share our conviction that liquidity and transparency should remain of utmost importance for any investment, the best method to gain exposure to depressed gold prices is to buy the stocks of publicly traded gold-mining companies, which typically offer more upside potential than the underlying commodity or ETFs designed to mimic the spot price.