DEAD CAN DANCE

DCD has created a unique sound and this album is the ideal transition between the old and the recent DCD, quite simply!

1 The Host Of Seraphim bam we go straight into it; the voice, the backing vocals, for film buffs think back to the nanard of 'Mist', the end could only have this title in support; end of the world, beginning of an arid land where nothing yet flows? the ultimate title when you want to have peace; I won't go back on the quality of Lisa's voice, the musical woman of my dreams... I find that there is a lot of love in the music I listen to... take the time, this will be the only title long before the last 2... Yes there is prog in there, yes it dates from the 'Operation Mindcrime' era, yes it's beautiful and that's all; ah ah ah ahahahaha, Lisa if you didn't know her and you're not yet 50 you're lucky... 2 Orbis De Ignis wake up, mantra, hymn, liturgies, you have the choice a sound of bell and we leave 3 Severance ah a church organ...just kidding! Although with the voice of Brendan we believe it; soft, bewitching, religious, dreamlike, ecstatic... DCD's music is available in Electronic music, Ambient, Rock, Experimental, Dark wave, Ethereal wave, Classical, Medieval, Downtempo, Dark ambient, Dream pop, Alternative rock, New age, folk, new wave, neo-classical dark wave and indie rock; unclassifiable I tell you ambient prog I will add, later world music quite simply 4 The Writing On My Father's Hand a mantra on an instrument of time, monolithic yes, irritating that can if you are not familiar with the singular and exceptional universe of the DCD; Lisa lets her voice out right at the end 5 In The Kingdom Of The Blind The One‐Eyed Are Kings here you know everything with the title; it's not the madmen asking for a king but the one-eyed people who are masters here.... easy but yes everything is interconnected...1'45'' and the majestic trumpets and drums remind us that the prog is is nestled all over the place; good a divine crescendo what more could you ask for; Brendan whom I had trouble, whom I named as responsible for the break-up of the said group, Brendan whose end-of-the-century album I threw myself into... it finally passes the time, Brendan, a great composer 6 Chant Of The Paladin towards Tintin in Tibet, yes it's easy but I could have said Tintin in America; good Tintin in the Middle Ages I don't know if it appeared because this paladin gives a hard time... A mantra one more bewitching or annoying 7 Song Of Sophia ooh there... the voice, it tears, it rocks; an air that goes back to previous albums 8 Echolalia and another Middle American or Indian canticle, all in perfect echolalia, huh what that's precisely the title ah damn I didn't know... hypnotic mantra 9 Mother Tongue returns to the DCD sound, pads, percussion, tambourines; it jumps all over the place, it puts you in a trance without you realizing it, even my fingers twitch while tapping rhythmically; it reminds me of Gabriel with his African world incursions, a return to the progressive past, where we didn't need translation to understand each other; Lisa goes into a trance-mantra on a synth flute at the end; the water acts as a purifier to clean your ears from today's music. 10 Ullyses at the end with a hypnotic, soporific air on a medieval trance with harpsichord; the DCD spirit title where you move, where your brain stops thinking, phew it feels good from time to time.

Dead Can Dance's only live album of their original incarnation was recorded hot on the heels of Into the Labyrinth, an album on which the duo had become intoxicated by world music but didn't seem to have much of a cohesive vision of how to bring it all together - or, for that matter, when it came to continuing to work together after the end of their romantic relationship. As a result whilst Into the Labyrinth had a number of great songs, it didn't quite seem to work as an album.

As with Into the Labyrinth (and the later Spiritchaser), I feel that Toward the Within is half a Lisa Gerrard solo release and half a Brendan Perry album mashed together uncomfortably. That said, the transition between Gerrard and Perry's sections seem to work somewhat more smoothly in a live context. Whilst it is still a shame that we don't have a solid live album from their true peak (say, around the time of Spleen and Ideal to Aion), Toward the Within to my ears offers a somewhat more cohesive vision than Into the Labyrinth at least.

Listening diary 23rd January 2021: Dead Can Dance - The Serpent's Egg (neoclassical darkwave, 1988)

This has become my favourite Dead Can Dance album, although that's probably only because it's the one I've spent the most time with. They're a band that create such outstanding moods but can be difficult to get into beyond a surface level background music kind of enjoyment. This one, probably aided by its utterly magnificent opener and the frequent allusions to Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares has grown on me from those initial impressions. It does fall off a bit after its introduction and its length means that the less remarkable second half goes by before you've even noticed it, but it has a great balance of mood and songwriting overall.

7.1 (6th listen)

Part of my listening diary from my facebook music blog - www.facebook.com/TheExoskeletalJunction

Listening diary 9th July, 2021: Dead Can Dance - Aion (neoclassical darkwave/medieval folk, 1990)

Probably their most blatantly medieval album, even to the point of covering The Song of the Sibyl, one of my favourite pieces of classical music, but as with many Dead Can Dance records, I'm not sure this has much staying power. There's an absolutely enchanting atmosphere to this, with strong folk threads running through it as well as the usual classical bent, but there aren't any standout tracks or truly memorable parts to songs. But if you're coming for the spiritual and ethereal atmosphere, it definitely delivers on that front.

