Autumn Tears

Anything that can be classified as "genre-defying" immediately gets my attention. If Autumn Tears could be squeezed into a genre without cutting off any of their musical appendages, the closest match would be something like "ambient gothic". If you don't know Dead Can Dance, firstly, go out and learn about them. Secondly, I'll be without a reference point for describing Autumn Tears. If you do know DCD, I'll start from there. Take Dead Can Dance, and bash out some sort of regular sound (omitting the more abstract and ethnic pieces). Tinge them slightly darker, and you'll be approaching the sound of Autumn Tears.

The instrumentation and sheer musical ability are quite astounding, hence the comparison with Dead Can Dance. And for someone like myself, who occasionally tires of Dead Can Dance's eclectic mix of sounds, it is truly gratifying to hear a full album which holds together in this respect. The vocals are just as talented and captivating as those of Dead Can Dance, and one would be forgiven for thinking Lisa Gerrard herself had lent her voice to the project in the song The Beauty In All Things, for which someone has built [this slideshow] on YouTube. In fact, the Tube is full of Autumn Tears goodness, so get yourself there and check out the highlights. Here's another from the Eclipse album, entitled "Ophelia's Crown". Dead Can Dance fans, I defy you to fail to see similarities.

Pure, dark, beautiful poetry. All about the Bragi.