The Genius of Dead Can Dance.
One of my favourite bands is Dead Can Dance and one of my favourite albums is their ‘Within the Realm of a Dying Sun’.
Out of all of the CDs that I have in my collection (which is an awful lot) this is one of the few that makes the hairs stand up on the back of my neck.
The album is split into two halves. The first part is a vehicle for the vocals of Brendan Perry whilst the second half is dominated by the voice of Lisa Gerrard. The atmosphere that is contained within this album is awesome. It is perfectly capable of transporting listeners to another world. Both members of the duo have got commanding voices but Gerrard’s is breathtaking.
There are no particular tracks that stand out more than others and this is the strength behind ‘Dying Sun’. It flows without flaw from the chimes of the first track right the way through to the haunting vocals of the final piece. If music were cinema then this album would take you into numerous epic pictures with photography to die for.
There is a melancholy edge to ‘Dying Son’ that is present on every track. It is not depressing; it is more like a contemplation of life and all its mysteries. The album is deeply thoughtful and thought-provoking. It is complex, yet simple and its dark beauty quietly shines through. Instrumentation on each of the eight tracks is amazing. Beautiful and spiralling melodies colour each song with dark and mysterious hues.
When Dead Can Dance recorded this work of art back in 1987 they were working far ahead of their time. ‘Within the Realm of a Dying Son’ has not dated one little bit in over twenty years and it still stands tall amongst its imitators today.
In other news, I have finally been paid for that last copywriting job that I did, it’s about time to hit the store and pick up that new pair of running shoes that I have been waiting to get. Ryan, are you up for a treck into London this weekend?
December 02 2009 05:07 am | General