EVERYTHING AND NOTHING

For those unfamiliar with the work of Sylvian, it is the best place to start because it concentrates on his vocal, song-oriented musical career (another compilation, "Camphor", covers his instrumental-ambient side).

Key studio albums ("Secrets of the Beehive", "Gone to Earth", "First Day" and "Dead Bees on a Cake") are fairly represented along with 3 tracks taken from the JAPAN side project "Rain Tree Crow" and only one song from debut "Brilliant Trees" (which makes the only objection from my side!). But that's not all, because roughly half of the collection (14 tracks) are previously unreleased compositions among which "The Scent of Magnolia", "Heartbeat", "Ride" or "Cover Me With Flowers" are wonderful pieces of songwriting.

David Sylvian can easily be put side by side in a row of excellent, quite unique musical artists so diverse as David Bowie, Peter Gabriel, Sting, Robert Fripp, Brian Eno, Nick Cave, Bryan Ferry, Tom Waits, Ry Cooder, Holger Czukay, Jon Hassell... to name a few giants. So, if any of these guys catched your listening nerve, you would do good to check Sylvian too.

His music is hard to describe (isn't it true for all music in general?), but let's say it contains elements of pop, rock, jazz, classical, ambient-experimental and art/prog rock. Most of his songs are slow, laid-back, lengthy (6-9 minutes) compositions including diverse instruments (from jazzy brass, electronic keyboards, acoustic bass, ethnic percussions and sampled tribal/Asian chants). Lyrics are largely introspective and sometimes you feel you are listening to an adventure novel.

"Everything and Nothing" is perhaps nothing, a mere drop in the ocean of the global music industry, but it is almost everything you need to have from David Sylvian, if you are not keen on buying his individual albums. Absolutely recommended!

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