Rain Tree Crow [Remastered] [Digipak] - Rain Tree Crow > Reviews > An unusual reunion

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Definitely a cut above the rest
Lyrics	Thought-provoking
Quality and consistency of tracks	A couple of weak links
How does it compare to the artist's other releases	Good
Value for Money	Excellent

Advantages:	Intelligent sculptures of sound
Disadvantages:	Perhaps not enough variety throughout

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Japan were one of those bizarre groups who fought their way into the mainstream and then, just as they found popular and commercial acceptance and success in 1981, pulled the plug.

The four members (David Sylvian, Richard Barbieri, Mick Karn and Steve Jansen) went off to pursue solo and collaborative projects but never quite hit the big time again. Singer David Sylvian did have moderate success with his early solo outings but for all of these, the art always came before the profit.

It is strange that a band which had gained a large cult following would decide to reform and release an album of new material, but without much fanfare and even with a new name.

Rain Tree Crow is the name of both the band and the album which was recorded over an eight month period between 1989 and 1990 in an enormous variety of locations in Italy, France, England and Ireland.

Supposedly based on group improviastions without pre-rehearsal this is an intriguing, low key album utilising technology to create "real" sounds, much as they had done on their albums ten years earlier.

Everything here is low tempo, low impact soundscapes, with the vocals providing just another texture, David Sylvians lyrics evocative as ever.

"Big Wheels in Shanty town" opens with African style drums and chants from two of the many guests on the album, and is a good indicator of what to expect from the remainder of the album.
This is mood music and the songs are more scuplture than 3 minute cartoon.

"Every colour you are" and "Rain tree crow" introduce Sylvians mournful baritone, the latter being a stripped bare lullabye of synthesised washes of sound.

"Red Earth" is an instrumental of pads with some wonderful sounding ceramic drums and a nice acoustic guitar solo courtesy of Phil Palmer.

In "Pocket full of change" we hear a mourning lament that has a great catchy tune but is so underplayed with an almost march like drum beat supporting meandering fretless bass and some elegant harmonies.

Clocking in at only 45 seconds, "Boats for burning" would not have sounded out of place on their 1980 release "Gentlemen take polaroids" A simple guitar rhythm accompanied by a tambourine, this is a poignant eight line poem set to minimalist synth treatments.

As well as being an exceptionally tasteful bass player, Mick Karn also pulls out the bass clarinet on "New moon at red deer wallow" creating an eerie yet sensuous improvisation over Steve Jansen's Moroccan clay drums in another instrumental that at times almost stops, it is so spacious.

"Blackwater" is a more standard vocal tune that could almost be a gospel song if it were set to more traditional instruments.

After another very short instrumental in the shape of "A reassuringly dull Sunday" which boasts more bass clarinet, comes "Blackcrow hits shoe shine city", a menacing and powerful vocal track featuring wah-wah saxophone and "infinte" guitar boasting a particularly fine vocal melody and performance.

"Scratchings on the bible belt" is another experimental instrumental with a marimba and percussion dominated tune with bursts of clarinet and even some banjo, whilst "Cries and whispers" is a very simple vocal track, again sounding more like a dreamy poem set to music, with a restrained and deep David Sylvian again singing gently in the mix.

Rounded out with the instrumental bonus track "I drink to forget", "Rain tree crow" is a curious oddity. It really does sound as though the musicians have simply got together in the studio and let their creative instincts run free, with little regard for commercial aspirations or even popular acceptance.

This is not a CD you put on to dance to, to sing along to or even to listen to in an active sense of the word. In the same way that Ryuichi Sakamoto makes his music, this is a collection of interesting sound sculptures that always avoids the obvious, is always seeking out new pastures and in these repects, this album is a resounding success.

Every CD collection needs an album of this type, where the listener is transported into another world, whether it be Brian Eno, Sakamoto or the like. "Rain Tree Crow" is as good as any simliar artists in this undefinable genre and the only real sadness is that they are very unlikely to reform to make a follow up.