Jabu - "Oceanside Spider House"

Bristol trio Jabu draws inspiration from early 4AD acts like Cocteau Twins, Dead Can Dance, and Dif Juz on the hauntingly exquisite track "Oceanside Spider House." It can be found on their fascinating new album A Soft And Gatherable Star.

Album Review: Dead Can Dance - Anastasis

Dead Can Dance
Anastasis
Rating: Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It

Sixteen years since their last record Spiritchaser, Lisa Gerrard and Brendan Perry have reformed Dead Can Dance and have released their 10th album Anastasis. Back in the 80s, when they recorded for the inimitable 4AD record label, each one of their releases was almost shrouded in mystery, as if they resided in some ancient castle tower making music only they could make. From their earliest, goth-post-punk sound on their debut, the haunting soundscapes of Spleen and Ideal and Within The Realm Of A Dying Sun, to the world music and classical underpinnings of The Serpent's Egg and Aion, Dead Can Dance have always pushed their sound into new and exciting territory. It wasn't until Into the Labyrinth and Spiritchaser where others had leeched off their signature sound explorations and Dead Can Dance no longer sounded as original and ground breaking. In the interim between their last album, Gerrard focused on film scores while Perry mostly stayed out of the spotlight, recording some solo works and doing minimal touring.

The least shocking thing about Anastasis is how little has changed in their sound in 16 years. In the flow of their catalog, it fits in seamlessly with their progression from challenging sonic architects to more mainstream world music influences. As always, the album is impeccably produced and recorded, the sounds rich, warm, and inviting. But in its stead, the songs, while all beautiful and moving, lack something, the element of risk and danger that permeated their best works. I can honestly remember the first time I heard "Persephone (The Gathering Of Flowers)" off Within The Realm Of A Dying Sun and how my goosepimples got goosepimples; or when I saw them live back in the 90s and being brought to tears by the haunting vocals of "Sanvean." To my great disappointment, no such moments occur on Anastasis, but still, one is always going to be disappointed to some degree when a long revered band gets together and doesn't meet one's expectations. As a result, I had to sort of divorce this album out of their catalog in order to look at it somewhat objectively. Overall, I will still say Anastasis is a very minor work for them, but is not to say it is without its ample charms.

Strangely, Anastasis relies more on Perry for the vocal heavy lifting. The foreboding, almost glacial pace of "Amnesia" focuses on Perry's rich baritone, while lush, haunting strings and piano glide alongside.



Dense percussion and vibes also propel the gorgeous soundscapes of "Opium;" Perry's voice sounding world weary and haunted. The song recalls an updated version of "Black Sun" from Aion, the strings winding around the track in a vise-like grip.



"Agape" finds Gerrard using her still pliable voice to amazing effect, taking the Middle Eastern flavors of the tracks and throwing her voice at the rhythms with wild abandon. The later addition of echoing guitars adds a modern sheen to the song, which would have been a good idea for the rest of the album. As such, a lot of the tracks feel like Dead Can Dance lite at first, as if some cover band took over for them, aping them down to the last note. For example, "Kiko" plods along at first to clattering percussion, droning strings, and fairly standard Middle Eastern flourishes until almost the 4 minute mark where the music takes a slight turn into a swirling fantasy of strings and dulcimer and some life is finally injected into the track.



While "Return Of The She-King" begins as an almost Irish parody with typical strings and hand organs before the end of the track where Perry and Gerrard's vocals mesh and merge with one another as a bevy of lush strings winds between them



But too often, the tracks just never achieve any sort of lift-off, remaining chained to their earthly roots. Final track "All In Good Time" should be a roof raiser, but features a fairly listless Perry vocal and a bed of generic strings that tries but never seems to go anywhere, while opener "Children of the Sun" suffers from rather ponderous/cliched lyrics. Further, Gerrard's distinctive voice is not used as much as it should be, only really coming to the forefront on a couple of tracks. And when it is used, sometimes it is squandered by a listless accompaniment, as on the treacherously dull "Anabasis."



When bands get back together again after a lengthy hiatus, I am always hesitant to listen to their new work, more out of fear their legacy will tarnished by inferior work. So it was with high trepidation I listened to Anastasis, and, initially, it did nothing for me, sounding too much like Gerrard's film work, as if it were meant for short, punctuated scenes. But over time, the craftsmanship and gorgeous production work were enough to win me over. As such, Anastasis does not in any way lessen Dead Can Dance's legacy, but at the same time, it really does nothing to propel it forward.

Rating Scale:

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top releases of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and piques one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been polished, trimmed, or re-thought.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.

Sleep ∞ Over: Forever - Album Review

Sleep ∞ Over
Forever
Rating: Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It

Formerly a trio, Austin, Texas' Sleep ∞ Over is now down to one member, Stefanie Franciotti, who firmly states she is in the witch house genre (which is still to me the dumbest name for a genre), but really sounds more like a shoegaze/dream pop hybrid. The tracks on her debut album Forever go back and forth between gauzy electronic pop songs and rather polarizing instrumentals that are long on atmosphere and menace, but short on adding anything to the mix. There is a classic EP here if you jettisoned the instrumentals, which I suppose are meant to add juxtaposition and texture to the overtly hazy feel of the record, but they are so jarring it takes away from the flow and pacing of the record. Why she would choose to make so many abrupt transitions between the song-oriented material is beyond me, as there is little to no connection between the two, ultimately turning what could have been a great album into a positively frustrating one.

