Dead Can Dance Album: “Into the Labyrinth”

There are a few artists today that you can plug in to and fully appreciate a composer's marriage of lyrics against musical arrangements. Tori gets it, Trent Reznor will bathe you in it and Chris Martin is the most authentic about what it all means. Yet Dead Can Dance is the most creative and risky, with it's unpredictable presentation and delivery. It does not stick to one predictive rhythm or precussion beat; it takes risks with different languages, draws passage from hymnals and reinassiance literature and retells it or adds a musical arrangement that is unyielding and unapologetic with the antagonist and protagonist in their story telling and conclusions in their music. "Into the Labyrinth" and "The Spirit Chaser" are must haves for any Dead Can Dance fan.

For those that are not familiar with DCD, doing a search for them, you will find reviews under "goth" "metal" "new word" "Neochristian" "alternative." The reasoning is that defining their music is indicative of the title of their second track "ubiquitous" (ala "The Ubiquitous Mr. Lovegrove"). I first became acquainted with Dead Can Dance when a boyfriend played it for me, when I wanted a backdrop to camoflague any noise that a roommate might hear upstairs. "The ubitquitous mr. lovegrove" was the selection he selected. I got lost in the sound of it, and it wasn't until later that giving it another listen, that I understand the double-entrende in it and forshadowed the end of our relationship. Yet in that moment, I kind of got lost with it. The sound is intense and it ushers georgian chants (reminiscent of Benectdine monks) against an oboe, strings and percussion drum arrangements while Brendan talks about getting deceived and confronting his truths against lingering residual regret.

"I thought that you knew it all"

"I'd see all the signs before"

"I thought that you were the one"

"In darkness my heart was won"

and later an anti-climatic

"now I'm serving time in disillusionment"

"keeping time to the beat of an old slave drum"

The genius of the last line is that Brendan adds a drum arrangement with a lash to it reinforces the feeling of entrapment and enslaved. The next track is Lisa Gerrard's accapella take of an irish hym "The Wind that shakes the barley." Her voice is so rich and tells a tale of morning love lost in war.

Play that against track 7, a persion love song "Towards the within" and the chants that express deep regret of something lost that translate in to a warning about remaining fenced in at the sound of calavalry and the message is clear about squandering a win at the expense of love lost.

I have 3 copies of "Into the Labyrinth" for home, car, and work. Every time I listen to it, I find something that I missed, be it a note or a line, or an instrument that is subtly blended in against the melody. If you don't have "In to the Labyrinth" or "SpiritChaser" in your DCD inventory - get it. It's an example of Brendan's intricate play on words, like the "sonambulistic" conclusion he draws about the pursuit of American dreaming, a sleepwalk in the dark. There is a reason that Adrian Lyne worked in "Devorzhum" in to the montage of his movie "Unfaithful" and the conflict that Diane Lane's character is suffering after her betrayal and leaps right in to her remorse and she recants what she has just done.

Play "Into the Labyrinth" and then give "SpiritChaser" a chance, and see if you don't catch yourself replaying it again on a Sunday afternoon, perhaps sharing with someone with whom you are intimate.

It is interesting that opinions on this release are so polarised between either highly congratulatory or greatly disappointed. As with any music that exhibits such an individual character, the ingrained likes and dislikes of the individual listener are a larger deciding factor than usual. Many 'rock attuned' listeners prefer the more 'singular' focus of Aion or The Serpents Egg, The Goth/Dark wave set (predicably) err in favour of Dying Sun etc.

This is a very eclectic album, when measured against the earlier records. 'Ambitious' is a label that comes to mind, and this can be a dangerous road for a musical artist to tread. On one hand is the possibility of a groundbreaking achievement, on the other extreme, a self-indulgent, flatulent output bogged down in cliché' despite it's lofty aspirations. (And the middle, the 'interesting failure'- a rather flat-footed achievement.)

My opinion, I consider this to be an EXCELLENT album, although this CD took a long time to really grow on me, as it has doubtless done for many others. Ironic that another reviewer voiced a dislike of the 'pop structure' of some of the songs, because this music does not function in the same manner as pop song writing despite that influence. This stuff really needs to be listened to a lot more than once or twice and digested slowly. Like all 'serious' art (an interpretive category, admittedly) the listener only walks away with what they make the effort to invest in the experience. Anyway, lets say SOMETHING about the music.....

'Yulunga' - A longish work that creates a somewhat lysergic quality, a slow moving but forceful mood-setter for the album.

'Ubiquitous Mr Lovegrove' - 'love song' in a way, though not in the conventional sense. The signature wind melody recalls something of 'Aeon'. Brendan is limited in range as a singer and it is noticeable that his musical arrangements work around this by punctuating his vocal phrasing with dashes of string, flute, percussion and providing well-timed build-ups at key points in his lyrics

'Where Soft winds shook the Barley' (traditional)- a cappella piece by Lisa. Rather charming, although easily skipped when one is not in the mood. For attentive listening though, the shaping of the vocal phrases is nicely put together.

'The Carnival is over'- A highpoint for me, I love it. The slow delicate arpeggio at the beginning with the build-up of multiple parts is very nicely done, a signature Brendan piece. The same remarks for 'LoveGrove' apply. The lyrics in combination with the music are highly visual and appear rather personal, as though we are being offered a glimpse of a particularly poignant memory.

