Dead Can Dance Albums
You could easily say Dead can Dance are not your typical rock band. Some people would not even say they are a rock group, which shades of New age or World Music or Neo-Classical, but they definitely carry any of these genre on their back while having the major instruments of any rock music group: Vocals, Guitar, Bass, Keyboards and drums. Gerrard sings mainly in ‘idioglossia’ or a sort of made up language that fuses several European dialects together mainly Greek, Turkish, Bulgarian. Together, they are fairly distinct songwriters where Perry is more traditional and Gerrard harks back to a free-from, classical Gregorian age. the best songs from the group are as good as anything music has produced and pushes it forwards- “Ulysses”, “Enigma of the Absolute”, “Threshold”, "“Carnival of Lights”. Their hodgepodge of musical genres some centuries old sounded like little else coming out of the 1980s.
Band Members:
Brendan Perry – Bass, Vocals, percussion
Lisa Gerrard – Vocals, percussion
Peter Ulrich - Drums
Best Album:
The Serpent’s Egg
Biggest Influences:
Joy Division, Clannad, Gregorian Chant, Popul Vuh, Tim Buckley
Albums Chronologically:
1984 – 87% - Dead Can Dance
1985 – 91% - Spleen and Ideal
1987 – 76% - Within the Realm of a Dying Sun
1988 – 95% - The Serpent’s Egg
1990 – 80% - Aion
1993 - 65% - Into the Labyrinth
1996 – 58% - Spiritchaser
2012 - 83% - Anastasis
Brendan Perry albums
1999 - 92% - Eye of the Hunter
Compilations:
1984 – 100% - Garden of Earthly Delights EP
1984
Dead Can Dance - 87%
The first DCD album Is like a creature crawling slowly out of the muck of the Australian wilderness (if there is indeed muck there?!?). Opener “The Fatal Impact” is sort of an instrumental that uses a tribal percussion announcing the band’s birth, it is steamy and palpable in the best way. “The Trail” announced the male voice of Brendan Perry with his calling card that is part post-punk Britain bands of the early 80’s and part something more operatic and timeless with the immortal chorus, “All of my senses REBEL”. There are other tribal instrumentals here and there, a sort of respite between the songs with words, and of course more they work to varying degree as “Frontier” does a nice job begin nothing but light synths, tribal snare, and female vocalist Lisa Gerrard gets an here introduction here. “Ocean” is even more successful at this, where the tribal drums don’t get in the way- either way she is always singing in a foreign language and always sounding as from another universe. “Fortune” continues Perry’s hot streak alternating between soft and delicate and dark and forbidding almost like a second nature.
Second side contains plenty of gems as well, “Threshold” is a very noise rock inspired rocker and “A Passage in Time” is almost a standout single, sounding like if U2 went operatic but in a GREAT way! These songs build and mutate in structure in a very organic and interesting way that defies logic. Closer “Musica Eternal” quite the enveloping mystery by Gerrard, showing there is no end to her musical creativity. The record has a couple of songs that still are forming a bit in their sound: the wondering of “Wild in the Woods” is spooky but not quite formed yet (ditto for “Frontier”), and there is “East of Eden” which coms across as a little generic.
Overall production of the record is a mix of lo fi and old fashioned, and it sounds like the proper format for music like this. In a way this album is more like an artifact in a temple than a piece of music, it really does a good job of transporting us to a labyrinth of mystery in the past and though there are some influences present (Gregorian chants, Native Aboriginal tribal ceremonies, Echo and the Bunnymen and Sonic youth intertwining) the band really stuns with a sound of its own.
Best Songs: Threshold, Fortune, A Passage in Time, Musica Eternal
1985
Spleen and Ideal - 91%
While the first album established they had a lot of Middle Ages sounds to match with post-punk stylings, the second DCD album really shows how they merge all their influences together fluidly and form a new sort of rock music. “De Profundis” opens the record with just synth chords elongated, Gerrard’s mysterious vocal warbles and tympani- their favorite type of percussion- ending with arpeggios sung flawlessly by Perry. The music sounds not of this age, though little snippets of the 1980’s sneak in with songs like “Advent” with a pounding bass line and big snare or the slightly less successful “Circumradiant Dawn” perhaps the only fumble on a record that is just about perfect. ”Enigma of the Absolute” uses a cello in a way that has rarely sounded more epic in the chorus, and it’s a savory sort of blasphemous hymn to God to boot, striking percussion that carves out holes in the barren landscape. “The Cardinal Sin” shows Brendan Perry in full control of his dominating baritone, in their best song yet where he sounds like the harbinger for the apocalypse chanting “all in one/ one in all” at the end of the tune.
