Dead Can Dance "The Serpent's Egg" (1988)

The Serpent's Egg

release date: Oct. 24, 1988

format: cd (2008 remaster)

[album rate: 4 / 5] [3,92]

producer: Brendan Perry, Lisa Gerrard, John A. Rivers

label: 4AD Records - nationality: Australia

Track highlights: 1. "The Host of Seraphim" (4,5 / 5) (live 2018) - 3. "Severance" (live) - 4. "The Writing on My Father's Hand" - 5. "In the Kingdom of the Blind the One-Eyed Are Kings" - 6. "Chant of the Paladin" - 7. "Song of Sophia" - 10. "Ullyses"

4th studio album by Dead Can Dance follows 15 months after Within the Realm of a Dying Sun and is like their recent two albums produced mainly by the duo and in collaboration with John A. Rivers on four tracks. All songs are credited Brendan Perry and Lisa Gerrard with the former singing lead vocals on three songs (tracks #3, #5, and #10), whereas Gerrard once again proves her stunning vocal on the remainders. The album consists of ten songs with a relatively short total running time at around 36 minutes.

Compared to the predecessor, The Serpent's Egg is also experimental, less electronically-founded and even more stripped to the bone regarding the musical arrangements. On this, not only Gerrard lives up to her almost usual brilliant vocal standard but Perry also delivers some of his best performances. The album is without fillers and it showcases the duo's originality and capability to keep renewing itself as front runners withtin an alt. rock sphere bonded to classical works and to no particular dominating style, which in itself is so rare.

The album is no less than a timeless classic and highly recommended.

[ 👍allmusic.com 4 / 5 stars ]

Dead Can Dance "Within the Realm of a Dying Sun" (1987)

Within the Realm of a Dying Sun
release date: Jul. 27, 1987
format: cd (2008 remaster)
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,72]
producer: Dead Can Dance, John A. Rivers
label: 4AD Records - nationality: Australia

Track highlights: 1. "Anywhere Out of the World" - 3. "In the Wake of Adversity" - 5. "Dawn of the Iconoclast" - 6. "Cantara" - 7. "Summoning of the Muse"

3rd studio album by the duo-project Dead Can Dance following 1½ years after the fine Spleen and Ideal and much like that, this is also produced by the duo in collaboration with John A. Rivers.

The album marks the continued journey within the duo's own stylistic soundscape of neo-classical darkwave and with a subtle addition of electronica. It's pompous and it's ethereal without the dreampop-sound that shaped the debut from '84. This is lighter and more simple without audible electric guitars - instead, it employs keyboards, synths, dulcimer, and classical orchestra representation by organ, strings, oboe, and brass.

Compared to the predecessor, there's a stronger emphasis on classical instrumentation on this as well as more simple compositions with a progressive ambient touch.

Another recommended release from the duo.

[ allmusic.com 4 / 5 stars ]

Dead Can Dance "Spleen and Ideal" (1985)

Spleen and Ideal
release date: Nov. 1985
format: vinyl (CAD 512) / cd (1986 reissue) / cd (2008 remaster)
[album rate: 4 / 5] [4,06]
producer: Dead Can Dance & John A. Rivers
label: 4AD Records - nationality: Australia

Track highlights: 1. "De profundis (Out of the Depths of Sorrow)" - 2. "Ascension" - 4. "The Cardinal Sin" - 5. "Mesmerism" - 6. "Enigma of the Absolute" - 7. "Advent" - 8. "Avatar" - 9. "Indoctrination (A Design for Living)"

2nd studio album by Australian neo-classical darkwave band Dead Can Dance, who at this point have been reduced to a duo consisting of singer, drummer & percussionist Lisa Gerrard (who would later become an acclaimed film composer) and British multi-instrumentalist Brendan Perry. The album consists of nine compositions with varied durations from approx. 3 minutes to the album's longest track "The Cardinal Sin" of approx. 5½ minutes, and with a total running length of just 38 minutes.

