Some singers or songs you don't discover yourself but receive as a "gift". That was the case with David Sylvian, former lead singer of the band Japan. I owe the album "Secrets of the Beehive" and especially the song "Orpheus" to my good friend Marc Kolsters. A smile always appears on my face when I hear "Orpheus" again.
David Sylvian
David Sylvian (23 February 1958) is a British pop musician. He was for a long time the singer of the British band Japan. After the group split up in 1982, he pursued a successful solo career. Sylvian worked with, among others, Robert Fripp, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Holger Czukay, Russell Mills and Jon Hassell. Sylvian was born David Batt. Together with his brother Steve, who adopted the surname Jansen, and bassist Mick Karn, he formed a school band that would grow into the band Japan. In 1978, this band scored a hit with Adolescent Sex. After that, four more albums followed, which were fairly successful but did not produce any hit singles. Due to disagreements between David and Mick, the band then broke up. David Sylvian contributes many guest appearances on albums by other artists.
On his Twitter account on 20 June 2018, Sylvian announced that the Japan albums 'Gentlemen Take Polaroids' and 'Tin Drum', originally from 1980 and 1981, would be reissued in August 2018 on 180-gram vinyl editions in limited releases. On his official website, it was announced in December 2018 that the albums 'Brilliant Trees', 'Alchemy - An Index of Possibilities', 'Gone to Earth' and 'Secrets of the Beehive' would be released for the first time on 180-gram vinyl in February 2019. The albums would feature new artwork. The Rain Tree Crow album, originally from 1991, on which Sylvian played again with his former Japan colleagues Steve Jansen, Richard Barbieri and Mick Karn, was released on 29 March 2019 on 180-gram vinyl.
Top 2000
In the 23rd edition of the Top 2000, David appears only with his former band Japan:
Do you also think David Sylvian should be included in the Top 2000? Then add your favourite Sylvian song to our Top 2000 Inspiration List on Spotify: Top 2000 Inspiration List
Sunday Morning Classic: Secrets of the Beehive
On 14 June 2020, David appeared with his album Secrets of the Beehive as our Sunday Morning Classic.
This is an album of atmosphere and Sylvian is the master of creating atmospheric music. By combining elements of jazz, pop, classical, electronic and experimental music, he creates a completely new world that can sound like a classic, or rather, a novel or a poem of romanticism translated into sounds.
"Secrets of the Beehive" is the fourth full studio album by this experimental pop/rock artist. The former Japan frontman showed promise on his first few albums, but "Secrets of the Beehive" stands out as something very special in his discography. The musicians he chose for the album are perfect for their work and this is clearly audible.
Sometimes the music presented on "Secrets of the Beehive" sounds like what would later be called "chamber pop", at other times jazz/avant-garde dominates. Accessible, even on first listen, and perhaps the closest Sylvian came to "pop music", at least in this period of his career. On the other hand, "Maria" and "Forbidden Colours" are dark and disturbing songs, which you might expect as soundtracks for a horror film.
The highlights for me are the far too short opening track "September" with David's vocals accompanied by piano and strings. The lyrics on this record are very good and provoke thought. Some songs simply tell a good story, like "The Boy With the Gun", the only track that, as far as I know, features electric guitar and double bass. "Maria" is a short, spacious and eerie tune. "Orpheus" is in my opinion the best song, it just flows and is so melodic. I have often pressed the repeat button to hear this great song over and over again.
Sylvian's music calls for solitude and dim light. You'd best use your hi-fi in your room, put on your headphones, have a glass of whisky if you like, and enjoy the journey!
The title of the song "When Poets Dreamed of Angels" pretty much sums up the feeling of this album.
Source: Jan Liebregts and Wikipedia
Photo: Album cover Universal UMC
https://www.davidsylvian.net/
