36. Nine Horses- Snow Borne Sorrow



It's almost criminal to see how David Sylvian has been directed to the outer margins of music but then again, he hasn't made it easy on his listeners who expected him to build on the expansive pop he made on albums like Dead Bees On A Cake. Blemish, recorded in 2003 was the first step onto a minimalist platform which wasn't quite convincing. Here Sylvian combines with brother and Japan-colleague Steve Jansen and Drone-mainman Burnt Friedman, electronics expert in a new band and the result is nothing but outstanding. Swirling electronic beats and loops, trumpet and horns and acoustic and electric guitars (shades of Fripp even in Darkest Birds!) find their way in almost Japan-like circumstances as the snake-like basslines of Jansen and Sylvian's voice sounds like of old. With added assistance of Ryuichi Sakamoto and Stina Nordenstam the band has created nine moodpieces that seems to stroll through the Sylvian back-catalogue and modernise it. Standout- The Librarian.