To the layman listener Duncan Sheik is best known for his 1997 hit, “Barely Breathing” – a song that barely skims the surface of his career. From 1996 to 2002, Sheik released four extraordinary CDs and gained an impressive following; finding a sonic balance between unconventional rock and esoteric-folk. His latest release: A Duncan Sheik Anthology: Brighter/Later revisits the past and contains a number of rarities sure to awe any Sheik aficionado.
In creating this double-disc set Sheik was quoted in a press release as saying, “I wanted to have these two CDs where you would kind of stay in a particular mood and wouldn’t be sent back and forth. As you listen to each CD, you could get into one headspace and stay there for awhile.” The first disc (Brighter) showcases lighter, loftier melodies plus radio-ready tunes that originally put Sheik on the map. Later underscores his contemplative creations with gentle acoustic orchestrations that are clearly beholden to Nick Drake –an artist who had a profound effect on Duncan in his formative years. It’s therefore no coincidence that the album title is a play on words with Drake’s second album, Bryter/Layter.
The compilation’s high points are novel ones: Disc One includes a studio recording of “Lost On the Moon” (from the international-only version of the Daylight CD), a previously unreleased recording of Joni Mitchell’s “Court and Spark” and a new live recording of “Home”. Disc Two speaks softly, but powerfully nonetheless. The highlight being hidden tracks from previous albums that now stand beautifully on their own: “Foreshadowing” from Humming and “Chimera” from Daylight.
The concept of capturing a mood, be it bright and breezy or deeply introspective is a unique idea and a brave one at that. To the casual observer this double CD may seem a bit daunting — 29 songs is a lot to cover — but steadfast Sheik followers will probably agree - you can’t get too much of a good thing.
Article comments