Certain songs carry a sort of rhythmless Gregorian Chant showcase, the perfect mystique of “Ascension” that is wordless but also very timeless and enchanting. There is an interesting structure to the record too, all of the songs with words in them, mainly sung by Perry, are in the middle, and the album beings and ends either by using just instruments or just choral voices, though all of them are endlessly listenable and lovely. In the middle of the album stands “Mesmerism” a very apt title for a song that sucks you into the eternal abyss of Lisa Gerrard’s vocal prowess; she sounds as if possessed by a demon in control of her body ready to stalk prey. “Avatar” is the aftermath of that song, I can’t understand a word of it but Gerrard has a way of moving things along while the strings are brilliantly plucked in the background. The band has expanded their sound, with Peter Ulrich’s percussion adding some much needed diversity. “Indoctrination” closes everything on a dark note, like Perry is finished telling a very grim fairly tale. Showcasing a mix of classical music sounds and dark gothic testaments like no other band before them (some will call this ‘Darkwave’, a new genre this band basically perfected), and a new kind of class of singing when compared to most rock music, the band has created their first outright classic album.
Best Songs: The Cardinal Sin, Enigma of the Absolute, Mesmerism, Avatar
1987
Within the Realm of the Dying Sun - 76%
Split into 2 halves with Brendan Perry singing the first half and Lisa Gerrard the second, Within the Realm of the Dying Sun tries something new while keeping the same style as the previous record. The question as always when styles change up like this are simple: are the songs still good? In what way is this still innovative, and does it hold our attention? Well I can say I do not think the record expands enough, as it seems like some interesting arrangements are added – a flute here, a new synth sound there – to beef up what are sometimes mediocre melodies. Songs such as “Windfall”, In the Wake of Adversity”, and “Dawn of the Iconoclast” are fine with just being background music of sorts. While these might have been the types of music that existed hundreds of years ago, they also sort of disappeared because they are not memorable.
Where the record succeeds are in opener “Anywhere Out of the World” which is a now classic style of Perry’s ominous vocals carving out an ancient scroll in our mind, the percussive keyboards of “Xavier” which is Perry’s best song on here, the oceanic sounding “Cantra” which is one of DCD prettiest songs blending soft synth and Gerrard’s voice into one being while slowly shifting into something more energetic and sinister, and in “Summoning of the Muse” which sounds like a new kind of madrigal for angelic choirs to sing while dying. The ending of this song is one of the most haunting pieces of music ever recorded. Closing track “Persephone” is pretty layered with violins galore, but a bit too long for what is has to offer. So, it’s about half great and half not, leaning a little more towards good since the skills are so high of the singing and the uniqueness of the band in general. If told to name the band’s best work, I would actually consider this their weakest album of the 80’s, but that is still very good.
Best Songs: Cantra, Summoning of the Muse, Xavier, Anywhere out of the World
1988
The Serpent’s Egg - 95%
With this record, the band created their best and most balanced album with not one bad track. This is not rock n’ roll in any aspect anymore, as the band have transcended to a different plane of existence. A friendlier sound is aimed for in Perry’s “In the Kingdom of the Blind”, which still works pretty well as it did on Spleen and Ideal (1985). Even better are his “Severance” which shows a weariness not present in previous works, and the band is evolving with grace. There are the usual attempts at pure atmosphere by Gerrard that work on many levels – Arabic vocal chants in “Chant of the Paladin”, the moving multi layered “Writing on My Father’s Hands”, and her ultimate classic celestial opener “The Host of Seraphim” which became one of the band’s defining songs and a power emotional dirge that haunts the soul.
There are shorter songs than usual at under two minutes long, “Song for Sophia” which is an a capella excursion followed quickly by a dual male/female one by “Echolalia” which is even better and I wish was a bit longer. “Mother’s Tongue” tries to merge tribal percussion with a more ancient edge and is actually two songs in one; in a way the two parts are so different I just treat them like two separate songs when I listen that perfectly blend into each other. So much of this album successfully propels us to ancient times, before a proper universal language of any kind was invented. With great music, what do words mean anyways? A question this album asks without really proposing it.
