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...".
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The Cardinal Sin
Dead Can Dance Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
"Reasons? there are none" cried the whisky laden brain.
"When all is said and done it amounts to just the same".
There in your starry eyes lie hopes that have been betrayed.
The cause of your desire can also lead to your demise.
When all is said and done it will be you who pays the price
As countless fools are often loathe to testify
Sail to the stars on your shining desires.
Lucretia waits in vain for the child of her dreams.
Within her aching womb there burns a funeral pyre.
There in your starry eyes lie hopes that have been betrayed.
The prize that you claim can never be yours to take
Like castles in Spain, hope is all that will remain.
Abstain from the fools paradise, it's an illusion of life, the whole cause of our demise.
Fools are often loathe to testify "it's an illusion of life, the whole cause of our demise".
Contemplate the world and it's traitors to the soul.
The forces of derision and their legions manifold.
Usurpers of the crown, all pretenders to the throne,
Your world is linked in chains "All in one, One in all".
The lyrics of Dead Can Dance's song The Cardinal Sin talks about the illusions of life that compel people to chase their desires even when it comes at a high cost. The opening line "Sail to the stars on your shining desires" refers to the idea that we are all driven by our dreams, aspirations, and desires. However, the next line "Reasons? there are none" highlights the reality that often our desires are not backed by any rational thought or reason. The line "When all is said and done it amounts to just the same" implies that no matter what we do, everything ends up being the same in the end.
The song also talks about the consequences of relentlessly chasing our desires, "The cause of your desire can also lead to your demise. When all is said and done it will be you who pays the price." The line "There in your starry eyes lie hopes that have been betrayed" suggests that the hopes and aspirations that we hold onto so tightly often result in shattered dreams.
The song concludes with the lines "Contemplate the world and its traitors to the soul. The forces of derision and their legions manifold. Usurpers of the crown, all pretenders to the throne, Your world is linked in chains 'All in one, One in all'." These lines suggest that the world is full of people who are willing to compromise their values for personal gain, causing society to be bound by chains.
Line by Line Meaning
Sail to the stars on your shining desires.
Pursue your dreams and aspirations with optimism and passion.
"Reasons? there are none" cried the whisky laden brain.
A drinker's disillusionment is often accompanied by the realization that life's meaning is ultimately elusive.
"When all is said and done it amounts to just the same".
Life's outcomes are often predictable in nature and subject to inevitable disappointment.
There in your starry eyes lie hopes that have been betrayed.
Past disappointments may lead to a sense of loss for unrealized ambitions.
The cause of your desire can also lead to your demise.
Excessive desire can lead to negative outcomes or consequences.
When all is said and done it will be you who pays the price
Poor choices or misguided pursuits will ultimately result in personal consequences.
As countless fools are often loathe to testify
Many individuals struggle to admit or acknowledge the negative consequences of their actions.
"It's an illusion of life, the whole cause of our demise".
Life is fleeting and ultimately subject to certain limitations or illusions.
Lucretia waits in vain for the child of her dreams.
Certain ambitions or desires may remain unrealizable.
Within her aching womb there burns a funeral pyre.
Lucretia's sense of loss or unrealized ambition is a source of intense sadness or grief.
The prize that you claim can never be yours to take
Certain pursuits may be ultimately impossible to achieve, regardless of one's efforts.
Like castles in Spain, hope is all that will remain.
Unrealized hopes and ambitions may be all that is left after certain pursuits prove ultimately futile.
Abstain from the fools paradise, it's an illusion of life, the whole cause of our demise.
Avoid misguided or illusory pursuits in life, as they may lead to negative consequences.
Fools are often loathe to testify "it's an illusion of life, the whole cause of our demise".
Many individuals struggle to admit or acknowledge the negative consequences of their actions.
Contemplate the world and it's traitors to the soul.
Reflect on the individuals and institutions that may undermine the integrity of personal values or beliefs.
The forces of derision and their legions manifold.
Various negative or destructive factors may be present in the world, which may corrode the value of positive pursuits.
Usurpers of the crown, all pretenders to the throne,
False or misguided leaders or influencers may mislead or undermine individuals, preventing them from realizing their true potential.
Your world is linked in chains "All in one, One in all".
The world is intertwined and subject to certain limitations or constraints, which may limit individual freedom or achievement.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BRENDAN MICHAEL PERRY, GUS FERGUSON, JAMES E. PINKER, LISA GERMAINE GERRARD, PETER LAWRENCE ULRICH, SCOTT RODGER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind