I've seen this album praised high and low in any venue that will review it. It's certainly a sleeper hit, but I just feel like it in no way lives up to the hype. David Sylvian has always been incredibly intriguing and forward thinking as an artist and the prospect of a jazz-pop album with production assistance by Ryuichi Sakamoto sounded like a dream come true. Unfortunately, this isn't Spirit of Eden. The album is bogged down by Sylvian's occasionally inspiring, occasionally tedious poetry that gets in the way of some actually quite inspired arrangements. A couple songs really shine when Sylvian closes his gob and lets the string section or jazz guitar lead take over, but this is the exception rather than the rule.
This is certainly not to say that the album is bad, because it isn't. It is a very good tone piece, contemplative, quiet and slow, but for me it simply lacks the emotional depth of a Talk Talk or Disco Inferno release. If I ever saw a used copy I would snatch that shit up without a thought, but I honestly can't be bothered to look for it on Discogs. Might return to it someday, but I'm shelving this one.
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