Thursday, October 29, 2009

The Carnival is Over



Combining kaleidoscopic worldbeat flourishes and stately medieval tonalities with dark-hued Goth-rock sensibilities and dream-pop kookiness into a palatable musical stew might initially seem to be a near-impossible undertaking, but that is exactly what dynamic duo Dead Can Dance have been doing since the early 1980s. Coupled with telling, harrowing, existentialist-angst wordplay that invariably border on the surreal, Lisa Gerrard and Brendan Perry have successfully, effectively crafted a unique aesthetic that has won them numerous critical accolades, even if commercial rewards have been less than forthcoming. Check out 1993's 'The Carnival is Over', one of the most realised examples of Dead Can Dance's peerless artistry, a melodramatic, theatrical tour de force that slyly drops several Joy Division lyrical references, and also gets a highly abstract and decidedly dreamlike video clip that effortlessly matches its auditory impact.

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