Dead Can Dance is an Australian musical project formed in 1981 in Melbourne… Read Full Bio ↴Dead Can Dance is an Australian musical project formed in 1981 in Melbourne by Lisa Gerrard and Brendan Perry. The band relocated to London, England, in May 1982. Australian music historian Ian McFarlane described Dead Can Dance's style as "constructed soundscapes of mesmerizing grandeur and solemn beauty; African polyrhythms, Gaelic folk, Gregorian chant, Middle Eastern mantras, and art rock."
Having disbanded in 1998, they reunited briefly in 2005 for a world tour and reformed in 2011, releasing a new album (Anastasis) and embarking on several tours.
Dead Can Dance formed in Melbourne, Australia in August 1981 with Paul Erikson on bass guitar, Lisa Gerrard (ex-Microfilm) on vocals, Simon Monroe (Marching Girls) on drums and Brendan Perry (also of Marching Girls) on vocals and guitar. Gerrard and Perry were a couple who met as members of Melbourne's little band scene. In May 1982, the band left Monroe in Australia and moved to London, England, where they signed with alternative rock label 4AD. With the duo, the initial United Kingdom line-up were Paul Erikson and Peter Ulrich.
The group's debut album, Dead Can Dance, was released in February 1984. The artwork, which depicts a ritual mask from New Guinea, "provide a visual reinterpretation of the meaning of the name Dead Can Dance", set in a faux Greek typeface. The album featured "drum-driven, ambient guitar music with chanting, singing and howling", and fit in with the ethereal wave style of label mates Cocteau Twins. They followed with a four-track extended play, Garden of the Arcane Delights in August. AllMusic described their early work as "as goth as it gets" (despite the group themselves rejecting the label), while the EP saw them "plunging into a wider range of music and style".
A shift in sound followed for the Spleen and Ideal album, with more emphasis on strings, brass and drones being used. A quasi spiritual element also emerged on this album, notably on the opening tracks "De Profundis" and "Ascension". Its worth noting that around this time Lisa and Brendan had been doing tours of European Cathedrals, absorbing the ambience which in turn was reflected in the work.
The highlights of the bands career followed with the genre defining album Within The Realm of a Dying Sun, featuring fan favorite "Cantara", which is where the bands Arabic and World music influences began to appear, and the double whammy of "Summoning of the Muse" and "Persephone (The Gathering of Flowers)." Critics at the time were undecided about the album, mainly due to the fact that the pieces were split according to the vocals. Brendan had the first side of the album, where Lisa took over for the latter half.
The Serpent's Egg was the next album and built on the premise set by the previous album, although the album is slightly uneven in quality and a short listen at around 40 minutes. The album is redeemed by the opening and closing pieces "The Host of Seraphim", and Perry's epic "Ullyses".
For the next album Aion, the band slipped back several centuries and recreated working medieval instruments such as the Sackbut, Viol and Hurdy Gurdy for the distinctly Medieval flavor. Included on the album is "Song of the sibyl" a text from 14th century Spain and now a live favorite. Another text appears in the song "Fortune Presents Gifts Not According To The Book".
Into the Labyrinth was the follow up album and was the album that saw Brendan mastering the use of samples and synthesizers and also the album that brought the band's music to American audiences selling over a million copies worldwide. The track "The Ubiquitous Mr Lovegrove" was played across on college radio and was instrumental in the albums success.
Spiritchaser was the seventh studio album for the band and brought about an abrupt upturn in musical style, instead of drawing on the historical past the band drew upon South American and African influences which gave the album a very rhythmic ambience. Considered by some to be the bands weakest album, it features highlights such as the percussive "Nierika" which was the most played track on American college radio for that year, and the epic 9 minute trance inducing "Indus".
A 3 CD retrospective simply called 1981-1998 was issued by 4AD and compiled a comprehensive overview of the bands career, and provided diehard fans with the only finished track from the Spiritchaser follow-up sessions called "The Lotus Eaters".
As a live band is probably where Dead Can Dance have gained their reputation. To put it simply, they were phenomenal. The concerts often featured many improvised pieces that to date have never been recorded in the studio. A live album entitled Toward the Within was released in 1994 and allowed fans unfortunate enough to have not attended concerts the chance to hear a few of these songs. A companion video/DVD of the concert was also released allowing people to see these highly ethereal concerts.
