As the kind of 4AD act beloved of a few darkly clothed indie hippies and ruthlessly ignored by the rest of the known universe, these Australians carved a unique, if lonely, musical niche from the early 1980s onwards with their portentous blend of medievally inclined, Eastern-flavoured and, latterly, New Agey musical styles.
Since their central pairing of Brendan Perry and Lisa Gerrard called it a day in the late 1990s, though, they have become another erstwhile cult concern whose reputation has spread in the internet age.
They reformed to tour in 2005 and Anastasis was released last year. This is the deluxe edition, the second CD including live renditions of five album tracks and six other numbers (if you just want a live album, there’s a standalone ‘in concert’ 2CD set also available). The recordings are near faultless, and include live favourites such as Rakim and Sanvean from the 1994 live album Toward The Within, but older loyalists might find it disappointing that no songs from their first decade are included.
If you’re unacquainted with the band, there are worse starting points, but long-term fans might want to save their pennies for the next album proper.
