Song of the Day: Dead Can Dance “The Ubiquitous Mr. Lovegrove”

One of the more unique acts to come out of Ivo Watts-Russell‘s 4AD record label was Australian neo-classical/ dark wave/ post punk group, Dead Can Dance. The curiously titled “The Ubiquitous Mr. Lovegrove” was the single from their 1993 record Into The Labyrinth. The song features a catchy synth hook, a droning sarod, subtle strings, a tabla, oblique lyrics, and a powerful vocal performance by Brendan Perry. While the group are unusual hitmakers, there is a strong pop sensibility to the song. There is also a certain dark pulse to it. Typically, this is the type of track where the combination of influences and instrumentation may make it sound forced or trite, but the song really works and takes on a certain otherworldly quality.

Dead Can Dance were founded in Melbourne, Australia by Brendan Perry and Lisa Gerrard, a domestic couple who had been part of the Melbourne “Little Band” experimental post-punk scene. Perry (along with original Dead Can Dance bassist Paul Erikson and drummer Simon Monroe) had been in the band, Marching Girls, while Gerrard had been the singer in the band Microfilm. The group eventually departed for London where they were signed by 4AD. While several of the personelle have changed over time, the core duo of Perry and Gerrard are effectively the band. The group changed its sound considerably over time. While their first record was largely post-punk in the same vain as groups like Bauhaus, Dead Can Dance quickly began striking out in a different direction, incorporating African polyrhythms, Gaelic folk, Gregorian chant, Middle Eastern music and art rock into their sound. While the group have gone through phases (including a period of estrangement between Perry and Gerrard that lasted for a number of years), the group is still working – periodically touring and releasing new music. Gerrard has also worked extensively on film soundtracks and adding her soaring, ethereal vocals to period epics such as Gladiator, New Zealand independent film Whale Rider and even working with the greatest of all film composers, Ennio Morricone on Fateless.