Dead Can Dance Serpent's Egg CD

The fourth Dead Can Dance album, THE SERPENT'S EGG, continues the band's evolution away from tradition rock/pop song structures. The tracks are instead built on sustained chords, vocal harmonizing, and brittle-sounding string instruments. "Orbis de Ignis" is almost a cappella, the only music being a bell struck between verses, with the ethereal voice of Lisa Gerrard (and others) skittering over the surface. Along with the insistent tribal drumming of "Mother Tongue," which eventually evolves into a wordless chant by Lisa Gerrard, the best tracks here are two featuring Brendan Perry's vocals, "Severance" and "Ullyses." The first opens on an ominous drone as the song's narrative tells of a fading community (or civilization, even). The second features some of Perry's most interesting work with the hurdy-gurdy, which is echoed by a string section. Also of note is the creepy vocal interplay in "Echolalia." For fans of This Mortal Coil, "Song of Sophia" distinctly recalls that band's "Song to the Siren." This is maybe not the best Dead Can Dance record to begin with--it is certainly the group's most insular--but for fans it is another fascinating trip to the dawn of Western music.

SACD Hybrid Remastered CD of the 1988 album, Serpents Egg by Dead Can Dance recorded by the duo, Lisa Gerrard and Brendan Perry. It featured the song "The Host of Seraphim" which was later used in the film Baraka. Group performs "Echolalia" and "Mother Tongue" at 1992 Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony in Albertville. The album was the last produced during the time of Perry and Gerrard's amorous relationship. Much of the album was recorded in a multi-story apartment block in the Isle of Dogs area of London.