DEAD CAN DANCE

The album title means something like 'resurrection', an appropriate choice for a band more or less inactive since the end of the last millennium. It's a welcome reunion after sixteen years away from the recording studio, but at the same time hardly an advance from what the duo had already achieved previously.

Fans may be comforted to hear the DCD formula unchanged after all these years. There was always a separate-but-equal duality to their music, and the new album likewise balances the impossibly lush, symphonic songs of Brendan Perry against the cinematic Third World soundscapes of Lisa Gerrard, the latter featuring her soaring voice as their primary instrument.

A not unpredictable Middle and Near Eastern vibe prevails throughout the odder named tracks: "Anabasis", "Agape", "Kiko". Elsewhere the Brendan Perry numbers highlight a typically huge orchestral sound, most of it synthetic but entirely convincing, and perfectly matched to the rich baritone of his vocals. "Children of the Sun" is the standout example, a dramatic curtain-raiser despite the starry-eyed New Age lyrics, enough to make even Jon Anderson blush.

Neither Perry nor Gerrard has lost a step since 1996, but their musical passions are on a tighter leash now. Maybe it's an indication of age and maturity (both artists are in their early 50s), but the new album shows surprising restraint, never breaking free of its measured pace and majestic tempos (except in the slightly more energized but paradoxically titled "Opium"). There isn't much to distinguish any one track here, even the stately Celtic anthem "Return of the She-King", the album's obvious show-stopper, and notably the only song to feature both principals singing together.

"Anastasis" will likely be remembered as more of a cautious throwback than an assertive step forward. But the album holds together well enough despite the lack of surprise, and it stands as a testament to what a generous application of studio reverb can accomplish. To an old fan the experience can be like visiting with old friends: absence makes the heart grow fonder, so forth.

A good return to form after 16 years, considering their two crumby 'World Music' albums from the mid 90's.. This hits all the right marks but is without the all encompassing darkness of 'Within the Realm...'

'Anastasis' sounds Turkish with spatterings of Western Gothic thrown in throughout. Maybe this is the problem... It's almost like they're trying so hard to emulate the sound of yesteryear but end up being a mish-mash of both.

Brendan Perry sounds über cool with his almost drunk-like singing during the opener 'Children of the Sun'. He has that 'Frank Sinatra, Scott Walker' crooning thing going on after drinking half a bottle of whisky, that I'm more than happy to listen to all day.

I have to admit that I find Brendan Perry's booming vocals more appealing than Lisa Gerrard's throughout this album, where he's accompanied by strings, French Horns and keyboards and lends a definite gravitas to proceedings.

Lisa Gerrard sounds like she always does. She may have a poweful and original voice - but sings like she's playing it by numbers here.

Fans of 'Darkwave' music will no doubt love this. Spellbinding tingly production in the '4AD' style, garnered together with gravelly vocals from Brendan Perry and deep bass make this an applaudable return to form. It's just a a pity it doesn't have that 'Nuclear armageddon gloominess' of 'Within the Realm' or 'The Serpent's Egg' feel going on. Still, it's probably their best album since then.

'Anastasis' (which is Greek for 'Resurrection) is a bit shapeless in the greater scheme of things. It begins and go's on in a similar vein throughout. Thankfully the mighty Brendan Perry rescues the day with his hugely reverbed baritone crooning which harks back to Dead Can Dance's good old days from '85-'86.

Now I am more excited because Dead Can Dance are coming to Mexico City in November, so if everything is ok, I will be attending at last, to witness a show of one of the most original acts I have ever listened. Since they decided to release this series of live EPs I've been dreaming about the song I would like to play, and I believe that is one of the goals of these EPs, to make us dream and fly.

This fifth "Live Happenings" contains five tracks and a total time of 24 minutes. As you know, this is a Live EP, with memorable performances of well-known Dead Can Dance songs. The first one is "Black Sun" with Brendan Perry's tranquilizing voice and the ethnic drums made by percussion and keyboards. This is a track I like a lot. The next one is "Salem's Lot" with Lisa Gerard's beautiful atmospheric voice, dreamy, touching, that can break our deepest fears, enter to our unknown places, that's her charm.

With "Yulunga" we follow the previous mood, relaxing, reflecting and self-consciousness music, atmospheres and nuances produced by her voice, and of course, wonderfully complemented by the instruments in turn. After three minutes the music changes introducing a new rhythm, excellent percussion and the inherent ethnic sound.

