Brendan Perry (born 30 June 1959 in Whitechapel, London) was half of one of… Read Full Bio ↴Brendan Perry (born 30 June 1959 in Whitechapel, London) was half of one of the most successful and enduring acts in 4AD's history: Dead Can Dance. He spent 16 years searching the world for meaning and knowledge through music in partnership with Lisa Gerrard, then turned his attention to a solo record which would continue this exploration. Although Eye Of The Hunter was released in October 1999, Brendan began work on the album while Dead Can Dance were still active - the idea was inspired, in part, by his incredible solo performance during 4AD's 13 Year Itch celebrations at the ICA in 1993. Boasting lush production sensibilities and a boundary-defying spirit, Eye Of The Hunter offered an immediate familiarity to fans of Dead Can Dance's unique soundworld. But there were difference in the manner the music was made, and also how it was presented. Though Dead Can Dance employed vocals, the duo's goal was to express emotions beyond language. Their recording process was also open to improvisation, Brendan and Lisa letting the music lead them to its destination. In contrast, Eye Of The Hunter's vignettes were written - crafted - using a more traditional singer / songwriter process. The music, centered around Brendans thoughtful and restrained guitar playing, provided a backdrop for his deep, gentle vocals. And while much of Dead Can Dance's work eluded categorisation, Brendan embraced it, making a folk record in the truest sense: these songs - each one its own story but each also contributing to an overall theme - were rooted in his life experiences.

'Eye Of The Hunter' was recorded at Brendan's Quivvy Church studio in County Cavan in Ireland. It's a relatively isolated setting - one which allows its owner space to pursue his interests, which range from music to astronomy and archery to arboriculture. Dead Can Dance's music often suggested a search for meaning and sense in the world, and Brendan has taken up a similar journey. But instead of looking at the external world, he has decided to explore the inner world of his own private universe. "People have multiple personalities which are always evolving," he says. "This record deals with the different facets of my own personality." "Eye Of The Hunter's deeply personal songs explore the theme of loss - both of life and love - but they are not bereft of hope. "Saturday's Child," which opens the record, poignantly describes the changing relationship between Brendan and his father after the latter suffered two debilitating strokes. "Sloth" deals with time lost to anger, addiction and inertia, preventing us from achieving our true potential. "The Captive Heart" deals with the attempt to keep love afloat over a long distance. A cover of Tim Buckley's "Must Have Been Blind" features one of the record's more extravagant arrangements, with layers of pedal steel supporting Brendan's soaring vocals. An emotional centerpiece is the haunting, autobiographical "Voyage of Bran". Brendan Perry toured Europe and North America in support of Eye Of The Hunter. But - apart from a number of local performances and workshops in Ireland - he subsequently remained out of the public eye until Dead Can Dance reformed for a series of live concerts in the spring of 2005.

His second album entitled 'Ark' was released 7 June 2010. This album was very different from 'Eye of the Hunter', notably because it will feature rhythm machines and electric guitars.

Two more Dead Can Dance albums followed; 'Anastasis' (2012) and 'Dionysius' (2018) along with a selection of live releases; 'Live Happenings I-V' (2012) and 'In Concert' (2013). 'Live Happenings' was a selection of live tracks released in 5 separate parts online. Each part consisted of 4/5 tracks. These were recordings from the 2005 DCD tour. 'In Concert' was recordings from the 2012 tour.

During the time between albums Brendan also moved from Ireland to Bretagne/Brittany, France and during February/March 2019 completed a solo tour in France, Belgium, Netherlands and Germany, starting in La Souterraine (FR), closely followed by a Dead Can Dance tour which started in Rennes (FR) in May 2019.

Ten years after 'Ark', on 20 November 2020 Brendan released his third solo album 'Songs of Disenchantment: Music from the Greek Underground'. Initially released in digital formats (MP3/FLAC) and via streaming (Spotify, Amazon Music etc) The physical vinyl and CD versions followed in Spring 2021. This is an album of Greek songs in the Rebetiko street music style (Greek blues?). All the songs are cover versions of 1920s-1930s Greek songs but have been translated in to English. Brendan plays all the instruments himself including traditional instruments like Bouzouki, Saz, Baglama & Tsouras along with lutes and the dulcimer, which DCD fans will be familiar with.

Next up is a Dead Can Dance's Europe tour in 2022, rescheduled from 2021 due to Covid restrictions.

