David Sylvian
Secrets of the Beehive

All three works from the '80s by the former Japan would have deserved to represent the best of the decade. If my preference goes to "Secrets of the Beehive," it is because in it Sylvian manages to arrive at a more accessible musical language, with a return to the song form that, in certain episodes, produces excellent results: listen to "Orpheus" if you have any doubts.
In any case, our composer's music continues to evade any definition: it is "ambient" without the vacuity that characterizes much of that genre; it is "avant-garde" without ever being cold or cerebral; it brushes against pop and jazz, but it would be wrong to label it as either.

However, it is music of great suggestiveness, enveloping, dreamlike. Sylvian works by subtraction, and silence and pauses are essential elements of the musical syntax of "Secrets." His unmistakable deep and cavernous voice, which often, more than singing, whispers the cryptic lyrics, makes the final result even more original and attractive. An essential contribution to the album's success is made by his friend Ryuichi Sakamoto, present with keyboards or arrangements on all tracks.
Besides the already mentioned "Orpheus," a track of mysterious and disturbing beauty, to which two first-rate instrumentalists, Danny Thompson on bass and Mark Isham on trumpet, also contribute, we must at least mention "The Boy with the Gun" prominently featuring David Torn's skillful guitar and Thompson's "smooth" bass chasing the pains of the (no longer) young Sylvian.
In "When Poets Dreamed of Angels," in addition to the mentioned musicians, Phil Palmer joins, who with his guitar gives the track a surprising flamenco rhythm, supporting the author's bold metaphors. "Mother and Child," on the other hand, is the most experimental track, with forays into free-jazz piano.

All the musicians involved in the album offer their superior technical skill without protagonism, demonstrating class and dedication to David's musical creed. Other titles should be mentioned: the miniature masterpiece "September," for example, which masterfully opens the work. But dwelling on individual tracks does not do justice to an album that makes compactness, formal rigor, and balance between the parts its strong points.
Sylvian's music is a "unicum" to be cherished and "the secrets of the beehive" should be revealed only to those who can appreciate them; to those who are not afraid to be alone with themselves.