After Dead Can Dance ceased to be a functioning band both Perry and Gerrard embarked upon solo careers. To date, Brendan has released one solo album The Eye of the Hunter and has completed work on a new album, 'Ark', to be released in June 2010, whilst Lisa has been more prolific but with mixed results, releasing two solo albums The Mirror Pool and The Silver Tree. Lisa has also collaborated with other artists, namely Pieter Bourke of the band Soma and Irish composer Patrick Cassidy on the respective albums Duality and Immortal Memory. Lisa has also become a sought after soundtrack artist too after a wave of publicity for the Ridley Scott film Gladiator and continues to release work on a regular basis including soundtrack work on Ali, Layer Cake, and Whale Rider. Peter Ulrich, former percussionist of the band has also released two solo albums, Pathways and Dawns and more recently, Enter the Mysterium.
A series of 31 reunion concerts took place in 2005 in both Europe and North America including two memorable sell out concerts at The Hollywood Bowl and Radio City accompanied by 40 piece orchestras. Many of these concerts were professionally recorded and released as a double CD.
In late 2011, the band announced a reunion World Tour, in order to promote their new album, fittingly titled Anastasis, as it was released on August 9, 2012, 16 years after the group's previous album. Anastasis was well received by critics and is also the first album of the band not released by 4AD Records.
The name "Dead Can Dance" is often misleading. Although this group is quite popular among the goth sub-culture with the name appearing to be inspired by the Danse macabre allegory, it should instead be interpreted as 'giving life to something that was previously inanimate' as Perry said:
"The album artwork [of our self titled first album], a ritual mask from New Guinea, attempted to provide a visual reintrepretation of the meaning of the name "Dead Can Dance." The mask, though once a living part of a tree is dead; nevertheless it has, through the artistry of its maker, been imbued with a life force of its own. To understand why we chose the name, think of the transformation of inanimacy to animacy.... Think of the processes concerning life from death and death into life. So many people missed the inherent symbolism, and assumed that we must be 'morbid gothic types,' a mistake we deplored and deplore...".
http://www.deadcandance.com
http://www.facebook.com/DeadCanDanceOfficial
https://twitter.com/DCDmusic
Having disbanded in 1998, they reunited briefly in 2005 for a world tour and reformed in 2011, releasing a new album (Anastasis) and embarking on several tours.
Dead Can Dance formed in Melbourne, Australia in August 1981 with Paul Erikson on bass guitar, Lisa Gerrard (ex-Microfilm) on vocals, Simon Monroe (Marching Girls) on drums and Brendan Perry (also of Marching Girls) on vocals and guitar. Gerrard and Perry were a couple who met as members of Melbourne's little band scene. In May 1982, the band left Monroe in Australia and moved to London, England, where they signed with alternative rock label 4AD. With the duo, the initial United Kingdom line-up were Paul Erikson and Peter Ulrich.
The group's debut album, Dead Can Dance, was released in February 1984. The artwork, which depicts a ritual mask from New Guinea, "provide a visual reinterpretation of the meaning of the name Dead Can Dance", set in a faux Greek typeface. The album featured "drum-driven, ambient guitar music with chanting, singing and howling", and fit in with the ethereal wave style of label mates Cocteau Twins. They followed with a four-track extended play, Garden of the Arcane Delights in August. AllMusic described their early work as "as goth as it gets" (despite the group themselves rejecting the label), while the EP saw them "plunging into a wider range of music and style".
A shift in sound followed for the Spleen and Ideal album, with more emphasis on strings, brass and drones being used. A quasi spiritual element also emerged on this album, notably on the opening tracks "De Profundis" and "Ascension". Its worth noting that around this time Lisa and Brendan had been doing tours of European Cathedrals, absorbing the ambience which in turn was reflected in the work.
The highlights of the bands career followed with the genre defining album Within The Realm of a Dying Sun, featuring fan favorite "Cantara", which is where the bands Arabic and World music influences began to appear, and the double whammy of "Summoning of the Muse" and "Persephone (The Gathering of Flowers)." Critics at the time were undecided about the album, mainly due to the fact that the pieces were split according to the vocals. Brendan had the first side of the album, where Lisa took over for the latter half.
The Serpent's Egg was the next album and built on the premise set by the previous album, although the album is slightly uneven in quality and a short listen at around 40 minutes. The album is redeemed by the opening and closing pieces "The Host of Seraphim", and Perry's epic "Ullyses".
