Are probably my favorite "band" or group or whatever right now...Some stuff is sort of gothy death rock but a lot of it has crazy world music or middle eastern influences, with like classical and new wave in there too somehow. The lady's vocals are mind boggling... There's weird chants and nature noises and I don't know they are hard to explain, but listening to them is quite an experience. I would kill to see them live...
Ive always loved Dead Can Dance. They range from sorta light jazzy to very middle eastern, and have some great grips on polyrhythms. Some of the male vocals have an almost Jim Morrison feel, and the female vocals give it a heady sound. I had the good fortune to seem them perform at an Opera venue on the tour supporting the Labyrinth album. There was no supporting act, they had the stage for a full two hour plus. The best part of seeing them live was watching as they did faithful renditions of the recordings. The band played around a giant wooden drum, which seemed at least seven feet around, easily letting two or three guys play it at once. Guy on guitar played sax, and a drummer would come and play his guitar. The lead female vocals played hammered dulcimer, and the male lead singer played it along with her for one tune. To me it was like a musician fire-drill, with guys hopping from instrument to instrument the whole time. They managed a great live show around the creation of the music, and was a bit of a mind blower from the performance aspect. There were at least eight performers onstage, and more gear than Pink Floyd tours with. And it sounded great. I have no idea if they are still touring, but I highly suggest anyone interested in performance or music check them out live if possible!
I surely will go to a show when there is one in the Netherlands. Dead can dance has some very good folk stuff.
Dead Can Dance just toured this last fall. I saw them in September when they played the Hollywood Bowl. Easily one of the best shows I have ever seen.