Archangel
Brendan Perry Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

All love's lost children
Behind us, forgotten
Youth lies broken
Upon the wheel of the machine
Each time we kill their song

Time feeds our memories
We travel through past lives

We are angels
Part devil in disguise
We sow the seeds of our own demise

All love's lost children
Inside us, forgotten
You must open
As the flower greets the sun
To sing their praise with your song

If you turn a blind eye
To the needs of a child's inner vision
Then you might just find
That the love you denied will desert you

How long will we sing this song?
How long must we carry on?

You can break their will
But they never ever will respect you
If you abuse their bodies
They will never come to love you

How long will we sing this song?
How long must we carry on?

Overall Meaning

The song "Archangel" by Brendan Perry can be interpreted as a commentary on the cycle of violence and oppression perpetuated by humanity through the ages. The repeated references to "love's lost children" suggest a sense of collective guilt or regret over the mistreatment of the vulnerable and innocent. Perry's use of religious imagery, such as the reference to "angels" and "part devil in disguise," may also speak to the complex moral beliefs that often underpin such violence.

The lyrics suggest that this cycle of violence stems from a lack of empathy or compassion for others, particularly children. The line "If you turn a blind eye to the needs of a child's inner vision, then you might just find that the love you denied will desert you" implies that those who perpetuate violence or neglect against children may suffer spiritually or emotionally as a result. However, the song also acknowledges that such patterns are difficult to break: "You can break their will, but they never ever will respect you / If you abuse their bodies, they will never come to love you."

Overall, "Archangel" presents a sobering commentary on humanity's capacity for cruelty and the challenges we face in disrupting these patterns of violence and exploitation.

Line by Line Meaning

All love's lost children
Those who have lost the love and care they deserved, which has resulted in their inner child being abandoned.

Behind us, forgotten
We have moved on, and given no thought to the children we left behind who continue to suffer because of our neglect.

Youth lies broken
The children who have been left behind have suffered emotional damage so severe that they cannot continue on with normal life.

Upon the wheel of the machine
The children have been caught up in a system they cannot control, and the resulting trauma has caused significant damage to their well-being.

Each time we kill their song
Every time we ignore and neglect the children, we are killing their potential for a meaningful and productive life.

Time feeds our memories
Our memories become a constant reminder of the harm we have caused to the children who were left behind.

We travel through past lives
As we move on from our past wrongs, we carry the burden of the neglected children with us into the future.

We are angels
We have the potential to be nurturing and caring for the children we have left behind.

Part devil in disguise
Our neglect and abuse has caused a great deal of harm and suffering to the children.

We sow the seeds of our own demise
By neglecting and abusing innocent children, we are creating a future that is full of cruelty and despair, which will ultimately affect us all.

Inside us, forgotten
While we have forgotten about the children that we have neglected, they remain inside us as a constant reminder of our failures.

You must open
If we want to make things right, we must confront our neglect and work to create a better future for the children who have been left behind.

As the flower greets the sun
We must show the children love and care so that they can blossom into the full potential of who they are meant to be.

To sing their praise with your song
We must do everything in our power to support, lift up, and praise the children who have been neglected, so that they can heal and thrive in the future.

If you turn a blind eye
By ignoring the needs of the children, we are contributing to the ongoing harm and neglect that they experience.

To the needs of a child's inner vision
We must pay attention and respond to the emotional, mental, and physical needs of the children who have been neglected, so that they can heal and grow.

Then you might just find
If we neglect the children, the love and care we are denying them may come back to harm us in the future.

That the love you denied will desert you
If we neglect, abuse, or harm the children, we will suffer the consequences, as we will have lost the love of those we have wronged.

How long will we sing this song?
How long will we continue to ignore the needs of the children, and perpetuate their suffering?

How long must we carry on?
How long must we continue to ignore the pain and trauma of the children who have been left behind?

You can break their will
If we neglect or abuse the children, we are damaging their sense of self and their ability to thrive in the future.

But they never ever will respect you
Abusing or neglecting children will never be seen as respectable or acceptable behavior, and we will not be respected for it.

If you abuse their bodies
Physical abuse or harm to children is unacceptable and will damage them permanently.

They will never come to love you
Abusing Harming children and neglecting their needs means we don't deserve their love, and they will never see us as people they can trust.

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: CHRISTOPHER ANDREWS, ASHLEY BATES

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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