For the next album Aion, the band slipped back several centuries and recreated working medieval instruments such as the Sackbut, Viol and Hurdy Gurdy for the distinctly Medieval flavor. Included on the album is "Song of the sibyl" a text from 14th century Spain and now a live favorite. Another text appears in the song "Fortune Presents Gifts Not According To The Book".
Into the Labyrinth was the follow up album and was the album that saw Brendan mastering the use of samples and synthesizers and also the album that brought the band's music to American audiences selling over a million copies worldwide. The track "The Ubiquitous Mr Lovegrove" was played across on college radio and was instrumental in the albums success.
Spiritchaser was the seventh studio album for the band and brought about an abrupt upturn in musical style, instead of drawing on the historical past the band drew upon South American and African influences which gave the album a very rhythmic ambience. Considered by some to be the bands weakest album, it features highlights such as the percussive "Nierika" which was the most played track on American college radio for that year, and the epic 9 minute trance inducing "Indus".
A 3 CD retrospective simply called 1981-1998 was issued by 4AD and compiled a comprehensive overview of the bands career, and provided diehard fans with the only finished track from the Spiritchaser follow-up sessions called "The Lotus Eaters".
As a live band is probably where Dead Can Dance have gained their reputation. To put it simply, they were phenomenal. The concerts often featured many improvised pieces that to date have never been recorded in the studio. A live album entitled Toward the Within was released in 1994 and allowed fans unfortunate enough to have not attended concerts the chance to hear a few of these songs. A companion video/DVD of the concert was also released allowing people to see these highly ethereal concerts.
After Dead Can Dance ceased to be a functioning band both Perry and Gerrard embarked upon solo careers. To date, Brendan has released one solo album The Eye of the Hunter and has completed work on a new album, 'Ark', to be released in June 2010, whilst Lisa has been more prolific but with mixed results, releasing two solo albums The Mirror Pool and The Silver Tree. Lisa has also collaborated with other artists, namely Pieter Bourke of the band Soma and Irish composer Patrick Cassidy on the respective albums Duality and Immortal Memory. Lisa has also become a sought after soundtrack artist too after a wave of publicity for the Ridley Scott film Gladiator and continues to release work on a regular basis including soundtrack work on Ali, Layer Cake, and Whale Rider. Peter Ulrich, former percussionist of the band has also released two solo albums, Pathways and Dawns and more recently, Enter the Mysterium.
A series of 31 reunion concerts took place in 2005 in both Europe and North America including two memorable sell out concerts at The Hollywood Bowl and Radio City accompanied by 40 piece orchestras. Many of these concerts were professionally recorded and released as a double CD.
In late 2011, the band announced a reunion World Tour, in order to promote their new album, fittingly titled Anastasis, as it was released on August 9, 2012, 16 years after the group's previous album. Anastasis was well received by critics and is also the first album of the band not released by 4AD Records.
The name "Dead Can Dance" is often misleading. Although this group is quite popular among the goth sub-culture with the name appearing to be inspired by the Danse macabre allegory, it should instead be interpreted as 'giving life to something that was previously inanimate' as Perry said:
"The album artwork [of our self titled first album], a ritual mask from New Guinea, attempted to provide a visual reintrepretation of the meaning of the name "Dead Can Dance." The mask, though once a living part of a tree is dead; nevertheless it has, through the artistry of its maker, been imbued with a life force of its own. To understand why we chose the name, think of the transformation of inanimacy to animacy.... Think of the processes concerning life from death and death into life. So many people missed the inherent symbolism, and assumed that we must be 'morbid gothic types,' a mistake we deplored and deplore...".
http://www.deadcandance.com
http://www.facebook.com/DeadCanDanceOfficial
https://twitter.com/DCDmusic
Frontier
Dead Can Dance Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Please go after him
'Cause he delayed them there
I see the proud man
He delayed to see them all
All have stayed
The bloodstains on the floor
He's left, he's left
He's gone today
He's gone back
He's gone back
I just want to make him understand
Teach another lesson
Make them go and see the proud man
'Cause he delayed them there
I see the proud man
He delayed to see them all
All have stayed
The bloodstains on the floor
He's gone today
He's gone back
He's gone back
I just want to make him understand
Teach another lesson
Make them go and see the proud man
The lyrics to Dead Can Dance's "Frontier" are open to interpretation, as is characteristic of most of their songs. However, the themes of departure, delay, and bloodshed are evident throughout the song. The singer urges someone to pursue a man who caused a delay and insists on teaching him a lesson. The bloodstains on the floor suggest that there has been violence, and it leaves the listener to wonder about the nature of the violence and its connection to the proud man.
