Dead Can Dance: 'Anastasis' review

On Dead Can Dance's "Anastasis" (Pias), their first album in 16 years, Brendan Perry and Lisa Gerrard tame the glorious sprawl of their previous work -- the lush orchestrations, the world-beat influences, the ethereal vocals. Though most of the album's songs clock in at well over six minutes, they all build to a point, either a soaring musical crescendo or a sharp lyrical revelation. For the single "Amnesia," Perry shows how we balance the wrongs we choose to forget as a culture and the personal memories that make us human. Don't worry, you can just enjoy the haunting synths and trip-hop beat if that's too heavy.

DEAD CAN DANCE "Anastasis"

GRADE B+

BOTTOM LINE Gorgeous atmospherics paired with a renewed focus.