The intro instrumental "Behind Closed Doors" is the only really fitting one on the album. Droning, yet shimmering, it sets the tone for the gorgeous "Romantic Streams," which features overlapping synth melodies over echoing drum beats and spacey Eno-esque ambient washes of electronics. Franciotti's voice lovely and fragile, evoking Victoria Legrand of Beach House.



After the beauty of "Romantic Streams" comes the harsh, thunderous instrumental "Porcelain Hands" which immediately takes you out of your reverie. Thankfully it is short-lived and "The Heavens Turn By Themselves" flows in on dubby percussion and angelic choirs of synthesizers and delicate treated guitars.



First single, "Casual Diamonds" takes Franciotti's voice front and center, shadowing it with tons of echo, moving the sound towards a more shoegaze territory with lots of flanged guitars and buzzy drones.



Again, though, the beauty of the track is spoiled by the following track "Cryingame" which trades gauziness in for 60s style electronic bloops and bleeps and rumbling bass; which thankfully moves into the more propulsive and dreamy "Flying Saucers Are Real" which multi-tracks Franciotti's vocals into a heavenly chorus amid pillows of synths, stark pianos, and woozy percussion.



"Stickers" takes what sounds like the drum programming from Billy Idol's "Eyes Without A Face" and pairs it will sparkly keyboards and pillow soft vocals.



And closer "Don't Poison Everything" starts off like one of her atonal instrumentals, but slowly turns into an almost electronic sounding Dead Can Dance track.



Forever shows a lot of promise from Franciotti, as long as she sticks to her strengths, which is the more song-oriented, dream pop songs. Her forays into harsh, electronic instrumentals may make more sense as a side project, as they, while having merit on their own, only choose to alienate the listener from the beauty of the other tracks.

Rating Guide:

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top releases of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and peaks one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been polished, trimmed, or re-thought.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.

Non-Sequiturs

Tampa Bay Devil Rays' catcher Kelly Stoppach. Woof!

We are all a thousand different people.

Amen.



Amazing song.

Truth!

Especially in this day and age.

I think I need to get a yard.

Something about this picture cracks me up.

Very sad that Steve Jobs has passed away. Words cannot express how his brilliant inventions have changed the entire world. He will be sadly missed.

Lyrics Rattling Around My Brain

"sleep, don't weep
throw your arms together
slide, don't lie
we always stick together

start the day
in a cold december way
feel what's new
it's december through and through

ma solituda sinks confusion
ma solituda sinks confusion
I fell down"

Catherine Wheel
"Ma Solituda"

"Here in the garden of the arcane delights,
Dark shadows overwhelm us and we become blind.
Blind to the needs of those who would be free
From the grip of fear and the prisons of the mind.

Amidst the throes of perplexity
Phobia moves amongst us, in her hand is held the seed.
Extermination angel stood beside the road
In violent retribution for the seeds we have sown. "

Dead Can Dance
"The Arcane"

"There's a gap in between
There's a gap where we meet
Where I end and you begin
I'm sorry for us
The dinosaurs roam the earth
The sky turns green
Where I end and you begin

I am up in the clouds
I am up in the clouds
And I can't and I can't come down
I can watch and can't take part
Where I end and where you start
Where you, you left me alone
You left me alone

X will mark the place
Like the parting of the waves
Like a house falling in the sea
In the sea"

Radiohead
"Where I End And You Begin"

"Silence waits,
Till it no longer,
Knows right,
From wrong.

It's reaching out,
It's reaching out,
It's reaching out.

Bursting through,
It is softly spoken.

It's staying young,
Staying young,
Staying young,
Staying Young.

Before we get to love,
Before we get to romance,
Before we've had enough,
Just give it one more chance,
Give it one more chance."

Curve
"Hung Up"

Appealing Things

The resiliency of shoegaze
"Soft As Snow (But Warm Inside)"
Friendly Fires
Winning summary judgment for a client
Getting things organized
Coming home from work everyday to Kurt, two crazy dogs, and my crazy cat.
Skinny Puppy albums pre-The Process

Annoying Things

Steve Jobs R.I.P.
Tomatoes that keep molding over before I can use them
People who are conversational black holes
People who only talk about themselves
The Process

30 Day Song Challenge: Day Twenty Four - A Song That You Want To Play At Your Funeral

Day Twenty Four - A Song That You Want To Play At Your Funeral
Dead Can Dance
"Persephone (The Gathering Of Flowers)"

Because I am world-renowned for my blog and music criticism, I, of course, will be widely mourned and praised by millions, and will thus need a suitably somber, tasteful, and large funeral. As my fans and followers throw themselves at my casket weeping openly and hysterically and pulling out their hair and destroying their clothes in the agony of it all, this gorgeous and haunting song shall be playing.*

* Of course, I jest. I doubt I will have anything really. I want to be cremated anyway. It is quite a lovely song, and builds to an amazing crescendo. Suitably over the top and fabulous.