Spleen and Ideal

Spleen and Ideal is the second studio album by Australian band Dead Can Dance. It was released on 25 November 1985 by 4AD. The album spearheaded the group's sonic transition from their post-punk and gothic rock-influenced roots towards a neoclassical dark wave style.

Background
The band's official website stated that the album title was taken "from 19th Century symbolist ideals". The title is directly taken from "Spleen et Idéal", a collection of poems by French poet Charles Baudelaire which form a section of his magnum opus Les Fleurs du mal.

Discussing the album's musical style, AllMusic commented that with Spleen and Ideal, Dead Can Dance "fully took the plunge into the heady mix of musical traditions that would come to define its sound and style for the remainder of its career. The straightforward goth affectations are exchanged for a sonic palette and range of imagination".

The cover image shows the partial demolition of Grain Elevator No. 2 at Salford Quays, part of Manchester and Salford Docks.

Critical reception
In a retrospective review, AllMusic praised the album, calling it "amazing [...] 'haunting' and 'atmospheric' barely [scratch] even the initial surface of the album's power".

Personnel

 * Lisa Gerrard – vocals, all other instruments, production
 * Brendan Perry – vocals, all other instruments, production, sleeve art direction
 * Gus Ferguson – cello
 * Martin McCarrick – cello
 * James Pinker – timpani
 * Tony Ayres – timpani
 * Richard Avison – trombone
 * Simon Hogg – trombone
 * Carolyn Costin – violin
 * Andrew Hutton – soprano vocals on track 1


 * Technical
 * John A. Rivers – production, engineering
 * Jonathan Dee – engineering
 * Colin Gray – sleeve photography