You need To Check this Anastasis Dead Can Dance
After about my third listen to this album, I'm finding myself unable to stop.
It is amazing, in fact I would say better than most of their albums as it meets the mark in many aspects, and exceeds in others.
Firstly all of the songs are really well done, and have all the elegant compositional hooks and interesting rhythms you would expect from a Dead Can Dance album, from lush strings to epic horn phrases that seem to lift you as you hear Brandon Perry croon.
My favorite songs (so far) are the "Children of the Sun," an incredible Perry song, "Agape," a hypnotic middle-eastern dance song sung by Lisa Gerrard, and "Amnesia," which I think reminds me of the Brandon Perry of the pre-"Into the Labyrinth," years. Those are just my favorites. The rest of the album is gorgeous.
This album reminds me in many ways of their 1985 released Spleen and Ideal album, and I would even dare say it's better as the sound quality of Anastasis is very good. And yet still the elements that I enjoyed from their later albums in the 90's are apparent such as the complex primal rhythms. "Kiko," in that manner is quite a trip.
All in all an Excellent album! I'm happy they released it.
After about my third listen to this album, I'm finding myself unable to stop.
ReplyDeleteIt is amazing, in fact I would say better than most of their albums as it meets the mark in many aspects, and exceeds in others.
Firstly all of the songs are really well done, and have all the elegant compositional hooks and interesting rhythms you would expect from a Dead Can Dance album, from lush strings to epic horn phrases that seem to lift you as you hear Brandon Perry croon.
My favorite songs (so far) are the "Children of the Sun," an incredible Perry song, "Agape," a hypnotic middle-eastern dance song sung by Lisa Gerrard, and "Amnesia," which I think reminds me of the Brandon Perry of the pre-"Into the Labyrinth," years. Those are just my favorites. The rest of the album is gorgeous.
This album reminds me in many ways of their 1985 released Spleen and Ideal album, and I would even dare say it's better as the sound quality of Anastasis is very good. And yet still the elements that I enjoyed from their later albums in the 90's are apparent such as the complex primal rhythms. "Kiko," in that manner is quite a trip.
All in all an Excellent album! I'm happy they released it.
i don't understand how the press reviews can be reserved, this is not just a comeback album, it is inspired and really emotional.
ReplyDeletei really love it and i say that as a fan of dcd who owns all their discography.
ReplyDeleteFor anyone who loves : pouring rain, bright sunshine, ocean unruly waves, falling stars, the smile of a child, the roar of a lion, the warmth of an embrace, these guys are all about timeless beauty, mystic creations and cognitive rythms, all around almost perfect , one of the last great music association left to the human race before we all turn maroonfivishhhh... Simply excellent. Thank you Lisa and Brendan !
ReplyDeleteThis is the kind of haunting music I could listen to forever. Every song on the list is better than the last. What a breathtaking comeback album! I can only hope their muse continues to inspire them for many years to come.
ReplyDeleteAmazing just like their other albums. Their vocals are still wonderfully surreal. While the music draws you into the mystical stories being told.
ReplyDeleteDead Can Dance always produced music that was timeless. It therefore strikes as an evidence that they should come back after a 16 years hiatus. Time has mended their differences, and they now appear as a mature musical couple only too happy to forget the bad memories to show that they have much pleasure creating beautiful music together.
ReplyDeleteThe opening track, "Children Of The Sun", sung by Brendan Perry, introduces the general feel of the album. It is deliciously atmospheric. It is Dead Can Dance as a well-aged wine. Less extravagant than in the past but every bit as elaborate, it delivers a very satisfying feeling of plenitude. The tone of the album is given. Follows the slow and very easy to like "Anabasis" sung by Lisa Gerrard, and "Anastasis" slowly unfolds. It is no longer groundbreaking as their first albums were, more a voyage where they take us by the hand for a luxuriant visit into their sophisticated world.
Never production on a Dead Can Dance opus sounded so polished. Not a moment feels cheap or unchallenging to the ear. Both singers have exceptional voices that suit their style perfectly, and they are at their best here. Lisa Gerrard leads four songs (including one, the opulent "The Return Of The She-King" where her partner joins in at the end), as does Brendan Perry. Eight songs may seem on paper like too simple an effort after 16 years, but all songs are in the five to seven minutes range, and most importantly, there is a sense of unity, an "album feel", that is very powerful in this release. Where the old albums were always original, individual songs didn't always flow as strongly into a sense of unity proper to a definite album. There was sometimes a feeling that each song had its determined personality, and contrast between each song was looked after as much as album cohesion. With "Anastasis", there is a more definite sense of musical entity, and while ethnic flavors are very present (Middle Eastern in "Agape" or Irish in "The Return Of The She-King"), it all blends majestically together into a consistent and coherent mood - and a sumptuous album.
Repeat auditions of Dead Can Dance's long-awaited reunion album have only managed to reinforce my spontaneous conviction that indeed it was worth waiting sixteen years.