REVIEW: David Sylvian, Dead Bees On A Cake (Virgin)
- Joe Silva
From pancake faced faux-Glam boy to futurist Asia-phile to sensitive balladeer, David Sylvian's shape-shifting has brought him loads of criticism and only limited commercial success. With his first solo effort since '87's Secret Of The Beehive, the ex-Japan frontman returns to familiar terrain -- graceful synth-scapes laced with flowery, semi-spiritual verse sung in his distinctive baritone.
Brought in to help shape his efforts are familiar friends (Ryuichi Sakamoto, Bill Frisell), newer associates (Talvin Singh, Marc Ribot) and family (wife/singer Ingrid Chavez). When these capable elements work, as they do on songs like "Midnight Sun," Sylvian contrives enough of a memorable groove and melody to plant his Euro-Pop flag in. When it doesn't work, we are left with tracks that are handsomely produced and competently pieced together, largely wanting in everything else ("Krishna Blue").
Devotees might be able to abide by this stuff, but outside of being successfully able to evoke a glossy sort of arty-ness, Sylvain's lesser material almost begs to jeered at. Lyrically he probably could get no worse ("There's a place for every story/And this one starts with us tonight/Let me take you down/To Caf Europa"), but when the musical backdrops become equally tiresome, there's little hope of salvaging much from these tunes.
For those of us who've been able to look past Sylvian's penchant towards overly-stylized profundity when the melodies have been there, this record is often disappointing for all its aural luster.
