An important record in the annals of somber 4AD goth. 2nd full-length record by Lisa Gerrard and Brendan Perry, lending an almost cinematic quality to the genre. It would be their third record, however that took that cinematic quality even further, taking that celestial, classical, soundtrack-like quality first appearing here and producing it yet more. This is a good bit rawer, but still with plenty of strings, horns, and Lisa's haunting voice (though by tradition, she only sings on half the songs, usually either wordlessly or in Latin, Brendan sings on the other half, with philosophical lyrics). This album came out in 1986, it was a big underground hit in England then, and I wouldn't call it dated, though it was very influential, such as to Lisa Gerrard's latest 'Immortal Memory'. As I understand it Spleen et Ideal is the title of a section of 19th century poet Charles de Baudelair's Flowers of Evil (les fleurs du mal).

All clean
Best 5,8,9 (also 2,3,4,6)

1 nice opener, elemental
2 classical dirge, Lisa's vocals echoic treated in the final minute
3 *long* intro, developing quite nicely from ambient (harmonica?) into a stately, dignified stasis. Lisa sings.
4 somber, horns, moderate beat, long and classic, Brendan sings.
5 C minor is a great key, but imagine it with a Db 'beyond C minor', drum beat, wistful, uses a dulcimer, Lisa sings, ethnic (Bulgarian?) influences
6 bombastic, orchestral, Brendan sings, lyrics are great if you can hear them
7 Brendan, again, piano and horn, plodding
8 Lisa again with the dulcimer, elemental, 'beyond B minor' with C notes, maintains climax in last third of song, best integration of vocals and music, poised, sense of finality
9 Brendan with a message on liberty, 'Freedom, so they say, amounts to the choices you have made' rebutted, thoughts on power and its abuse