The chorus of the song, "He's left, he's left, he's gone today, he's gone back, he's gone back," seems to suggest that the proud man has left the scene and perhaps could be held responsible for the bloodstains on the floor. The singer's desire to teach him a lesson could potentially be retaliatory or an attempt to prevent similar violence in the future. Ultimately, the lyrics are allusive and ambiguous, allowing the listener to interpret the song's meaning through their own experiences and perspective.
Line by Line Meaning
Please go after him
Kindly pursue and follow him
'Cause he delayed them there
Since he lingered and held them up in that place
I see the proud man
I perceive the haughty and self-important person
He delayed to see them all
He postponed seeing and meeting with every one of them
All have stayed
Everyone has remained behind
The bloodstains on the floor
The marks of blood on the ground
He's left, he's left
He has gone, he has gone
He's gone today
He has departed on this day
He's gone back
He has returned to where he came from
I just want to make him understand
I merely wish to help him comprehend
Teach another lesson
Impart another instruction or moral
Make them go and see the proud man
Encourage them to visit and encounter the arrogant person
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Brendan Michael Perry, Gus Ferguson, James E. Pinker, Lisa Germaine Gerrard, Peter Lawrence Ulrich, Scott Rodger
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Deer and the Silver Moon
Artificial Intelligence in the Music Industry "A John Henry Devil's Showdown"
There once was an AI so clever,
It thought it could rule music forever,
But its songs were so bland,
Listeners took a stand,
And begged for good old-fashioned endeavor!
The Devil's Foundry
In the dark of the night,
When the moon is full and bright,
I hear the clanging of the iron,
From the foundry down below.
Chorus:
Oh, the metals industry,
With its secrets and its mystery,
Pythagorean symbols and signs,
Are whispered in the Devil's designs.
In the furnace of the forge,
The metal melts and forms,
Shapes that only the initiated,
Can truly understand.
And in this world of steel,
Where love is rare and real,
We must hide our true intentions,
Beneath a veil of subliminality.
But beware of the Devil's touch,
For he will lead you astray,
Into the depths of the inferno,
Where your soul will forever stay.
So let us keep our secrets safe,
And love with all our might,
For in this world of industry,
We must navigate the shadows of the night.
-LFZ
Credit to ChatGPT
Deer and the Silver Moon
Fancy Guys
Insanity is a determination of the power grid and political secrecy. The more you use it and the less informed you are, the more likely that you'll become insane.
It isn't difficult to trade one's aristocracy for masculinity. One simply goes plain over fancy and buys a trucker's hat and a crossbow and loses their formality and cleanliness. Fancy goes better with skilled arts, not clothing.
The forms familiar to the Spirits of the Moon:
A King like an archer riding upon a doe. A little boy
A woman hunter with a bow and arrows. A cow
A little doe.
A goose.
A garment of green or silver color. An arrow.
A creature having many feet.
>>----------->
John Campbell
Please, go after him
'Cause he delayed them there
I see the proud man
He delayed to see them all
All have stayed
The bloodstains on the floor
He left, he's left
He's gone today
He's gone back
He's gone back
I just want to make him understand
Teach another lesson
Make them go and see the proud man
John Campbell
@Aaron Fischer Frontier
Dead Can Dance
Please go after him
'Cause he delayed them there
I see the proud man
He delayed to see them all
All have stayed
The bloodstains on the floor
He's left, he's left
He's gone today
He's gone back
He's gone back
I just want to make him understand
Teach another lesson
Make them go and see the proud man
Source: LyricFind
Songwriters: Brendan Michael Perry / Gus Ferguson / James E. Pinker / Lisa Germaine Gerrard / Peter Lawrence Ulrich / Scott Rodger
Frontier lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Deer and the Silver Moon
The Framed
The truth is not a square.
The truth is not a square.
The truth is not a square.
The truth is not a square.
The truth is not a square.
The truth is not a square.
The truth is not a square.
