Too few people noticed the passing from this world of Dead Can Dance. Their pioneering experiments mixing eastern and western classical music with gothic moods was one of the highlights of the 4AD label over the past 15 years. As one half of the creative partnership that was at the center of DCD, rumors of a solo album from Brendan Perry were one of the few things fans held on to while mourning the loss of the band.

Continuing the dark overtones that were to be found on much of Dead Can Dance's material, Perry's solo adventure is less involved than much of that band's work. The melodies are still darkly haunting, with influences from eastern and early music, but a lot seems to be built around acoustic guitar and Perry's baritone vocals.

Perry's lyrics are one of the most intriguing aspects of this project. While Lisa Gerrard used her vocals in Dead Can Dance mostly as an instrument to add sonic beauty, each song on this project contains a full set of English lyrics sung by Perry. We have come to expect a certain disdain for organized religion from this school of musicians, but there is much to intrigue for the spiritually-minded listener, as Perry makes use of imagery from both New Age and Christian sources. Some songs come across as if they may be calls to a higher power, but could be stories of separation. A particularly intriguing passage is this from "Saturday's Child," a song which as the title suggests has a tone that is full of woe:

Here comes the old grey man
Back bent before his time
Tracing figures in the sand

He has no more crosses to bear
Sat up on his rocking chair
Gazes out towards the sea

Speak to me now ... in visions
Seen through a looking glass mind

James Stewart 10/20/99