Dead Bees On A Cake
Perhaps the finest achievement of David Sylvian's enigmatic career,Dead Bees on a Cakerepresents a graceful personal and spiritual exploration. Set to a lush, ethereal, engaging bed of distinctive and sophisticated pop arrangements, it combines the best qualities of Sylvian's post-Japanwork. Four years in the making, it is artful and tasteful from the openingBryan Ferry-style ballad "I Surrender" to the bluesy "Midnight Sun" and the delightful "Krishna Blue." There are contributions from sometime collaboratorRyuichi Sakamotoas well as a classy, eclectic group of musicians includingBill Frisell,Marc Ribot,Talvin Singh, and Sylvian's brother, Steve Hansen, but Sylvian is definitely in the fore here.Dead Bees on a Cakewill be a surprising discovery for fans ofSade,John Martyn, and theBlue Nile, and it may afford Sylvian overdue recognition as an uncommonly gifted pop composer and singer.--John Sutton-Smith