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 Children's Toys
Dead Can Dance Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
the result of the game which ended in pain
now society should have stayed arise
harmony unveils ail
part of our stations never us fail
harmony unveils ail
harmony unveils ail
the stations will ???????? dime
home for wicked turns to grey
angels of ashes will sail to the grave
the children's toys lay scattered in bits
the result of the game which ended in pain
the ill winds the seas of real love
in your light all pains in moving
age of righteous reason sail of
over the sea and reasons of lies
into the souls of the pains that he cried
illusion of love and season of lies
a reason of love that will save us our lives
a reason of pain that will save us our blind
The lyrics of Dead Can Dance's song "The Children's Toys" present a melancholic and dark reflection on the consequences of violence and conflict. The scattered bits of children's toys represent the aftermath of a game that ended in pain and highlight the vulnerability of innocence in the face of brutality. The lyrics suggest that society itself should have avoided such a fate, but failed to maintain its harmony, leading to ailment and suffering. The concept of harmony is repeated throughout the song, indicating its importance as a guiding principle that can prevent chaos and destruction.
The lines "home for wicked turns to grey, angels of ashes will sail to the grave" evoke a sense of despair and hopelessness, hinting at the irreversible consequences of violence. The idea of lies is also present in the lyrics, possibly suggesting the role of misinformation and propaganda in leading to conflict. However, amidst the gloom, there is a glimmer of hope in the form of love, which is portrayed as a reason that can save lives and bring an end to the pain and blindness caused by violence.
Overall, "The Children's Toys" is a poignant and thought-provoking song that confronts the harsh realities of violence and its impact on innocent lives. It highlights the importance of harmony, love, and righteousness in preventing and healing the wounds of conflict.
Line by Line Meaning
the children's toys lay scattered in bits
After a game gone wrong, toys belonging to children are strewn about in pieces.
the result of the game which ended in pain
These toys' disarray came as a consequence of a game that turned sour.
now society should have stayed arise
Had society been more alert, this disaster might have been prevented.
harmony unveils ail
The absence of harmony causes chaos in the form of sickness.
part of our stations never us fail
A stable, reliable aspect of our lives will never let us down.
harmony unveils ail
The lack of light brings problems in the shape of disease.
harmony unveils ail
Disharmony disrupts peace and leads to illness.
the stations will???????? dime
It is unclear what this line means.
???????? she says of lies
The meaning of this line is ambiguous.
home for wicked turns to grey
A residence for miscreants becomes bleak and lifeless.
angels of ashes will sail to the grave
A metaphor for the dead, ashes of the deceased will eventually return to the earth.
the children's toys lay scattered in bits
Broken toys serve as a reminder of a childhood game gone wrong.
the result of the game which ended in pain
Pain and tragedy were the direct outcome of a children's game.
the ill winds the seas of real love
Negative forces can damage even true love's shore.
in your light all pains in moving
With the guidance of light, one can avoid pain while moving.
age of righteous reason sail of
Integrity and wisdom will always be prized.
over the sea and reasons of lies
Falsehood and lies obscure the truth, like sea spray obscures the view.
into the souls of the pains that he cried
One's suffering can have lasting effects on the soul.
illusion of love and season of lies
Lies can easily mask and corrupt pure feelings of love.
a reason of love that will save us our lives
Love can heal and rescue us from despair and ruin.
a reason of pain that will save us our blind
Through adversity and discomfort, we gain clarity and insight.
Contributed by Claire W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@Amba_Aradam
exceptional quality!
@juxbertrand
merci mille fois. devenue ma sonnerie de réveil - et c'est comme ça.
@rodrigoalvarenga8334
Maravilhoso... como sempre o é!
@Kamil88779
Thank You! :)
@sylvainrichard6679
Brendan ——-> Jim Morrison
@Isma-fn6tk
😅