Ultimately, “Ulysses” has to be talked about since it is the DCD’s best song in my opinion, summing up everything they do well into one majestic odyssey. The majesty of the ending section may have influence in progressive rock, think early King Crimson. But the haunting beginning passage, where Perry chants a Gregorian chant to mesmerize the soul followed by French horns acting percussive in unison is a wonder to behold. A song like this matches anything rock bands attempted from any time period, and while a step above in ambition it also points the way to the future that inspired many artists afterwards, across a world full of genres. When listening to The Serpent’s Egg, I recommend listening to “Ulysses” first, then starting the album and finishing with it again. I can see why they ended the album with this song as it sort of dwarfs all that came before, but it’s strong enough I feel it could have also started side two at least. Whatever the reason or order of the songs, the record sustains a mood throughout like no other of their albums and shows them at their most adult and compelling- which for this band, represents the pinnacle of what they can do.
Best Songs: Ulysses, The Host of Seraphim, Severance, The Writing on My Father’s Hand
1990
Aion – 80%
After the perfection of the last album, Aion tries to drive deeper into the mythos of music without a real genre. DCD at this point could be classified as New Age, Classical, anything but traditional rock n roll- yet, people still think of them in this vein. “Saltarello” sounds like it could be music background for a RPG like Final Fantasy, with its use of traditional Arabic instruments and melodies. Closer “Radharc” is a good song but I am not sure it is unique to them, it could almost be a traditional native dance that has been around for hundreds of years. On the Brenden Perry front (English language and more accessible) we have “Fortune Presents Gifts Not According to the Book-” starts off instrumental but soon comes into the usual prophetic tone of baritone with acoustic guitar plucking in the background. Even better is “Black Sun”, one of DCD best songs all tympani and trumpets making it sounding like the coming of an ancient prophet.
In all, this album is more and more into music that does not have a traditional form and is more about overall mood than actual songs. Sometimes the songs are still glorious and stand out- “the End of Worlds” with its gorgeous madrigal singing back and forth that makes it a choral piece to be remembered; “As the Bell Rings the Maypole Spins” which is the Gerrard standout using bagpipes and clarinets to mesmerizing effect. But for the first time since Within the Realm of a Dying Sun (1987), some of the effect can be lost in tunes like “Song of the Sybil” or the “Promised Womb” which serve mainly as background music. The standout tracks still stand out though, and DCD pioneer on being the only band to do what they do and remain so good at it.
Best songs: Black Sun, As the Bell Rings the Maypole Spins, Saltarello, The End of Words
1993
Into the Labyrinth - 65%
The band has always had the danger of becoming mere background music in an exotic setting that encompasses Middle Eastern music, Celtic folk, and tribal African dances. Many of the songs here are that, though there is a movement towards more electronic percussion and some songs sung by Perry in his usual fatalistic tones: “The Ubiquitous Mr Lovegrove” being the obvious example but not truly a great song; “Spider’s Stratagem” again only somewhat interesting. “Towards the Within” is typical DCD with both Perry and Gerrard tying to create spooky atmospheric background for over seven minutes, and it’s somewhat of a success but not as memorable as what they accomplished on their best 80’s records. For Gerrard, some songs worth remembering are the very brief “Saldek” which has Indian initiations, or the shimmering “Ariadne”.
Now there really are just covers about of traditional Irish folk tunes, “Wind that Shakes the Barley”, or “Emmelelia” which is more a Capella Gregorian chant. It all ends epic with the nine minute “How Fortunate the Man with None”, a dialogue by Perry that comes off as sort of laborious. This is probably my least favorite DCD album so far, but for die-hards there are probably some interesting sounds to discover. Even at their most traditional, there is good music to be found.
Best Songs: Saldek, Towards the Within
Sidenote: Lisa Gerrard collaborated on many great movie soundtracks around this time, some made for her alone (1993’s El Nino De La Luna ) but also Michael Mann’s The Insider (1999) and Ridley Scott’s Gladiator (2000).
1996
Spiritchaser - 58%
On their final album of the 1990s, the band definitely tries to mix longer songs with electronic percussion and incorporate every kind of music possible in one smooth dreamy atmospheric waves. For music to relax to, it works well but not much different than the last album Into the Labyrinth. If I had to pick a favorite, final song “Devorzhum” is the best. Some songs are too much in the realm of background music, the ten minute “Song of the Stars” is too plain to be really sustain its runtime, and the band has done better elsewhere. Ditto for the nine minute “Indus”, the haunting “Song of the Dispossessed” and really most of this album. The band broke up for a while after this, and in the reminder of the 1990s both members solo projects were more interesting.
2012
Anastasis – 83%
Following his 2010 excellent lo-fi self-produced release Ark, Brendan Perry decided to release an album with longtime partner Lisa Gerrard under the DCD moniker for the first time in 15 years as well as do some touring worldwide. By this decade, the group had amassed a following now greater than their heyday in the 1980’s and their brand of world music via gothic and haunting overtones was more fashionable. Their new songs didn’t sound that different than their old songs, showing just how ahead of their time they truly were and that is a good thing when they are as strong as the catchy “Opium” and larger-than-life opener “Children of the Sun”. “Amnesia” paints a song using instruments like bassoon and tuba to add another layer to a haunting tale questioning the validity and consciousness of memory.
The middle eastern “Agape” is a timeless chant by Gerrard, her voice a more powerful force than any mere instrument, and “Return of the She King” is another stunner, slow and deliberate but utterly enchanting. The eight-minute “Kiko” could be her final take on the Gregorian Chant style. Only a couple of songs lack true cohesiveness (“Anabasis”, closer “All In Good Time”) and the album is only eight tracks and could perhaps use a little more of the smaller snippets of wonder that highlighted their 1980’s best works. Each songwriter on their own can become a bit monotonous at times as proven on their solo works- the exception being the wonderous Eye of the Hunter (1999) - but Gerrard’s stream of consciousness blends with Perry’s more folk driven stories of loss as well as ever, and it’s a welcome return by one of the greatest bands to fall under the moniker of rock n roll, as misleading of a moniker as that can be for a style that has existed for centuries.
Best songs: Amnesia, Opium, Children of the Sun
Brendan Perry albums
1999
Eye of the Hunter - 92%
It is interesting that this first solo album by Brendan Perry is easily his best set of songs since the late 80s. Was he saving them up I wonder for the next Dead Can Dance album or was there another reason entirely? Whatever the sudden resurgence in quality, it is a wonder to behold. The sparse acoustic sounds of “Voyage of Bran” invoke an ancient wonder much better than any of the electronic percussions of 1990’s DCD. “Medusa” is a take on an ancient waltz but it glides along very easily and shows a mastery of elegance in ancient driven melodic songcraft. Best of all is “Saturday’s Child”, an ode to his master Tim Buckley (whose “I Must have Been Blind” he also lays down a masterful cover of) and showing off his beautiful falsetto voice in one of the best solemn melodies of Perry’s entire career. These opening three songs alone are worthy of anything Perry has accomplished before.
But there is more treasure to behold as Perry crafts an album more in the singer-songwriter vein, a cavalcade of influences form the austere Brian Eno, to the haunting Leonard Cohen, showing what we have always known that his songwriting was the earthly link Dead Can Dance always needed to ground them in the present tense as their music constantly reached backwards in time and space. “Death Will be My Bride” is an quintessential statement, coming off as a call from the underworld but enticing us with that sway he has always had and pulls off so well. “Sloth”’ is his version of a blues song and he sounds rejuvenated here, like Mark Lanegan waking up form a drunken haze. “Archangel” is two in one- part abstract ballad sung in high angelic register, then an ending of prophecy which Perry excels at, acting as harbinger of the future exclaiming, “How long must we sing this song?” As a singer-songwriter album, the string arrangement harks back to Nick Drake and the mastery of music is once again a wonder to behold.
Best Tracks: Saturday’s Child, Medusa, Archangel, Voyage of Bran
Compilations
1984
Garden of Arcane Delights EP – 100%
Even taking their sound to a more perfect aspect, I’m not sure why these songs were left off the debut by the band. As their second recorded effort, 4 songs or not, it is a huge step forward. “Carnival of Lights” has back forth chimes going with percussive instruments while Gerrard sings her amazing melody of it, each time getting more out of control and more slightly dissonant. “In Power We Entrust” is almost a power ballad by their standards, Perry singing a slightly pop melody that is still dark as midnight and still quite terrifying. “The Arcane” once again sound like The Cure at their slowest, but with better trained singer (Perry) at the helm. “Flowers of the Sea” is a mythical dance of the past coming alive sang by an anguished mermaid (Gerrard). Showing growth in every sing way as their sound expands with percussion and singing that is exotic and hopeful, it is a very accessible entrance to the band’s special kind of music. It is very brief at thirteen minutes, but its one of the greatest Ep’s ever recorded.