Dead Bees on a Cake

Fans of David Sylvian may consider some of his earlier releases to have been autumnal spectacles filled with intoxicating arrangements and some of the most beautifully heartbreaking songs ever composed. At face value, Dead Bees on a Cake should have been one of David Sylvian’s most spiritually fulfilled and innovative releases — maybe next time. One can admire the rich vocals and impeccable instrumental performances by Talvin Singh, Steve Jansen, Ryuichi Sakamoto, and Marc Ribot, among others; however, for David Sylvian, even beautiful tracks like “The Shining of Things” are the sonic equivalent of running on a treadmill. One song makes this worth the price of admission: “Midnight Sun”; while the vocals are classic Sylvian, the bluesy, swampy sound of this track is completely new to him. It would have been fantastic if other songs on the album had followed in a similarly inventive vein.