Lisa Gerrard -‘Twilight Kingdom’ (Gerrard Records)
Lisa Gerrard is probably best known to the man or woman in the street as the person behind the Gladiator soundtrack with Hans Zimmer, but that’s just one of many of the magical works she has produced over the course of a musical career lasting more than three decades. Her latest album arrives today unannounced (except for those of us notified in advance by the PR!), but let me tell you that it is one of the most beautiful albums you will hear this year.
Perhaps surprisingly -before you hear a note of the music – comes the revelation that one of her collaborators on the album is Daniel Johns (of Silverchair). If this seems perhaps improbable, bear in mind that if someone had told you a quarter of a century ago that Kylie Minogue and Nick Cave would record a single together and they would both walk away from it smelling of, er roses, you would probably have scoffed. Oh, and the other two collaborators are Russell Crowe and Astrid Williamson.
And it’s a staggeringly wonderful record. The track ‘Seven Seas’ gives you some idea of what to expect, but it’s the second track ‘Adrift’ that makes this album worth the price of admission alone. The first term I heard it I genuinely wanted to put my head in my hands and cry. I’ve played it several times since -and I really wonder how anyone could fail to be moved by music this wonderful.
There’s a lot of cliched adjectives that could be used to try and describe Ms. Gerrard’s work. I won’t go down that path, but just say that this is an album almost unclassifiable by genre that will almost certainly be one of the most amazing you will hear this year.
Make that a priority.
****1/2
Twilight Kingdom is out now on Gerrard Records.
Maybe her best since the magical “mirror pool” She remains the greatest vocalist I have heard both on record and live (Saw DCD 1987, 1989,1990 and LG solo 1995)
Was that the LG solo show at the Union Chapel? It was round about then I first heard Dead Can Dance when someone lent me a tape of Into The Labyrinth, which got me into her and them.
Love The Mirror Pool, too
To the person who wrote this article, You are so lovely and kind, it makes the sun go up in my heart to see your gentle note, it is so very special, when i get into bed tonight I know that we will dream and wake up with the softness of your words in our hearts, I knew there was hope, lets share that belief with others. there is hope, never let anyone tell you any different. thank you darling heart, from lisa gerrard.
No problems, Lisa, and thank you!
I’ve never been star-struck before in my life…that is until my first and only DCD concert this past year in San Francisco. I’ve been a “fan” since the early ’90s but never got a chance to see them in person. I lost count how many times I got chills. There was a moment late in the concert when Lisa was scanning the audience and our eyes met for a moment (or seemed to from my POV). Star-struck. I grinned like an idiot for the rest of the concert. They must have done 5 encores and I’m sure the audience would have stayed all night. I cannot wait to download this album when I get home. Thanks for the review and Lisa for another bout of chills, seeing your reply.
I really hope that at some point I do get to see DCD and Lisa Gerrard live in concert…
Message for Ed above . yes the LG concert was at the Union Chapel and it was superb although (well Lisa G was !)
I actually met and spoke to her at the Birmingham concert (amazingly despite all the world tours the band have never returned to B’ham. They only seem to play London nowadays in the UK).
That 1987 concert remains my Fav DCD concert and my second Fav concert of all time (have seen over a thousand since 1973). I t was only half full and unlike me and my friends the majority of the audience were goths (I never saw DCD as a goth band particulalry-maybe very early on ). I think the period 85-90 was the creative peak of the band’s musical outpost. So I saw tracks played live like “indoctrination” , enigma of the absolute etc, “ocean” etc They rarely play any thing from the 1980’s nowadays nowadays.