ALBUM REVIEWS

Brendan Perry ARK COOKING VINYL 7.6.10 @www.vanguard-online.co.uk Not sure about this one, I’ve come across Brendan Perry’s work with Dead Can Dance as I’ve flirted with the dark side. Admiration of the talent but never quite taken with the music and the same can be said of Ark. It a solo effort in the purest sense with Brendan writing, recording and playing all the parts on the album, an expression of his deepest thoughts, concerns and desires of an individual immersed in their own sub conscious. The haunting melodies of his previous work are clearly evident here but the backing track is much more mellow, ‘Babylon’ could have been ripped straight from the Blade Runner soundtrack with an Eastern tinge. ‘The Bogey Man’ continues the lyrical assault on today’s government’s corruption and war mongering all in the name of the people. No instrument is overlooked in delivering this message but the undercurrent is almost entirely intellectual electronica. I agreed with most who have listened to the album, ‘Utopia’ is the best track on the album and a real showcase for the artist’s talent with crafted lyrics slotting seamlessly into the accompanying melody. Sometimes I wish the album would suddenly kick up three gears into a more traditional Gothic sound but this is due to the strength of the lyrics ability to be morphed to any number of different sounds. So in the end, I return to where I started, admiration for an artist whose talent is clearly on show but no real desire to seek out this album again to fill that dark hole in my own psyche. Simon Mulholland www.brendanperry.com Email Links & Comments to the editor Check the latest album releases