Dead Can Dance [ neoclassical music ]

Way back when every new band in electronic music was attempting to sound like the latest thing, Dead Can Dance steadily built a fanatical audience by going back to older things, in a modern context. From period pieces such as medieval chamber music or ancient Arabic love poems set to music, Dead Can Dance explored the ancient with an artschool diligence to detail and the flaming passion of newly-unleashed punk rock band. The gentle vocals of Lisa Gerrard and Brendan Perry accompany pieces laid out in digital instrumentation as well as conventionally rendered tracks.