"Severance" is a pretty well-known track that most DCD fans love. It has a special charm, a beautiful plate of feelings, colours and textures that Perry's voice know well how to hit the nail, how to share and make them leave a mark in the listener's experience. The last song of the EP is "Hymn for the Fallen" in which she actually sings in English, something strange n DCD's music. Honestly, I have to admit that though this is a beautiful and touching song, it is far from being a favorite of mine.

As usual, a great EP that in my opinion would have been better with a different last track, anyway, I cannot wait to see them live!

Enjoy it!

The fourth of this Live EP series has just been released and now can be downloaded through Dead Can Dance's website. As usual, this one features four songs from different live performances; this time, they choose shorter tracks, so the four make a total time of 16 minutes.

'I Can See Now' is the one that opens this EP. It is also the shortest song, with only 2:40 length. This is basically a Brendan Perry led track where his voice reaches high and emotional tunes, while he is playing his acoustic guitar in a soft way; there are some other instruments that accompany him and work as background. The following track is 'American Dreaming' and Perry continues with his leadership, but now the rhythm is a bit faster and more intense. The acoustic guitar is sweet, the voice soft and relaxing, while there is a permanent smooth atmosphere. While the seconds pass, new elements are being added until the song reaches a climax where the emotions are at its highest.

Well, but if we want to talk about emotions, we will have a very special, touching piece now with 'Sanvean', which as you know, is a piece sung by Lisa Gerrard. This is particularly one of my favorite Dead Can Dance songs ever, no matter the mood I am, this song always moves me, always cause me goose bumps and even tears. Her voice is so magical, angelical and disarming at the same time, something only she can do.

And this fourth Live EP finishes with 'Rakim' which is another classic track from DCD repertoire, and it is also the longest one here, taking in consideration that in the first minute of this track we can listen to Brendan Perry introducing the members of the band. Well, then the song actually starts with Lisa playing the santur, it continues for a minute and then percussion enter producing a kind of tribal sound with a gothic atmosphere and wonderful male vocals. Later there is a pause and Lisa's voice enter making a repetitive but haunting sound, then Brendan's one enter as well and we can now listen to both voices over a delicious musical structure. Great song!

Well, as a fan, I cannot help but downloading all this Live EP's they are offering, and though they have already announced their upcoming North American Tour, I keep my fingers crossed and hope the contemplate a visit to Mexico City. Three stars.

Enjoy it!

While it may seem minimalist on first listen, The Serpent's Egg is an incredibly deep and emotional album filled to the brim with primeval musical qualities that forces the listener to descend completely into its oppressed atmosphere.

First of all, anyone who doesn't approve of olden vocal music such as Thomas Tallis or Hildegard von Bingen most likely will not enjoy this album (or any of Dead Can Dance's albums). Featured prominently in this music is Lisa Gerrard's powerful and tortured yet soothing vocals that either blast through or float pleasantly among walls of depressed string orchestration that drone with subtle changes like a severely slowed down interpretation of Samuel Barber's infamously sad "Adagio for Strings" -- this is represented very strongly in the opening track, "The Host of Seraphim", which is vaguely middle Eastern but mostly gives off mental images of debilitating depression affecting the masses to the point where tears and death are simply commonplace.

But, as with most Dead Can Dance albums, Brendan Perry also has his vocal moments. "Severance" features his goth-tinged voice trudging atop comfortably droning organ, but the song overall almost has a pop accessibility to it, though I'd be surprised if it were ever played on the radio.

Aside from being primarily slow, droning, medieval folk-influenced music, there are some spots on the album where the pace is picked up a bit, such as "Chant of the Paladin" which is (relatively) more active, featuring a powerful percussion rhythm and low-registered strikes on the bowed instruments while Lisa Gerrard provides hypnotizing vocals that are basically musical emotionally disconnected cries. "Echolalia" is another relatively active composition, but it's a bit more wild and eccentric in its ethnic vocal decisions and quickly passes by without even establishing an emotional grab. "Mother Tongue" is one of the true standouts on this album, featuring a driving rhythm on jungle-esque percussion and a jarring rhythmic staccato melody before breaking off into slower, contemplative, tense, and darker territory that sounds like cave music -- this entire song will sound very comfortable to fans of the Turok: Dinosaur Hunter soundtrack.

