Dead Can Dance. First heard them in 99 ... their spiritchaser album. I have a greater appreciation for them now since i read the comments on their youtubes. I thought it was a celctic language they would sing but its actually "glossolalia". Dance music today lacks this kind of spirituality and emotion. I hope for our sake we see more of this kind of music incorporated in different ways. if you cant appreciate this then there is a special piece of humanity missing from you:
sorry if an appreciation thread on them has been posted already, if so delete at will.
montana
they are awesome, and there is much much more to them than "host of seraphim". i tend to like more of the tracks that Brendan Perry does the main vocal on.
stevësto
quote:
Originally posted by montana
they are awesome, and there is much much more to them than "host of seraphim". i tend to like more of the tracks that Brendan Perry does the main vocal on.
forgot to mention itd be great if people could post samples of other artists that are similiar or better.
SteelWolf
quote:
Originally posted by stevësto
I thought it was a celctic language they would sing but its actually "glossolalia".
What is Glossolalia exactly? I thought it was Gaelic they were singing. Eiter way these guys are AWESOME, very talented musically and vocally as well.
They have different musical periods though, since they started as an ethereal post-punk/darkwave group and ended-up in watered-down ethnic for the masses. My favorite period is indeed the early ethereal-gothic years of albums such as "Dead Can Dance" (medieval gothic rock? Awesome dynamic quitars and synths. this is probably one of the few fast and intense Dead Can Dance albums, ecstatic), "Spleen and Ideal" (grotesque and obscure orchestral atmospherics with reverbarated post-punk quitars and of course the dead can dance vocals), "Within The Realm of A Dying Sun" (more flockloric medieval direction) and of course "A Serpent's Egg" (even more slowed-down but still dark and ethereal). These first four albums are what DEAD CAN DANCE is all about! After that they went too mainstream in order to appeal to the American "new-age/ethnic/spiritual" market, and whilst they had some fine moments, they had lost the dark 4AD underground mystical atmosphere that the first four albums had. "Spiritchaser" is indeed their worst album IMO! Nothing to do with the original Dead Can Dance mesmerising sound.
This is a song of their first EP- "Garden of The Arcane Delights" (included in the first album)
Dead Can Dance- "In Power We Entrust The Love Advocated" (Brendan Perry on vocals)
PETRAN
Oh by the way, some suggestions:
I would suggest you to check some other early releases of the 4AD label, since the current label was the epitome of 80s ethereal/avant-garde music. It is funny that most of these bands like Dead Can Dance have either distorted language or singing non-sense (modern post-rock/ambient groups such as Sigur Ros seem to be influenced by these tactics. By the way make sure to listen to “Von” by Sigur Ros since it has an early Dead Can Dance atmosphere). So, if you haven't already check on Cocteau Twins (i would suggest "Blue Bell Knoll" for starters and then "Treasure", "Head Over Heels", "Heaven or Las Vegas" etc.), This Mortal Coil ("It'll End in Tears", "Blood", "Filigree and Shadow") and even a darker 80s synthpop-darkwave group which were the awesome Clan of Xymox ("Medusa", "Twist of Shadows", "Xymox" are the only ones you care about). These were all atmospheric bands of the early 4AD period and IMO are worth checking out. Note though that these bands don't necessarily have the "Ethnic"/"folkloric" essence in their music like Dead Can Dance. Dead Can Dance were probably the only ones doing that in the 80s. These bands surely are atmospheric and ethereal but not "Ethnic" in the sense of having e.g. celtic/arabic/african influences or influences of traditional medieval music. Dead Can Dance have influenced though a second wave of darkwave/ethereal bands which have a medieval and/or ethnic essence such as:
Arcana (almost a Dead Can Dance cut-copy but all albums are great!)
Death In June - "But What Ends When Symbols Shatter", "Rose Clouds of Holocaust". Post-apocalyptic folklore! Now thats a genre name! In a few words beautiful classical guitars blended with ambient synths and the guy’s deep vocals… melancholic and mystical
Sol Invictus - "In A Garden Green"!
Black Tape For A Blue Girl - huge DCD influence. Very orchestral and ambient. "Remnants of A Deeper Purity" and "This Lush Garden Within" are their best (although they could be a bit tiresome with their slow compositions)!
Love Spiral Downwards -big DCD influence. "Idylls" and "Ever" are ESSENTIAL albums!
The Shroud- "Long Ago and Far Away" as well as "A Dark Moon Night". Simply my two favorite albums in that style. Very hard to find today though!
Stoa- "Urthona" and "Porta VIII", Dead Can Dance influenced but sometimes i like them better! Awesome dark ambient atmospheres with an arcane essence!
Lycia- "The Burning Circle and The Dust", "Cold", "Estrella" all excellent! Please listen.
Mira - "Mira" and "Apart" are excellent albums. Gentle shoegazing with beautiful female vocals and a mystical edge.
Attrition - "In the Realm of The Hungry Ghosts". Cult ethereal album.
