Spleen and Ideal

Sounding on their most universally recognizable and acclaimed tracks as if the music they composed emerged from beyond a temporal continuum, where no such thing as the linear progression of time exists,, Dead Can Dance first gained notice as a band whose sound defied easy categorization or placement, though it was routinely defined and interpreted as medieval in both its ethos and its instrumentation, and their recorded output on their second, third, fourth, and fifth releases reflected a fusion of liturgical and neoclasssical elements, creating an overall atmosphere within those soundscapes that by turns (and sometimes all at once ) are meditative, enchanting, evocative, and hypnotic.Despite being grounded partially in liturgical origins , the music that Dead Can Dance recorded for “Spleen and Ideal”, “Within The Realm Of A Dying Sun”, “The Serpent’s Egg”, and “Aion” sounded refreshingly different to modern-day audiences, whose limited familiarity with this music, if they had it at all, might've come through a mass at a Catholic or Greek Orthodox Church. “Spleen and Ideal” was the first of the four titles to be recorded; released in 1985, and served as a remarkable transitional point for DCD, as their self-titled debut revolved entirely around a post-punk sound with gothic overtones.Modern percussive elements are present on “Spleen and Ideal” in the form of bass guitar, keyboards, and a conventional drumset, and serve to anchor the majority of the tracks recorded for it. However, much of the rest of the instrumentation heard on here has strong organic roots,including string and brass instruments with lineages several hundred years old, and the arrangement and orchestration is heavily influenced by their integration . Sounding heavy and portentous on “Ascension” and “Indoctrination” and downright bombastic on “The Cardinal Sin”, DCD hadn’t quite excised all of the gothic overtones that were responsible for underpinning the formative blueprint of their earliest sound; they’re still present here, alright, but in more of an associative role, rather than than as the focus, to provide nuance, rather than coloration, expressive rather than oppressive.“De Profundis”, the song that opens “Spleen and Ideal”, is a track that in hindsight appears to have significant reproductive power; it served as a precursor for their most lushly orchestrated tracks, providing a direct ancestral lineage, one generation removed, for “The Host of Seraphim”, the astonishingly ravishing track opening “The Serpent’s Egg” that cycles musically through mystical levels of ascension that combined with Gerard’s plaintive, unleashed, glossolalic contralto to create a song rooted in a mesmerizing, deeply primeval sound . Though not quite as self-assured, “De Profundis” , still contains the real spark of genesis, and genius, the band continued to nurture and evolve through the next three of their hybrid neoclassical releases. Elsewhere, Perry’s invocational “Enigma of the Absolute” places footprints in the sand that “Severance” , “Ulysses”, “Black Sun”, "Anywhere Out Of The World”, and “Xavier” would later tread in, while Gerard’s “Avatar”, the template for fellow insistent cuts Cantara”, “Radharc”, and “As The Bell Rings The Maypole Spins”, though it registered with a slightly higher level of orchestrated insistency than its successors.“Severance” and “The Host Of Seraphim” served as my gateway into DCD’s universe of sound; their parent release “The Serpent’s Egg, my entry point into their catalogue, and still, I think, the apotheosis of their neoclassical period (and sound, altogether, if I’m being honest about it), but “Spleen and Ideal”, while still finding them transitioning to this stage, is nevertheless a powerful, surprising polished statement all of-and on-its own, and would serve a neophyte listener well as the jumping-off point into their catalogue. A definite four-star recommendation, and not to be missed.