6.6 (3rd listen)

Part of my listening diary from my facebook music blog - www.facebook.com/TheExoskeletalJunction

The Garden of the Arcane Delights EP - most easily available as a bonus on recent editions of Dead Can Dance's self- titled debut album - is a crucial piece in the group's discography, offering as it does a bridge between their debut, oriented as it more towards a more conventional gothic rock style, and their more ethereal darkwave sound that they would pioneer for the rest of their career.

For anyone wishing to puzzle out why Spleen and Ideal sounds so different from their debut, this is the missing link. Album opener, Carnival of Light, would not have sounded out of place on any of their subsequent 1980s albums, whilst In Power We Entrust the Love Advocated would almost be a more conventional gothic rock piece were it not for the unusual use of percussion. The rest of the EP waves in this borderland region between the group's past and its future.

Haunting and cinematic, 'Spleen And Ideal' is an album that never ceases to blow my mind every time I dabble into the Dead Can Dance universe. Carefully crafted, with immense attention to creating a sonic atmosphere that cannot be mistaken, this second album is still my favorite by the duo consisting of Brendan Perry and Lisa Gerrard.

I have always found the magic of this album to be beyond what one can hear, it is in the very order of every note, the experience of listening to this with full attention, it is in the way every line is sang, should there be lyrical content; all this is elevated by the eclectic set of instrumentation that accompanies the musical ideas - cellos, timpanis, violins, trombones, guitars, and a pounding bass guitar on a few occasions.

Another strong moment for the album is the cathartic and unforgettable cover, a photograph depicting a building in the very moment of detonation, contemplated by a girl that is holding a plastic star - a contradictory and thought-provoking image that is as arcane as the music on the record.

The first side is surely the more solemn one, quite 'monumentally' performed with the big orchestral sounds, eerie vocal harmonies by Lisa Gerrard, and hypnotic drum beats. 'De Profundis' strongly resembles a liturgy, and the holy feels is really embracing you as you go through this album opener, and 'Circumradiant Dawn' has this prevailing medieval feel. The more gothic rock 'The Cardinal Sin' is for me a Dead Can Dance staple, just like 'Ascension' which is so heavily atmospheric and 'Mesmerism' - the elevating nature of these songs is definitely something that was a desired outcome, and a gracefully achieved one.

Side two should then be the more magical side, the darker and more aerial one - here the grandiosity is at the back, and fore comes the 'sacrament' of the duo, in a way. 'Advent' is seriously intense and even menacing, with sheltering vocals by Brendan Perry, 'Avatar' is an expansive track with a really vibrant energy, and 'Indoctrination' is very gloomy but slightly inferior to what comes before it.

This is a very unusual album, not an 'every day listen', one definitely needs to be in a spiritual need for something different musically because this record can truly satisfy such cravings. Highly recommended for people who want to hear an 80s album that has nothing to do with 80s popular music, something darker, more atmospheric and hypnotic.

Dead can dance started out as a great Gothic rock or darkwave band that would sometimes foreshadow their future material in this album. The music itself is great although I am biased as Gothic rock and darkwave are some of my favorite genres of music, but we are on a progressive rock music website, so I will observe the other side to the band. A perfect example of the band foreshadowing their future albums is the song Ocean, which has no drums and Lisa Gerrard's vocals. Ocean sounds nothing like any other song on the album with maybe the exception of The Fatal Impact, which is the instrumental opening song, but even then the two songs sound almost nothing alike. The rest of the album is pretty straightforward with a few exceptions like the two songs I mentioned above, but don't let it fool you as this doesn't sound like The Sisters of Mercy or Bauhaus. This debut album is sure to please Trad Goths, but a progressive rock fan should save this album for later, and listen to some of their later albums first, and then come to this. I enjoy this album a lot but since we are on a progressive rock music website, I will give this three stars. I would give it four stars if this was a Gothic music site, Ha.

First time hearing this album, I can't help but remark on the "youthfulness" of both Lisa and Brendan's voices. I'm also rather blown away at the way the music (if not the vocal tracks) has aged so well. Using instruments from the period, I would have expected more moments of cringing and embarrassment. But no: Nary a one! (Must be the 4 A.D. magic.)

