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Old 10-20-2009, 10:11 PM   #28 (permalink)
Zarko
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Into The Labyrinth (1993)


Dead Can Dance released Into The Labyrinth in 1993, however at this point in time there were some key factors in their personal lives that affected the creation of the album. Given the pair had separated pre-Aion, they were no longer writing music together. Perry worked his craft in Ireland, having recently purchased Quivvy Church and converting it into a recording studio whilst Gerrard went home to Australia. The duo moved from a heavy medieval influence seen in their previous albums to a more tribal and ethnic influence. The album runs for over 55 minutes, unlike the normal ~35-45 minutes due to the increased popularity in CDs rather than LPs.

As per normal, the dup kick off proceedings with a Lisa Gerrard epic, this time in Yulunga. Dark and ominous is its early minutes, Gerrard’s elongated tones open up the world to a mixture of ethno-percussion and instrumentation, emoting a seductive, snakelike substance. Perry follows this up with what was to become one of DCD’s very very few radio hits, The Ubiquitous Mr Lovegrove, one of my personal favourites. Popular with the alternative/gothic crowd of the early 90’s, Perry summons a slow beat, mixed with worldly instruments and sounds. Perry’s deep basslines control proceedings along with an assortment of Indian wind instruments and tribal drums, with fantastic lyricism sprawled throughout.


Yulunga

The mood is quickly changed with a Gerrard interpretation of a traditional folk song, The Wind That Shakes The Barley. Calm and collected, the result is one of sadness and isolation, in one of my favourite Gerrard songs away from glossolalia. The Carnival Is Over is yet another Perry track, this time recollecting memories of his childhood and a carnival. Light string plucking accompanied by a string ensemble lead the way with Perry’s poetic voice calling upon emotions of magnificence, splendour, amazement and yet, sadness in yet another great track. Some may also note a homage of sorts to Joy Division in the lyrics.


The Carnival Is Over (Official video release)

The song leads into Ariadne, a short song using a basic level of percussion and Gerrard’s vocals the change the tone to one of hope. It is followed by an even shorter track in Saldek, which encompasses the ethnic style of the album best from the album so far, as Gerrard produces high pitched and paced tribal vocals. Towards The Within sees both performers offering their vocals, initially chanting leading into Gerrard’s glossolalia high points. Middle-Eastern percussion springs forward sporadically, lush drumming ever present. Gerrard begins a subdued solo roughly half way through the song before various whimsical sounds and percussion become more prevalent to create a fleshed out world.

Tell Me About The Forest has some quiet tendencies throughout with some occasional outbursts vocally from Perry, as well as some horns and brass, not yet seen in the album so far. The Spider’s Stratagem carries a funky groove throughout for a Dead Can Dance track led by tribal drumming and flute work, with Gerrard’s ethereal and haunting vocals overlaid, the result is a fairly passive track that doesn’t really do much.

Emmeleia is a poignant vocal track by the duo, light echoing vocals existing in an empty space for two minutes. The album ends with a grand nine minute track, How Fortunate The Man With None. Using the translated words of famous German lyricist Bertolt Brecht, Perry ends the album on the perfect note that words don’t do justice to.


How Fortunate The Man With None (From 2005 Reunion Tour)

Into The Labyrinth symbolled some dramatic changes in the band, both on a personal level and on a stylistic level. Swept with grandeur, the recurring themes of sadness and distrust make it a reflective album, much more so than previous albums. Sometimes its duration can be a bit much in comparison to their earlier LP creations, but unlike its earlier compatriots, the album is full of songs that can be taken as single doses and still be fully appreciated. In the end, it is one of the Dead Can Dance albums that can either sit on top of the pile consistently. It is a must-experience album as far as I am concerned.


Yulunga (6:56)
The Ubiquitous Mr. Lovegrove (6:16)
The Wind That Shakes The Barley (2:50)
The Carnival Is Over (5:28)
Ariadne (1:54)
Saldek (1:07)
Towards The Within (7:06)
Tell Me About The Forest (5:42)
The Spider's Stratagem (6:42)
Emmeleia (2:04)
How Fortunate The Man With None (9:15)


In a Few Words: Top of the pile material
Best track/s: The Ubiquitous Mr Lovegrove, The Carnival Is Over, The Wind That Shakes The Barley, Emmeleia and How Fortunate The Man With None
Running time: ~55 minutes
Favourite Lyrics:
“Dream on my dear
And renounce temporal obligation”


Rating – A ‘Returning to form’ 9/10
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