Coil (blending the industrial/experimental with weird medieval)
There are more but they don't occure to me right now!
If you search for more watered-down/mainstream spiritual new-age/world-music stuff, i would suggest you to explore "new-age" music such as:
Amethystium (this is my favorite one. Awesome music and not “fake” like other “New Age/world music projects)
Era
Secret Garden
Magna Carta
Afro-Celt Soundsystem
Mythos
Lesiem
Deep Forest (Boheme)
Enigma (ofcourse!)
Lux Vivens (the music of the surreal director David Lynch!)
Ofcourse stuff by Vangelis...
These would get you started!
TranceArmstrong
Dead Can Mau5
seriously though, all i know is Seraphim, will have to check them out some more I guess. Cool vid
Illusion7
New here. I like them a lot, I have all of their albums. Their solo works are also good, especially Lisa's.
SteelWolf
The Wind That Shakes The Barley, a favorite of mine, classic old irish song, as sung by the woderful lisa gerrard. I believ its a marching song... either way awesome!
Illusion7
quote:
Originally posted by PETRAN
Oh by the way, some suggestions:
I would suggest you to check some other early releases of the 4AD label, since the current label was the epitome of 80s ethereal/avant-garde music. It is funny that most of these bands like Dead Can Dance have either distorted language or singing non-sense (modern post-rock/ambient groups such as Sigur Ros seem to be influenced by these tactics. By the way make sure to listen to “Von” by Sigur Ros since it has an early Dead Can Dance atmosphere). So, if you haven't already check on Cocteau Twins (i would suggest "Blue Bell Knoll" for starters and then "Treasure", "Head Over Heels", "Heaven or Las Vegas" etc.), This Mortal Coil ("It'll End in Tears", "Blood", "Filigree and Shadow") and even a darker 80s synthpop-darkwave group which were the awesome Clan of Xymox ("Medusa", "Twist of Shadows", "Xymox" are the only ones you care about). These were all atmospheric bands of the early 4AD period and IMO are worth checking out. Note though that these bands don't necessarily have the "Ethnic"/"folkloric" essence in their music like Dead Can Dance. Dead Can Dance were probably the only ones doing that in the 80s. These bands surely are atmospheric and ethereal but not "Ethnic" in the sense of having e.g. celtic/arabic/african influences or influences of traditional medieval music. Dead Can Dance have influenced though a second wave of darkwave/ethereal bands which have a medieval and/or ethnic essence such as:
Arcana (almost a Dead Can Dance cut-copy but all albums are great!)
Death In June - "But What Ends When Symbols Shatter", "Rose Clouds of Holocaust". Post-apocalyptic folklore! Now thats a genre name! In a few words beautiful classical guitars blended with ambient synths and the guy’s deep vocals… melancholic and mystical
Sol Invictus - "In A Garden Green"!
Black Tape For A Blue Girl - huge DCD influence. Very orchestral and ambient. "Remnants of A Deeper Purity" and "This Lush Garden Within" are their best (although they could be a bit tiresome with their slow compositions)!
Love Spiral Downwards -big DCD influence. "Idylls" and "Ever" are ESSENTIAL albums!
The Shroud- "Long Ago and Far Away" as well as "A Dark Moon Night". Simply my two favorite albums in that style. Very hard to find today though!
Stoa- "Urthona" and "Porta VIII", Dead Can Dance influenced but sometimes i like them better! Awesome dark ambient atmospheres with an arcane essence!
Lycia- "The Burning Circle and The Dust", "Cold", "Estrella" all excellent! Please listen.
Mira - "Mira" and "Apart" are excellent albums. Gentle shoegazing with beautiful female vocals and a mystical edge.
Attrition - "In the Realm of The Hungry Ghosts". Cult ethereal album.
Coil (blending the industrial/experimental with weird medieval)
There are more but they don't occure to me right now!
If you search for more watered-down/mainstream spiritual new-age/world-music stuff, i would suggest you to explore "new-age" music such as:
Amethystium (this is my favorite one. Awesome music and not “fake” like other “New Age/world music projects)
Era
Secret Garden
Magna Carta
Afro-Celt Soundsystem
Mythos
Lesiem
Deep Forest (Boheme)
Enigma (ofcourse!)
Lux Vivens (the music of the surreal director David Lynch!)
Ofcourse stuff by Vangelis...
These would get you started!
Good list...good music.
Lilith
It would be hard to put a value on the band for me, when I was about 13 my mother gave me a copy of "Within the Realm of a Dying Sun" for my birthday and I don't think it was ever far from my walkman for many years after that along with a couple of the earlier albums. They're some of the few CD's I've actually managed to wear out just from general wear and tear, dragging them through about 30 countries, countless airports and god knows what kinds of abuse.
They where magical albums.
I'm slowly getting back new copies when I can find them.
lindt
"The Host of The Seraphim" is such an amazing set opener. Definitely sets the mood on Another World.
