New moon arred deer wallow (Rain Tree Crow) (LP 4042 - 4045)

Rain Tree Crow  Rain Tree Crow (CD, Virgin Records, 1991) ****  

David Sylvian  Dead Bees on a Cake (CD, Virgin Records, 1999) ***  

David Sylvian  Everything and Nothing (2CD, Virgin Records, 2000) **** 

David Sylvian  Blemish (Vinyl, Samadhisound Records, 2003) *** 

Genre: Ambient, alt-pop, prog

Places I remember: Real Groovy Records, Fives, JB Hi Fi

Fab, and all the other pimply hyperboles: I Surrender (Dead Bees)

Gear costume: Blackwater (Rain Tree Crow)

They loom large in his legend (The Album Collection playlists): Part 1; Part 2; Part 3; Part 4; Part 5; Part 6

Active compensatory factors: David Sylvian started out as a member of Japan in the seventies. The members of Japan included Mick Karn on bass, guitarist Rob Dean, keyboardist Richard Barbieri and Sylvian's brother Steve as drummer (under the name Steve Jansen). After Japan ended the members reconvened as Rain Tree Crow nine years later. This is their only album as they all went separate ways after recording it. I've written about it before, but not as part of the collection countdown).

Beguiling is probably the best description for the music of Rain Tree Crow (and David Sylvian for that matter). As in 'charming and enchanting in a mysterious way'. David Sylvian's vocal style is very mannered and distinctive. Songs unwind and progress to their own pace. It's an album to let wash over you - Red Earth (as summertime ends) is a fine example of this.

I only have two of David's solo albums (Dead Bees on a Cake and Blemish), plus a 2CD compilation of his twenty years recording for Virgin - Everything and Nothing (even though it's mostly unreleased older material, it pretty much has everything you need to appreciate his work).

Dead Bees on a Cake is a long album, even longer if it doesn't develop any catchy songs to hook me in. His vocals and the sounds created are wonderful, but too many languid songs make it a bit of a mission to get through and maintain interest.

Blemish is an album I picked up in a recent sale at JB Hi Fi. The cover sold me and a quick search of AllMusic while in the store propelled me forward to make a purchase. 

It immediately followed Dead Bees on a Cake and his marriage break up so the lyrics are more personal this time around. His vocals are added to an ambient soundscape of electronics and freely improvised guitar by Derek Bailey. Like I said, beguiling!

Where do they all belong? David Sylvian provides an interesting side street.