Dead Bees on A Cake - A flawed beauty?

[kitaj]

funnily enough, I feel the tracklist order for DBOAC works perfectly. my problem with this album is that it's wishy-washy overall (well, after the first 3 tracks anyway). the arrangements are too soft, David's drum programming is frequently poor, and for such a celebratory album in concept, it all sounds remarkably wooden.
about the only thing that I consistently like about this album is his voice. it was the beginning of my appreciating him as a singer as well.
oh, and the cover is fabulous. it's a shame it promises much more than the record delivers.

[anortherncod]

Imho it's too long... but...

Hiya Kitaj and welcome!

Natasha

[godisinthesilences]

ok shoot me but i like DBOC.... ok don't really shoot me... tee hee

[kitaj]

Hiya Kitaj and welcome!

thank you!

notwithstanding the fact that I cried for three days upon hearing the album after having waited for it for five full years ("David! who did it to you??"), another issue I have with it is that, for the first time since 'Nightporter', David seemed to have elected to base his songs around a particular idiom/style - light jazz for 'Wanderlust', Indian folk music for 'Krishna Blue', blues for 'Midnight Sun', Nick Drake/classical for 'Shining of Things' etc. coming from Sylvian, this trait seemed to me particularly unadventurous at the time.

it's true to say that I've occasionally experienced recurring mini-epiphanies of sorts regarding this disc, especially in the summertime (a time when, as everyone knows, our perception of things is mostly flawed). I have caught myself thinking, "wow! there's material for a lifetime, here!". but as it's not a particularly vibrant lifetime that's portrayed within the grooves, I suppose that's the reason I did not persevere with it.

[godisinthesilences]

it's true to say that I've occasionally experienced recurring mini-epiphanies of sorts regarding this disc, especially in the summertime (a time when, as everyone knows, our perception of things is mostly flawed).

what do you mean by this? Our perception of things is mostly flawed during the summertime???

[Chet]

interesting...
tell us more kitaj

[kitaj]

it's true to say that I've occasionally experienced recurring mini-epiphanies of sorts regarding this disc, especially in the summertime (a time when, as everyone knows, our perception of things is mostly flawed).

what do you mean by this? Our perception of things is mostly flawed during the summertime???

why of course!

[anortherncod]

Well, a lot of things seem better in the summertime, don't they? Even Cambridge (where I grew up) which usually I just want to set on fire! Is that what you meant Kitaj? (Not the setting Cambridge on fire bit...)

Natasha

[Chet]

beautiful melancholic songs appear to be even more awesome in the fall.
and the release of Let The Happiness In in the early autumn of 87 became a perfect timing in my life.
but all the late spring releases such as I Surrender fade away under the sun.

[godisinthesilences]

hhmm i find david's music much more poignant to me in the autumn... around october/november and i definitely get into a great vibe with nine horses in winter.... personally i am at my most creative in the fall and winter...

[kitaj]

Well, a lot of things seem better in the summertime, don't they? Even Cambridge (where I grew up) which usually I just want to set on fire! Is that what you meant Kitaj? (Not the setting Cambridge on fire bit...)

Natasha

I think so, yes - I was just being facetious in passing.

then again, who knows? maybe we're more right - or happier - when our critical faculties are suspended.
back to DBOAC, I've often found I can enjoy it on its own terms more fully when listening to it in an unrelated fashion to his other works. but if comparison gets in the way, then it invariably fails.

basically, I think it falls in the 'mature albums' category. you know, latter-day Sting and the like.
on the other hand, 'The Red Shoes' by Kate Bush is another example of this kind of works, and I enjoy it immensely.

[godisinthesilences]

kitaj... i agree with you about Kate's Red Shoes... definitely a very different venture for her at the time. And outside of any other context it is very enjoyable indeed.

[Sylvie]

might get beheaded after this (and please tell me we know for sure sylvian doesn't visit this forum), but i actually can't stand this record. been following this thread for a while, and considering it was the second david sylvian record i bought (after everything and nothing) i thought i had to give it a chance, haven't listened to it for a year. so i gave it a very thorough listen today. and now i am surprised i actually continued to listen to sylvian after hearing this album.

i often have a feeling about what i like about music, can't really point out certain things i dislike.
the main thing i really can't embrace is his voice. didn't expect that.
i quite like i surrender and wanderlust though.

spent the rest of the day listening to blemish. now life is all good again.

[tallulahtaurus]

I just rambled about it in another thread but I adore this album. It's a real treasure and there is nothing I find flawed about it. I mean I really cannot get along with "All my mother's names", no acid jazz for me please but the rest is genius.

It is all soft stuff suffused with love, almost like he went a bit soul. Some songs truely have an odd beauty to them like Dobro and I'm not sure why I like them but I really do.

So much of the happiness in the album moves me to tears

I can't explain it really all that well.

Likes and dislikes are normally instinctual though so I guess my explanation would always be flawed

[Silver Moon]

I mean I really cannot get along with "All my mother's names", no acid jazz for me please but the rest is genius.

I think this is in my top 3 favorites on the album! Different strokes I guess!

-K-