Spleen and Ideal

1. De Profundis [Out of the Depths of Sorrow]

2. Ascension

3. Circumradiant Dawn

4. Cardinal Sin

5. Mesmerism

6. Enigma of the Absolute

7. Advent

8. Avatar

9. Indoctrination (A Design for Living)

Spleen and Ideal,Dead Can Dance,Warner Bros / Wea,Alternative Pop/Rock,Dream Pop,Ethnic Fusion,Pop,Popular Music,Rock,World Fusion

Average customer rating:

A transitional album -- and a good one
Brendan Perry's brooding romanticism makes him the modern Lord Byron
Baudelair! not spleen
Esophagus and Disenchantment
Immacculate Cat-Head Music for Toddlers and Thizz Kids

Spleen and Ideal
Dead Can Dance
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | British Alternative | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Dream Pop | Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

General | International | Styles | Music

General | New Age | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

Progressive Rock | Progressive | Rock | Styles | Music

Alternative Rock | Imports | Stores | Music

Rock | Imports | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

Within the Realm of a Dying Sun
Dead Can Dance
Serpent's Egg
Aion
Into the Labyrinth

ASIN: B00002428M
Release Date: 2006-11-07

Tracks:

De Profundis [Out of the Depths of Sorrow]
Ascension
Circumradiant Dawn
Cardinal Sin
Mesmerism
Enigma of the Absolute
Advent
Avatar
Indoctrination (A Design for Living)

Album Description

Out of print in the U.S.! Import pressing of this classic 1985 sophomore album from one of the 4AD label's most popular and influential bands. At the core of Dead Can Dance is guitarist Brendan Perry and vocalist Lisa Gerard, who created a body of work that remains invigorating and uniquely their own. Nine tracks. 4AD.

Customer Reviews:

A transitional album -- and a good one.......2007-04-14

Made up of the duo of Lisa Gerrard and Brendan Perry, Dead Can Dance melded their own unique and changing sound from a variety of influences. Spleen and Ideal, Dead Can Dance's second full album, can be best seen as a transition from their 80s new wave/dark pop beginnings towards the more orchestral/operatic sound of their next album, Within The Realm of a Dying Sun. As such, it features some of the best of both these worlds.

The two opening tracks feature strings, horns, and spine-tingling vocal work from Lisa, conjuring up associations of medieval liturgy, classical dirges and dark opera, and on Enigma of the Absolute, Brendan sounds a bit like a goth Frank Sinatra, crooning mythically-tinged lyrics over a background of harpsichord, thundering tympani and pulsing string section. By contrast, his songs The Cardinal Sin and Advent utilize more standard drums and bass backing, and the combination of crashing 80s backbeat, wailing vocals and shimmering Yang Ch'in (Chinese hammer dulcimer) turn Lisa's track Avatar into a thrilling dark wave headbanger anthem.

If you think you may be interested in the group's early sound and/or their rich and distinctive middle period, this CD not a bad place to start your explorations.

Brendan Perry's brooding romanticism makes him the modern Lord Byron.......2006-10-15

This CD has a great mix of the voices of Brendan Perry with his masculine seductive baritone and that of Lisa Gerrard, whose voice reminds me of what ancient Greek and Roman priestesses must have sounded like as they chanted to the gods.

The instrumentation is very well done with African drums mixed with violin and cello for a mellow string sound. However the trombones are powerful and strategically placed and the timpani adds a sense of the Mediterranean.

Brendan Perry at times sounds brooding, romantic, and passionate like a contemporary Lord Bryon. His lyrics are usually more easy to understand that Lisa Gerrard whose voice is strongest when she evokes the Middle Eastern traditions.

The five strongest works on the CD are De Profundis, Ascension, The Cardinal Sin, Enigma of the Absolute, and Indoctrination.

Baudelair! not spleen.......2006-09-15

Spleen et Ideal is the title of a section of XIXth century poet Charles Baudelair's Flowers of Evil (Les fleurs du mal).

Esophagus and Disenchantment.......2006-09-13

I never understood the title of this album. A spleen is an internal organ no matter how much poetry you read.
Nevertheless...: This album from way back in 1985 was a big underground hit in England at the time which I'm sure was a big help for them. A credit to British forsight and taste if not humility. Usually this is thought of as a transitional album for them as while they still had some post-punk..or...um...goth?..elements going on with the bass guitar and the doom doom dish dish dish drum machine (they would use drum machines latter but the "world" sense would be dominate)..drum amchines DO have soul by the way, esp. here. This release also streched foward...and more so than I thought when I first heard this back in '89 or so. I just got this again in 2006 and it has been a lot of fun to rediscover. The group here are stretching further forward than I thought atb the time with the big timpanai drums and the trombones.
I turns out to be a very fun listen and the dramatic intensity of the first two tunes shows that this group had an extra level of talent and was destined for great things.
This album has a foggy, mukery and sombre quality. It takes alot of listenings for me to pick out the lyrics. It almost gives me a headache..bu the kind of headache one might get if a spirit was entering ones' body which I think might even be happening here. This group is THAT amazing. That said..I listened to this album 9 times in a row yesterday as if I was starving for some aspect of it. I expected this to be a pretty-cool transitional album bya great band..but it is kind of an underrated masterpiece. It's just that on the next record they would really explode....

Immacculate Cat-Head Music for Toddlers and Thizz Kids.......2005-12-06

Dead Can Dance's 1985 effort "Spleen and Ideal" is a collection of solid jams from the original Australian lords of thizz..Brendan Perry and Lisa Gerrard..it is groovy cult music for all generations and must be listened to carefully, and obsessively..it is best in the wee hours of the morning, after a long day/night i.e. 4-5am..expensive speakers or headphones are highly recommended for this particular musical journey..i implore you all to get this bad boy under your belt QUICKLY, time is running out.

-Dr. Gonzo, PHDizzle