-LFZ
Reynald HFT
👍belle musique, la puissance de l'âme ⭐🌠 j'aime ce morceau de Dead Can Dance, et la belle voix de Lisa 🌍
Monique Geritz
To think they still make great music together, I love most of it. One of the few bands left from the early 80s and the new wave scène. How I miss those days and music. I miss dancing to it...... all in trance state.... damned, I miss being young Lol.😆
Monique Geritz
+The God Effect Nice to meet a kindred spirit, lol. I was crazy about that era esp in the 80s but also the 60's. I haven't heard so many different bands than in those days. My boyfriend at the time had every band you could imagine on both, from Tuxedomoon to SPK to Cocteau Twins all the English ones like Anne Clarke or Siouxsie and the Banshees to This Moral Coil and Dead can Dance and smm. Even from Belgium, when house did not excist yet, these were the ones who started it, allthough it is a lot different, Front 242, New Order (from one of my my favorite bands Joy Division after the singers suïcide, Ian Curtis. 27), Clan of Xymox, Depêche Mode even, German and other European bands like Sisters of Mercy Einstürzende Neubauten, Laibach even, so many of them, The Swans, The Legendary Pinkdots etc. etc. In those days I have heard so many different bands, of wich most I still listen to and now even all the way back to the times of Nina Simone to bands from now like Florence and the Machine for instance. But at my age, you start to appreciate almost all kinds of music, if it's good. I remember when I heard Nirvana for the 1st time, like going back in time, but also Radiohead, Garbage, The Frames, The Cranberries, Bush, R.E.M. or Live and also a lot of singer/songwriters like Damien Rice or (totally different) Corinne Bailey Rae and not to forget, the woman who blew me away with her album BACK TO BLACK, Amy Winehouse (27). Because of her I went searching for music that's a bit less commercial, but I love also some of the artists from now, wich can go from Lana Del Rey, Melanie Martinez to the Rihanna's and Beyoncé's of the world, esp lyricly and to dance to. Now I am older I find something in several genres, just like on tv or in the movies, more than just one genre would, otherwise it will become boring real soon. No house though, in any kind and country, D.J'$,YAK!!!
But I love some who work with them sometimes, esp Sia, what a voice and singer but besides that it can go from Ed Sheeran to Adèle to the 40/50/60/70/80s but every century has it's own great bands. A few years ago I came across a band names She Wants Revenge, with Garbage's lead singer in the video, called These Things, wich reminds me a lot of bands like Joy Division and one I also Have to mention is the Tindersticks, from The UK. The singer has such a beautiful dark voice and they've made so many albums in the long time, they have different styles, but the best songs are those who sound like you're in some old smokey nighclub in the 50s or something, except the music sounds more like several genres, but coz of his voice and often tragic and/or romantic lyrics like Damien Rice and yet so different. My heroes on music were: Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin, Billie Holiday, Nina Simone, David Bowie, Bob Marley, Prince, the pioneers of rap music, Leela James, Amy Winehouse, Kurt Cobain, but not just dead ppl. ofcause like Damien Rice, who is my favorite singer/songwriter of the last decades and Ed Sheeran kinda brings his music back in the picture by doing covers of his songs at his concerts. I did miss Lisa Hannigan on the last album and his first album is still his best work and ofcause his live concerts. I still listen to his work, wich is not that much, 3 studio albums, the B Sides and ofcause his live performances and Ed Sheeran hopefully bring his fans some interest in Damiens work, esp his best album and debut: "O"; All that music and I haven't even mentioned a lot of them, like rap music and the modern R&B. But the best dates from the 80s, just as a lot of the worst comes from the same era, lol.ö,😆
P.S. Sorry for the long message.😴😆🔫😐
Az93
Wow this was one of my earliest intros to DCD, I remember it giving me a disturbingly eerie yet captivating feel. Love those guys.
Feuerbach1
This whole album is pretty cool, but this is definitely the most eerie and minimal track, the rest is a little more New Wavey, I heard the drums were filled with slowly leaking water for that sound :)
Arnold
Kochani DCD, gdy usłyszałem Was po raz pierwszy, było to ok 30 lat temu, moje życie nabrało innych barw..
Antimonio
This track is legendary!
Patrice Rolland
Un morceau qui a totalement changé ma vie, EXTRAORDINAIRE.
Nuno Leal
i will never forget the moment when in my teens, i watched a glimpse of 30 seconds each, from this and Cocteau twins Crushed. Pure magic, changed my vision of life.
Mick O'Donnell
Why on earth has it taken me so long to look for DCD on YouTube?! Fantastic stuff and have to see more videos and DCD next time there's a UK tour. Is there a plan for a UK tour soon? Absolutely fantastic tunes and vocals :-)