'Ariadne' - 'flows' out of 'Carnival', almost as though they were two separate aspects of the same work. The closing chord of Lovegrove becomes the opening chord of Ariadne and it builds beautifully from there. Lisa's voice works well here too.

'Saldek' - A short, simple work with the Arabic and Sepharidic influences coming to the fore. Literally a single chord over and over with Lisa singing on top. Almost for sure a Lisa work. (Interesting how Lisa and Brendan's strengths/weaknesses, are sort of reverse images of each other, Brendan a good composer/arranger if limited singer, and Lisa the great singer/voice sculptor, but minimalist in her writing and musical arrangements)

'Toward the within' - simple ingredients overall but the arrangements are highly ingenious and very well thought out.

Tell me about the forest - more highly interpretive lyrics and, yet again, well fleshed out arrangements like the way the music functions as a whole yet allows the listener to focus on specific elements without loosing the thread of the work.

The spider's stratagem - similar to Towards the Within to a degree.

Emmelia - Another strategically placed 'break piece' like Saldek or 'Barley'.

How fortunate the man with none -. Builds nicely and lets you down nice and gently at the end. A perfect closer to one of my favourite discs.

After many spins in my CD player, this CD has become one of my favorite DCD albums. Of course, when I first got the CD, I would never have said that. It just seemed really strange to me then. Luck for me, this CD was not my introduction to DCD, which was The Serpent's Egg (their finest, in my opinion, due to the marvelous song "The Host of Seraphim"). So, while I recommend this album to all true music lovers, you should be aware that it was a turning point in DCD's musical career, and it is very different from their earlier more European, Classical works, which I heartily recommend you sample first. The best songs on the album for me are: "Ariadne," "Yulunga," and "Towards the Within." A lot of people I know also like "The Ubiquitous Mr. Lovegrove" and "The Carnival is Over." Finally, I would like to point out that this is DCD's best selling album but not necessarily their absolute best overall, although I really love it.

Oddly enough, if this album was made by any other artist that's even similar to Dead Can Dance it would have received five stars. But I couldn't help but feel something was missing here, something missing from Dead Can Dance. This is not their best album, not by a long shot. And upon finishing "Into The Labyrinth" my initial reaction was somewhat disheartening. One of my favorite bands has made a great album (for the non-Dead Can Dance fan, great doesn't measure up to their usual standard of perfection). Great isn't a bad thing though, and this album has it's moments, but something is definitely missing. It starts off with "Yulunga (Spirit Dance)", it has an arabic feel to it and sets the flow of the album. The follow up, "The Ubiquitous Mr. Lovegrove" is along the same vein of "Yulunga". Those are two great songs, but still, their Arabic/Egyptian feel is not as uplifting as a Dead Can Dance fan would hope. Thankfully, what might be the best song here, "The Wind That Shakes The Barley" left me in awe. The beauty and power of Lisa Gerrard's voice is something not of this realm. And "The Carnival Is Over" lives up to that as well thanks to Brendan Perry and his crystal-clear voice. Sadly, the album takes a dip. "Ariadne" is great, and "Towards The Within" isn't bad, but "Saldek" is complete filler in my opinion. "Tell Me About The Forest (You Once Called Home)" is breathtaking, yet another highlight. It drops the Arabic/Egyptian feel for a more Gothic/Arcane one. Very nice. During the middle of the song little Asian chimes come in, and with horns and poetry lyrics, it stands up with "The Wind That Shakes The Barley" and "Tell Me About The Forest (You Once Called Home)". "The Spider's Stratagem" is missing the usual magic displayed in Dead Can Dance's songs. But "Into The Labyrinth" closes wth two songs that definitely contain that magic. "Emmelia" is a mesmerizing vocal performance. "How Fortunate The Man With None" is Perry's best on the album. The piano notes near the end are almost haunting. If you look at the better songs here, there is a pretty strong line-up. But not up to the usual. The Arabic/Egyptian influence is enough for me to break out my Ankh, but little else. I would recommend "Aion" or "Within The Realm Of A Dying Sun" before this, they're much better. But you may enjoy this for the very same reason I didn't, I've talked to people who do. Still, it is Dead Can Dance.......

The name "Dead Can Dance" speaks so much...the music, inspired by ancient roots, is lifted, at first silent, from the dust. New life makes the dry bones come to life like the movement of feathers, slowly changing color, where the wind catches the words and the notes and the heart strings and slowly......with eyes coated in dreaming, it begins to dance.

This music speaks of the old ones, memories, feelings of home and remembrance....reviving the past if only for an hour or so...bringing that sacred remembrance and thankfulness to those of the past, ancesters, the elder ones....those who are turned to dust still remembered in the hidden corners of our minds....

Although this album is not as smooth or as flowing as some of the opther Dead can Dance albums, there are haunting harmonies and beautiful vocals. There is a beautifully somber version of "the wind that shakes the barley" on this cd, and the almost middle eastern vocals of lisa gerrard kiss you on the cheek and reach into your soul while tickling your heart as it starts to bleed....very emotional and intense, if you are in the right mood for it, but not if you are feeling sarcastic or fidgety. You have to almost be willing to lie down and just listen...or to let yourself dance.