Can someone (*harry?) fill me on the art/music cultural relevance of Dead Can Dance? I see they're releasing their first album in 16 years, and along with that, touring large theaters and outdoor venues. The impetus for the post was a couple of months ago I saw them pop up on the Ryman Auditorium's calendar. I knew the band name, but had never heard the music, and was surprised that Nashville could support 2,000+ tickets to see them

Here's the schedule for Dead Can Dance's upcoming world tour:

08-09 Vancouver, British Columbia - Orpheum
08-10 Seattle, WA - Marymoor Amphitheater
08-12 Berkeley, CA - Greek Theater
08-14 Los Angeles, CA - Gibson Amphitheater
08-15 San Diego, CA - Humphrey's
08-17 Salt Lake City, UT - Red Butte Garden
08-19 Denver, CO - Temple Hoyle Buell Theater
08-21 Chicago, IL - Pritzker Pavilion at Millennium Park
08-23 Toronto, Ontario - Sony Center for the Performing Arts
08-24 Montreal, Quebec - Bell Centre
08-26 Philadelphia, PA - Verizon Hall
08-27 Vienna, VA - Filene Center/Wolftap
08-29-30 New York, NY - Beacon Theater
09-01 Durham, NC - Durham Performing Arts Center
09-04 Nashville, TN - Ryman Auditorium
09-05 Atlanta, GA - Cobb Performing Arts Center
09-07 Austin, TX - Austin City Limits at Moody Theater
09-15 Beirut, Lebanon - Zouk Amphitheatre
09-19 Istanbul, Turkey - HCTAT
09-21 Thessaloniki, Greece - Earth Theatre
09-23 Athens, Greece - Lycabetus Theatre
09-25 Utrecht, Holland - MCV
09-27 Paris, France - Grand Rex
09-29 Brussels, Belgium - Cirque Royal
10-01 Frankfurt, Germany - Alte Oper
10-03 Berlin, Germany - Tempodrom
10-05 Hamburg, Germany - CCH
10-07 Munich, Germany - Philharmonie
10-08 Cologne, Germany - Philharmonie
10-10 Prague, Czech Republic - KCP
10-12 St. Petersburg, Russia - Ice Palace
10-13 Moscow, Russia - Crocus City Hall
10-15 Warsaw, Poland - Sala Kongresowa
10-17 Budapest, Hungary - Papp Laszlo Arena
10-19 Milan, Italy - Teatro Degli Arcimboldi
10-20 Geneva, Switzerland - Batiment Des Forces Motrices
10-22 Barcelona, Spain - Auditori
10-24 Porto, Portugal - Casa Da Musica
10-26 London, England - Royal Albert Hall
10-28 Dublin, Ireland - Grand Canal Theatre


* I did a search and found you mentioned in reference to a Wild Nothing post that you would be happy to see them reunite

I really enjoy Toward The Within (and more) but never really delved into the origins of their sound. I always assumed they were a "4AD band" that floating in that vague space shared by This Mortal Coil, Cocteau Twins, etc. I remember seeing them on the cover of a magazine that I think was called Soft Goth, if that means anything!

from Allmusic


Also Stu you might not have heard the band, but if you watched the movies Gladiator, The Insider, or Whalerider (among others) you have definitely heard Lisa Gerrard sing.

Hmmm, ok. I've probably heard them down the line somewhere. Seems to me that not only did they have a cult fanbase via 4AD, but they're probably a big influence on a lot of similar sounding indie bands today?

this is where frostingspoon needs to stop lurking and start posting again

if there are indie bands today that sound like this i would interested in checking them out

stream the new album

http://www.slicingupeyeballs.com/2012/0 ... anastasis/

stream links didn't work for me

bummer

my computer speakers are oozing darkness right now

new album sounds...well...like DCD, which is quite good.

some long songs here
http://www.deadcandance.com/presaleasse ... layer.html

Hmmm. Sorry I didn't get in to this sooner. Yeah, DCD were the epitome of dark and mysterious alternative rock. And not just 4AD cult favorites, they were more significant. When you think of "Goth" think of them... and not just the black nail polish, blunt cut black bangs, the lace amulets and the eating-disorder-cut-your-thighs suicide gals. Goth of course implies the "Gothic Novel" dead body vampire schtick of the early 19th century... but DCD goes back to the real Goth (although not to the invading barbarians), but rather the Gothic cathedral world of medieval "early music." DCD is folk rock, if that folk music is circa 1293AD. Lisa Gerard is a force unto herself, and signs in wistful satanic mystery languages. Performances were also stunning, and it was the deep White Wedding ambiance (many of their fans would nod out and falter in opiate hazes). But I actually liked the guy better... if you ignored that he had some Greg Lake overtones. Druidic, pretty, original music.

Yeah, I tried listening to the new one today and every time Gerard started singing I felt embarrassed for listening to it. Didn't mind the music or Brendan Perry so much. Taking your description above into account, it seems like their bio up at Allmusic.com is spot-on.

When I first heard of them, I thought their name was an adjective-noun-noun construct.

They are one of those bands that when I like them I really like them, but about half of their material I just can't get into. I like the music more than the vocals, which are usually what kill the bad songs for me. And yeah, some serious old school goth shit here. Light a candle and take some acid.