1. "De Profundis (Out of the Depths of Sorrow)" (4:00) I can see this awesome song that conjures up so much of ancient times being the opener for many a Wiccan and pagan ceremony! (Now I know where/why ANNA VON HAUSSWOLFF sounds so familiar to me!) (Lisa sounds so young!) must've been shockingly fresh for its time. (10/10)

2. "Ascension" (3:05) awesome instrumental that pretty much continues to lay down the theme of ancient and/or medieval (though majestic) from the opener. I'm in disbelief at how well they got these antiquated instruments to blend so well and how they were able to create a sound that doesn't sound so dated. (10/10)

3. "Circumradiant Dawn" (3:17) moving from the majestic and courtly to the chambers of the religious/wily women. (10/10)

4. "Cardinal Sin" (5:29) Brendan's voice is already strong and steady! Nice, thick music backing him, too. (8.75/10)

5. "Mesmerism" (3:53) She sounds so young! (8.5/10)

6. "Enigma of the Absolute" (4:13) a song that rather plods along is saved by the presence of the strings. (8.25/10)

7. "Advent" (5:19) with that BUGGLES-like bass line, this one moves the band a little more into the realm of New Wave. It is, in fact, a nice, pretty pop ballad. (9/10)

8. "Avatar" (4:35) finally, some Middle Eastern sounds and stylings (zither and vocal)! Shades of what is to come! (Again, I hear Anna von Hausswolff so clearly!) (9.5/10)

9. "Indoctrination (A Design for Living)" (4:16) piano, cheezy pseudo-jazz drum, and deep sustained synth bass over which Brendan sings somehow engages and mesmerizes. (9/10)

Total Time: 38:11

A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of progressive folk-rock music.

Brendan and Lisa turn more to the East (especially the Middle East) for their inspiration and goals. Lisa's voice has certainly matured and strengthened.

1. "The Host of Seraphim" (6:18) there is no denying the vocal virtuosity on display in this song, but the instrumental bed on which it lays is equally mesmerizing. A true gut-wrenching masterpiece of music. One for the ages. (10/10)

2. "Orbis de Ignis" (1:35) a multi-voice medieval chant/weave with an Eastern European feel. (4.75/5)

3. "Severance" (3:22) organ giving Brendan a turn. A little too monotonous; nothing very exciting or innovative here. (7.75/10)

4. "The Writing on My Father's Hand" (3:50) (Anna Von Hausswolff: I've found your inspiration! Also, Katharine Blake/Mediæval Bæbes.) (8.75/10)

5. "In the Kingdom of the Blind the One-Eyed Are Kings" (4:12) Brendan's turn over the first and only incidence of "dated"-sounding keyboards I've yet experienced by this band's output in the 1980s! Too bad. (8.5/10)

6. "Chant of the Paladin" (3:48) like a slave work song! Wow! Don't beat us to death! (8.5/10)

7. "Song of Sophia" (1:24) a cappella Lisa in some Middle Eastern language. (4.25/5)

8. "Echolalia" (1:17) male pagan chanters with tympanic drums are soon joined--alternating with call-and-response-like form--with female chorus. Interesting if not very engaging. (4.25/5)

9. "Mother Tongue" (5:16) instrumental African-like drum weave which is slowed down and joined by breathy synth flute and occasional female chants in the second half. I'm a sucker for African drum circles. (8.75/10)

10. "Ullyses" (5:09) employing a sound palette that Lisa and Brendan will return to (with great success) for the duration of their musical partnership. Brendan's turn in the lead. Unfortunately, his voice is mixed far too far in the back. (8.5/10)

Total Time: 36:15

Once again, I am astounded that these two could get the "authentic" and realistic sound blends with the electronic instruments they were using.

B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of world folk-eclectic progressive rock music.

This is my favorite Dead Can Dance album of all-time. I think this is due to the fact that it's instrumentation is more acoustic, more Euro-centric (not that I don't love other world musical traditions), and more "authentic" in terms of the instrumentation and song choices. As a matter of fact, since many of the songs here (all of Side One?) are "covers" or Brendan and Lisa's interpretations of classic mediæval and Renaissance songs (even chant!), I guess "authentic" is the appropriate, and operative, word here. As a representative of the Prog Folk sub-genre, I am much happier when a band is closer to folk than prog (electric) and rock (band formatted) and I am never happier than when ancient and old music forms and styles are attempted--especially when they are successfully rendered--as they are here.

Favorite songs: "The End of Words" (5/5); the brief hurdy-gurdy joy, "Mephisto" (5/5); "Wilderness" (5/5); the mesmerizing, "The Garden of Zephirus" (5/5); "The Arrival and The Reunion"(4.75/5); the gorgeous Celtic weave that is "As the Bell Rings The Maypole Spins" (9/10); "Saltarello" (9/10); the gorgeous multi-Lisa-voiced, "The Promised Womb" (8.75/10); "Fortune Present Gifts Not According to the Book" (8.75/10); "The Song of Sybli" (8.5/10), and; "Radharc" (8.5/10) and "Black Sun" (8/10).

It's funny how I often find the songs on which Brendan singing the lead vocal among my favorites but not so here. I guess his long-sustained, reverbed notes don't lend themselves so well to the ancient European traditions.

B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of progressive rock music and a near-masterpiece of Prog Folk as well.