The Serpent's Egg might not be the most accessible album that uses medieval folk inspiration, but it is very beautiful and should invoke (primarily negative) emotions as well as sleep. If you're looking for primeval music with a strong modern twist that can easily drown out any trace of happiness in your psyche (in a good way), then this is for you.

"Live Happenings ? Part III" is the last part of these online series of live EP's Dead Can Dance began to release since the latter 2011. In fact, if you go to their website you can find right now this third episode which of course can be downloaded for free, so if you like the band, do not hesitate and get it. As I've said in the previous reviews, the band is giving us a slice of live performance because later this year they will be touring due to the release of a new album, which is something really exciting, I must say.

Here we will have 20 minutes of this unique music, divided in four live performances as usual. The first track is "Saltarello" which I am sure has to be one of the better known songs from Dead Can Dance. You know, instrumental addictive music with great percussion, bagpipes and keyboards creating great folk tunes. I love this song, too bad it is so short. The next track is "The Wind that Shakes the Barley", which is a traditional Irish song that here is performed by Lisa Gerrard alone. I must admit I am not the most avid fan of this song, however, what Lisa's voice can share is nothing I can describe with words.

A longer track comes next with "How Fortunate the Man with None", whose nine minutes are full of colors, textures and nuances produced by Brendan Perry's voice, along with the non-stop keyboards and the several elements that are being added little by little. The feeling here is darker than the previous ones, with a kind of gothic style, but without losing the inherent folk touch of DCD's music. The last song is "Dreams Made Flesh" , which is a haunting, emotional and beautiful song in which we will listen to Lisa's voice at her best, along with her amazing Santur. This is one of my favorite Dead Can Dance songs, and of course my preferred in this EP, even over Saltarello.

I ignore if there will be a fourth, fifth or x parts of these series, but I will surely download them if they appear, because they are worth it. My final grade, three stars.

Enjoy it!

The most melancholic of all Dead Can Dance's albums, 'The Serpent's Egg' begins off with a huge slab of doom which many may recognise from a few UK TV documentaries - predictably revolving around the hardship of life in the far east and India. I used to love this track with its super deep vocals and echoey strings, but now it just brings me down. Maybe it's a sign of getting older, or perhaps it's just because there's so much bad news all around the world just now. Miserable music was far easier to take when I was in my twenties.

'Orbis de Ignis' is far lighter in instrumentation but is still enough to make you end up with your head in your hands.

Good old Brendan Perry puts in a vocal turn on 'Severance'. Like a cross between Sinatra and Scott Walker, he croons through this one beautifully as strings wail in the background. Beatless, like most of this album.

'The Writing on My Father's Hand' has the return of Lisa Gerrard on vocals. Softer and more religious with huge creepy reverb. No matter how much effect is added to her voice, the double and triple vocal tracking inevitably makes you think your'e listening to the 'Le Mystere des Voix Bulgares' female choir, who were at their peak at the same time.

'In the Kingdom of the Blind' is far more like it. A track that actually goes somewhere and introduces percussion unlike the 'circular' patterns of the previous tunes. I just wish I had a set of vocal chords like Perry!

Talking of repetitive - 'Chant of the Paladin' might be enough to make you snap your cd in half with frustration. At least it's over within 4 minutes. That one's a real dirge, with Welsh Druid-like chanting from 800AD and very repetitive percussion.

'The Serpent's Egg' is similar in many ways to the far superior 'Within the Realm', but this one sounds a lot 'thinner' and less beefy. A bit like comparing a bowl of gruel with a dishful of porridge in fact.

Things do pick up dramatically however, with the last few tracks which make me realise once again why I loved this band so much. All of a sudden robotic sounding fast paced percussion enters the fray culminating with the exceptionally wordy Perry track 'Ullyses', which is drenched in tons of reverb and almost sounds like it belongs on 'Spleen and Ideal', but with cello throbs replacing timpani snares as violas and violins fizz about like bees buzzing around your head.

I'm in the minority here, but I far prefer Brendan Perry's vocals to Lisa Gerrard's. It must be the 'Goth' in me. I can relate to his western sound. What I used to consider a dead cert 5 star recording is now reduced to 4, bordering on 3 simply due to the thoroughly depressing though beautiful Gerrard vocal.