In terms of style, the music here can only poorly be compared to other contemporary releases. In its time it fell under the category of post-punk, which it really never was. I think the closest critics could rightly describe the style as was gothic rock and experimental rock - perhaps with a touch of art rock, but seen from a music historical perspective it's nothing less than a modern cornerstone, which has only gained greater recognition over time. It's difficult, and perhaps impossible, to imagine contemporary works by artists such as Jocelyn Pook and Anna von Hausswolff, but also Chelsea Wolfe and Lingua Ignota, and basically: the whole wave of contemporary artists in neo-classical darkwave without pointing to the legacy of Dead Can Dance and perhaps this album in particular.

I purchased Spleen and Ideal on vinyl back in the mid-80s without having any knowledge of the band or of the music they played. All I knew was that 4AD Records put out music with super-interesting names and pretty original artists, and the band oozed that particular post-punk edge that (to me) connected them to bands like Bauhaus, Modern English, This Mortail Coil, and Joy Division (which admittedly came out on Factory Records). However, I also remember the first time I listened to the album and was really disappointed. It wasn't at all like the other bands I knew of. And it wasn't even close to some of the ones mentioned here. I tried repeatedly to listen to the album but always ended up putting something else on. Luckily, I kept the album, although in the late 80s and early 90s I got into a really bad habit of selling off early 80s albums that I didn't listen much to in order to finance newer music with a stronger appeal.

When I finally re-listened to Spleen and Ideal again in the 2010s it was like a sheer revelation. How could I have failed to understand the obvious qualities of this very album?! No, it doesn't sound like anything else from the early or late 80s - except subsequent albums by Dead Can Dance. It's enchanting and beautiful music sounding like timeless tones that call for a kind of ceremonial gathering. The beauty of it is that you can simultaneously let it fill you without thinking about cultural or religious boundaries. But above all, it's remarkable how little it shares with other music originating in the mid-80s.

Highly recommended.

[ allmusic.com 4,5 / 5 stars ]

[ collectors' item ]

Dead Can Dance "Dead Can Dance" (1984)

Dead Can Dance [debut]
release date: Feb. 27, 1984
format: cd (2008 remaster)
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,54]

producer: Dead Can Dance
label: 4AD / Warner Music Japan - nationality: Australia

Track highlights: 1. "The Fatal Impact" - 2. "The Trial" - 5. "Ocean" - 6. "East of Eden" - 10. "Musica Eternal"

Studio album debut by Australian, Melbourne-founded, band Dead Can Dance, who at this early point after having relocated to London, UK, consists of Lisa Gerrard, Brendan Perry, James Pinker, Scott Roger, and Peter (Lawrence) Ulrich. Already from the band's successor Spleen and Ideal (1985) and onwards, the band is constituted only by Gerrard and Perry.
Musically, it's quite difficult to narrow in as the style reflects a mix from many sources. The front cover alone - depicting the ancient artwork originating from Papua New Guinea sided by Greek letters tell us bits of their influences. There are dream pop-hauling electric guitars and likewise vocal performances with bold use of echo or delay effects, and then there's 'world'-like use of strong bass lines and percussion, which altogether makes it highly original by adding a gothic rock / ethereal darkwave sensation, although, that term wasn't even thought of at this point.
There are no credit-list available, only a back cover note stating: "A special thank-you to Ivo, Robin and Vaughan for all the interest they have shown." Ivo being Ivo Watts-Russell, one of the founders of 4AD Records, Robin being Robin Guthrie of Cocteau Twins (also associated with 4AD) - both Ivo and Guthrie were involved in the musical project, This Mortail Coil, which included Cocteau Twins and Dead Can Dance; and Vaughan being Vaughan Oliver, graphic designer at 4AD.
The album was released without much recognition in '84, but by passing the new Millenium and a bunch of artists engaged in neo-classical and / or darkwave-styles, Dead Can Dance and this album have attracted much more recognition, although, the band's style here is more linked with contemporary early '80s music - putting the band aside acts like Bauhaus, The Cure, Cocteau Twins and This Mortail Coil. With later (and more original) releases, Dead Can Dance would prove to make highly innovative and influential music.
Later in '84, both Gerrard and Perry represented the band on the debut album It'll End in Tears by the music collective, This Mortal Coil, led by 4AD founder, Ivo Watts-Russell.