***1/2 Brendan Perry

EYE OF THE HUNTER

(4AD)

*** THE INSIDER: MUSIC FROM THE MOTION PICTURE

(Sony Music Soundtrax)

Dead Can Dance created their own niche by combining the disparate elements of medieval Christian church music, Celtic harmonies, Arabic swing, and pop song structure. That partly reflected the divergent styles of the group's two principals, Brendan Perry and Lisa Gerrard: the down-to-earth Perry, who often sounds as if he were channeling Jim Morrison, always supplied a brooding balance to Gerrard's exquisite flights of fancy and trancy fare. But having parted ways for the time being, the two are now free to pursue their own sonic agendas -- Perry on his first solo effort, and Gerrard in collaboration with long-time DCD percussionist Pieter Bourke on the soundtrack to Michael Mann's The Insider.

The brooding vocals, mystical lyrics, subliminal string charts, and spare, crystalline sound of guitar and mandolin on Eye of the Hunter conjure an ominous universe where passion and unrequited love are their own rewards. The subtle twang of Perry's guitar and the sorrowful tone of his vocals make "Sloth" sound like Baudelaire singing Hank Williams, and his soul-deep desperation shines a dark light on the hopelessness of romantic love in "Death Will Be My Bride." Eye of the Hunter is more Western-sounding than most DCD albums, but its bluesy, Appalachian drone just suits Perry's despondent miniatures.

The sweeping synth textures and dreamy vibe, along with Bourke's Arabic hand drumming, takes The Insider into familiar DCD territory, and it all blends nicely with the snippets supplied by the soundtrack's other contributors -- composers Graeme Revell and Gustavo Santaolalla. Tracks like "Tempest" and "Sacrifice" would have fit nicely onto any recent DCD outing, and "Meltdown" proves that Gerrard is capable of making club-friendly music anytime she chooses. The disc's only jarring note is "Safe from Harm" -- an extended jungle/dub track from Massive Attack breaks Gerrard's spell for a long eight minutes. Mostly, though, Gerrard's wordless vocals perfectly express the dark web of lies, half-truths, and self-serving obfuscations that lie at the heart of The Insider.

-- J. Poet