after SPLEEN they should have brought in the defibulators. I was stunned by the first DCD-it had DRIVE and LIFE to it-the dead WERE dancing-dark, complex Middle-Eastern (ME) tinged arrangements, sincere, intelligent lyrics, Lisa's amazing vocalizations-and her marvelous playing of the chinese stringed instrument-which seemed to vanish after SPLEEN pretty much -all seemingly custom made music just for me-I felt that music had died until their emergence (I still wish I knew the lyrics to OCEAN)After this CD, with a few exceptions they became 'dead on Valium'. Too much slow, ponderous deep and profound preaching stuff-or else they became the resident musicians of the Smithsonian-sadly-then the new agers discovered them. OMG. This surprised me- as most of them seem to love YANNI-like corn syrup music...well, at least it benefited them personally-they didnt have to worry about rent money each month. For what its worth I have all of the SACD albums-but I always come back to #1 and SPLEEN. ARCANE DELIGHTS has 2-3 great pieces on it, also. I am rather annoyed or perplexed they made it separate-it was on the previous incarnation CD as bonus tracks-and is now priced higher than the other full-on CDs!Now this (SPLEEN) has some great tracks and excepting the rather bombastic kettle drum song (name i dont remember) I was still quite happy having found them. BUTWhen DYING SUN came out, I felt alienated-except for CANTARA-lovely. They had moved on-too far on.This was a nice mix-and I am not one to say they should do the same album over and over-but think they should have taken a vacation from brooding symphonies Period/Ethnic dabbling the deeply profound, and made an album with drive and LIFE to it-similar to the style of #1-but they would have incorporated- in the "rock" vein with all their newfound wealth-and gained experiences. They were EXCELLENT MUSICIANS-that cannot be denied, Brendons deep, sage like voice, came across as a very thoughfull, intelligent man at what-25? their ability to master musical styles and play instruments is nothing short of amazingAnd Lisa's letting loose when she did was divine-until she joined the 'Sisterhood of the Sacred' Some of it is beautiful, but lacked spark. Dont get me wrong I LOVE them both and feel something unameable-but the first album made an imprint on me that summer which will not go away. OCEAN. WILD IN THE WORDS. FORTUNE. Still stun me. How can they not in their sparse economy move anyone?DCD, Garden, and Spleen-then it was world/new age symphonic profoundness. Little drive-no more dance;And you can examine the worlds problems and how to live properly so many times before it gets boring.Thus 'World' and 'New Age' music are not my cup of tea-for the Spirolina set.I listen to a lot of AZAM ALI, whose music has drive, mysticism and lyrics that dont preach-(or inform us 17 different ways of the miseries and short comings of living on Earth--a little of that goes a long way)-but she tells us of her experiences in life-and still sings of the positive. If you like the latter DCD you should try her PORTALS OF GRACE-a very brave and difficult acheivment from a woman who could have simply gotten by on her looks and singing Middle Eastern pop. She also part of a band called NYAZ- which play largely traditional ME motifs, with a few accomedations for electronics.This review is all over the map, but I am locked out of DCD #1 by a previous reviewAs Ive already noted-the world is a richer place given that they are in it.

This album, especially the song "Mesmerism", was my first exposure to Dead Can Dance, in a high school classroom in 1989. An English composition and literature teacher encouraged two students per week to bring in a favorite album and play one side for the class while we were quietly working on essays. When I first heard this stuff my skin crawled with a strange joy to know that music like this existed, and that people were bold enough to make it. There is an audacity in Lisa and Brendan's work, a courage to take a concept and drive it all the way home and then some. They treat every one of their tracks as crucial and give it every ounce so it can burn brightly and leave its mark.In spite of the praise above, I was never all that much of a fan of Brendan's overly solemn intonations and heavy-handed lyrics which struck me as somewhat clumsy or overthought. But they've aged well. The older I got the more I became acquainted with some of the nuances of life that he was addressing. Even so, I've always preferred Lisa's approach of simply burning the raw spirit clean through like an oil lamp at its highest setting, like a bonfire under an autumn moon. Yet it takes one to offset and contextualize the other so the overall bargain is a very good one.You notice that each Dead Can Dance album has a particular cultural feel to it, though usually a synthesis of several different cultures from actual human locations. One was the Native American album. One was the European Middle Ages album. One was the ... i don't know ... odd synthesis of southeast-Asian plus ancient Roman necropolis album! Spleen & Ideal's flavor is somewhere between Mediterranean, Persian, Pakistani, Indian, but perhaps also Balkan.

What can i say my sister posted one song on FB (spleen and ideal): I had not listened to Dead can dance since the early 90's - I was blown over. What a record. I got it yesterday and listened to it thrice in a row,. I realise I had missed them His voice, especially. Not a very objective review i suppose. I love this record, that is all (I usually listen to quite different things, led Zeppelin and Pearl jam)

Impossible to know how to characterise their music. I can only say that it was very hard to fault a thing they did in the mid-eighties. If you have this, together with DCD's The Serpent's Egg & the Cocteau Twins' Treasure, then you have the three best records ever put out by 4AD. Which is saying very much.

No issues with content as I have the original vinyl release. Love the music. Bought this reissue for a crystal clear copy but very disappointed. First off, it arrived warped and Amazon has sent a replacement so kudos to their customer service dept. great service as always! My issue is with the pressing itself. MPO, the pressing plant, needs to do better QA. Side 1 of the vinyl is pressed so badly off center that the turntable arm oscillation causes major tonal and pitch changes. This makes side 1 completely non listenable. Side 2 is fine. So while it will make great wall art, its a ruined listening copy. Have mailed 4AD and MPO. no response. and judging by the threads on Discogs, I'm not alone in this moan session.

Another disc from Brendan Perry and Lisa Gerrard than takes you deeper into their vision of beauty and leaves you wanting more. Astoundingly beautiful music.

Fabulous, dark, gothic, delicious. I love dead can dance and this is my favourite album by them. It is even better (with deeper notes and clearer bells!) on vinyl.