This is the second part of the "Live Happenings" EP series, which can be downloaded for free from Dead Can Dance's website. As I explained in my review of the first part, the band is offering 4-track live EPs that let us know they will be touring later this year, due to the release of a new studio album after so many years. So start your engines and prepare to receive it with arms wide open.

In this second part we will have 27 minutes of folk, neo-classical, ethereal music with the inherent high quality of this band. It starts with "The Love that cannot be", whose more than eight minutes share and provoke different emotions, mainly due to Lisa's voice, but the musical background is also primordial. The music is tranquilizing, thoughtful and touching, it gets more emotional after five minutes.

"The Lotus Eaters" is actually one of my favorite songs from the whole DCD catalogue. Here the folk and ethnic sound is present all the time, with great percussion, a wonderful use of strings and of course the keyboards as background. Here we can also appreciate both voices, though Lisa's voice is the main here, Brendan's one joins in some moments. A true journey to other lands, and of course, a wonderful performance.

"Crescent" is the longest track with more than nine minutes. This is a song led by Brendan Perry's voice, with a cool progression and addition of elements while the seconds pass. Of course the ethnic sound is present, along with some neo-classical strings and a great synth as background. There are moments where it becomes more emotional, with Perry's voice reaching higher notes, but then it slows down and continues with the mid-tempo rhythm that lasts until the very end.

The last song is "Minus Sanctus" which happens to be the shortest one. Here we listen to Lisa's voice, taking us into a temple and making a moment of self-reflection. This second part of Live Happenings is worth downloading, because you will have a nice experience of their live shows, and at the same time, dream about witnessing a performance of theirs (which I really wish). Three stars.

Enjoy it!

It is good to know that one of those one-of-a-kind bands are still working and with upcoming plans. Dead Can Dance has a terrific legacy in this musical realm, with memorable albums and a unique style that Brendan Perry and Lisa Gerrard have shared for 30 years; nowadays, we have the luck to still enjoy their music because since the latter 2011 they have been releasing a series of four-song-live-EP's entitled "Live Happenings", which are free to download via their website.

So far there are three parts of it, the first one was released in September 2011, and it features four songs that show this uniqueness and wonderful style Dead Can Dance have. Now this is not the only good news, because for this 2012 they will also release a new studio album (after so many years) and of course, a world tour included, so who wouldn't get excited? Meanwhile, we can enjoy to these free EP's. In this first one the four songs chosen were "Nierika", "Babylon", "Compassion" and "The Ubiquitorious Mr. Lovegrove", all make a total time of 21 minutes.

The obvious folk sound is of course here in the whole EP. In "Nierka" we will have that peculiar self-language the band created, sung mostly by Lisa's beautiful voice, and parts by the also wonderful Perry's one; percussions, synths and some strings can be also appreciated. As I said, the songs were taken from live performances, so it is cool to listen to the audience's applauses and enthusiasm. For "Babylon" the rhythm is a bit calmer, with a folk and at the same time dark atmosphere created by keyboards. Here the main voice is Perry's one, with English lyrics. I love how it progresses so in the final minutes we have a very emotional time, a disarming ending.

"Compassion" is one of those better-put-your-headphones songs, because though it is slow and with fewer instruments than the previous ones, what Lisa's voice provokes is something indescribable. She can transmit a lot of emotions, she can make you feel relaxed, easy, thoughtful, disarmed, sad? you choose what suits you the best. The final song is "The Ubliquitorious Mr. Lovegrove" which is great, taking us to other cultures and places, the instruments here are reminiscent of those mi-east lands. Here, the voice is from Brendan Perry. I like that they chose four great performances and intercalated the lead vocals.

This is the first of this live series, not a masterpiece, but worth downloading and listening without a doubt, so if you like the band, I eagerly invite you to get them. My final grade, three stars.

Enjoy it!

Dead Can Dance's final album sees the band steering in a heavily world music direction, and they seem particularly keen on appropriating Australian aboriginal music and fusing them with elements of Western rock music. The end results, I fear, are unconvincing - Song of the Stars mixes a repetitive drum rhythm with some rather uninspired guitar noodling and backing singing which wouldn't be out of place on any New Agey world music album out there. The distinctive sound of the band had, by this point, well and truly vanished, and what replaces it is a fumbling attempt at a sound which had already been explored to far greater success by other artists.