An Illusion Shattered...

Today, I grappled with the thorny issue of the Scottish Bronze Age.  I've finally got back to writing up my paper on the Bronze Age multiple urned cremation burial, but the more research I do on cist burials and urn depositions in Scotland, the more questions I end up with.

I'm one of these people who has a soundtrack to almost everything they do - my chosen soundtrack for most matters relating to the Early and Middle Bronze Ages is Spiritchaser by Dead Can Dance, and in particular, the track Song of The Stars.

I'm a big fan of Dead Can Dance.  I was first introduced to their music nine years ago, when I was part of an excavation team working on a Bronze Age burial cairn in the east of Scotland.  The senior archaeologist on the project drove a bunch of us home each night, and he had a varied selection of tapes to speed us on our way.  Most of these weren't to my liking at all.  {House of Pain?  No thank you!!)  But one which really stood out was a compilation from Dead Can Dance. 

When I first heard the opening track, my ears pricked up.  I can't remember the track, but it was Lisa Gerrard on vocals sounding exotic and mysterious and other-wordly.  The next track was Salterello, which as scholars of the medieval period will know, is a medieval dance.

"What's the music?" I asked.

"Dead Can Dance," I was told.

Now, since my colleague had pagan inclinations, I thought he was just coming out with a rather profound comment relating perhaps to the Neolithic/Bronze Age or the process of archaeological excavation, or the interpretation of past lives by those living in the present. Then it dawned on me that he was in fact talking about the music, and as the CD played on, I  was hooked.

In the intervening years, I've tracked down every album (except the compilation!) and I often use the music for inspiration, whether I'm writing archaeological pieces or historical fiction (particularly my medieval Scots stuff).  If you're not familiar with the band yourself, then you may know Lisa Gerrard's more recent material, in particular the soundtrack for Gladiator. 

With a name like Dead Can Dance, I thought these guys would look like archetypal Goths.  I envisaged Lisa Gerrard as having a long, wild mane of brown or black hair and a penchant for full dresses in black or dark wine red.  As for Brendan Parry...  Again, I assumed he'd have long wavy hair, pale skin, perhaps a black brimmed hat and a velvet jacket with a cravat and tight jeans.  Sort of like the Vampire Lestat meets Jim Morrison...

Wrong!!!!  When my poor husband was relieved from cookery detail last night, he spent his new-found leisure time looking up Dead Can Dance videos on You Tube (yes, he's become a fan, too!!)  He was so amazed by what he saw that he summoned me to take a look.  Lisa Gerrard was oddly reminiscent of a librarian: a neat small figure with an austere blond bun, who wore a white or pale grey dress.  And Brendan Parry looked like an off-duty accountant.  Black shirt and trousers, greying black hair and beard cropped really short.  They seemed more like Anti-Goths!!

Seriously, if you're a fan of medieval or eastern European music and you haven't yet dabbled with Dead Can Dance, do give them ago.  They're well worth investigating.  If you find them half as inspirational as I've done, you won't regret it!

An Illusion Shattered...

Today, I grappled with the thorny issue of the Scottish Bronze Age.  I've finally got back to writing up my paper on the Bronze Age multiple urned cremation burial, but the more research I do on cist burials and urn depositions in Scotland, the more questions I end up with.

I'm one of these people who has a soundtrack to almost everything they do - my chosen soundtrack for most matters relating to the Early and Middle Bronze Ages is Spiritchaser by Dead Can Dance, and in particular, the track Song of The Stars.

I'm a big fan of Dead Can Dance.  I was first introduced to their music nine years ago, when I was part of an excavation team working on a Bronze Age burial cairn in the east of Scotland.  The senior archaeologist on the project drove a bunch of us home each night, and he had a varied selection of tapes to speed us on our way.  Most of these weren't to my liking at all.  {House of Pain?  No thank you!!)  But one which really stood out was a compilation from Dead Can Dance. 

When I first heard the opening track, my ears pricked up.  I can't remember the track, but it was Lisa Gerrard on vocals sounding exotic and mysterious and other-wordly.  The next track was Salterello, which as scholars of the medieval period will know, is a medieval dance.

"What's the music?" I asked.

"Dead Can Dance," I was told.

Now, since my colleague had pagan inclinations, I thought he was just coming out with a rather profound comment relating perhaps to the Neolithic/Bronze Age or the process of archaeological excavation, or the interpretation of past lives by those living in the present. Then it dawned on me that he was in fact talking about the music, and as the CD played on, I  was hooked.

In the intervening years, I've tracked down every album (except the compilation!) and I often use the music for inspiration, whether I'm writing archaeological pieces or historical fiction (particularly my medieval Scots stuff).  If you're not familiar with the band yourself, then you may know Lisa Gerrard's more recent material, in particular the soundtrack for Gladiator. 

With a name like Dead Can Dance, I thought these guys would look like archetypal Goths.  I envisaged Lisa Gerrard as having a long, wild mane of brown or black hair and a penchant for full dresses in black or dark wine red.  As for Brendan Parry...  Again, I assumed he'd have long wavy hair, pale skin, perhaps a black brimmed hat and a velvet jacket with a cravat and tight jeans.  Sort of like the Vampire Lestat meets Jim Morrison...

Wrong!!!!  When my poor husband was relieved from cookery detail last night, he spent his new-found leisure time looking up Dead Can Dance videos on You Tube (yes, he's become a fan, too!!)  He was so amazed by what he saw that he summoned me to take a look.  Lisa Gerrard was oddly reminiscent of a librarian: a neat small figure with an austere blond bun, who wore a white or pale grey dress.  And Brendan Parry looked like an off-duty accountant.  Black shirt and trousers, greying black hair and beard cropped really short.  They seemed more like Anti-Goths!!

Seriously, if you're a fan of medieval or eastern European music and you haven't yet dabbled with Dead Can Dance, do give them ago.  They're well worth investigating.  If you find them half as inspirational as I've done, you won't regret it!