It's difficult, too difficult to write about this album. At least without falling into partisan judgments or terrible omissions. I've never been skilled at jotting down biblical reviews, but in the face of a biblical work, I will do my best without venturing into those areas which, as a non-musician, I do not understand or perceive in their entirety.

Lycia is a reality born towards the end of the 80s. With albums such as "A Day in a Stark Corner" and "Ionia", they have redefined the coordinates of gothic after its most flourishing season. The members were, and still are today, Mike VanPortfleet, David Galas, and the then debutant Tara Vanflower.

The sound of Lycia owes much to Dead Can Dance and Cocteau Twins, but also to Shoegaze, Dream Pop, and certain elements of Pink Floyd. After two masterpieces like the ones mentioned a few lines above, here comes another cornerstone of their discography.

Not a single album but a double! And what a double!

In this instance, acoustic guitars and bass play a role of significant importance compared to the past works. Although, to be fair, keyboards continue to play the leading role. More than an hour of glacial, stunning, gentle, heavenly, and hellish melancholic progression. Not a note out of place. Not an episode that bores the listener.

Released in the distant (at least for me) 1995, this "The Burning Circle And Then Dust" represents the summation of a genre that at the time was considered doomed. Recorded in the desert of Arizona, this double album well expresses a feeling of desolation but at the same time of clear freedom.

With The 3rd and the Mortal and Black Tape For A Blue Girl, Lycia renewed that dreamy dark that gave so much in the 80s. Adding to it a touch of spacey and rarefied psychedelia.

Tracklist Lyrics and Videos

01   A Presence in the Woods (04:09)

02   Wandering Soul (04:47)

03   The Dust Settles, Part 1 (01:52)

04   Sleepless (03:27)

i can't think, think about anything
i can't think of anything at all
my thoughts drift but keep coming back to you
face to the ground, eyes closed hard
i still care
i can't sleep, i just lay here awake
sleep comes but quickly fades away
i'll just lay here and wait for the morning sun
sleepless again, eyes closed hard
i still care
i care, i care...

05   The Dust Settles, Part 2 (01:29)

06   The Return of Nothing (04:43)

07   The Dust Settles, Part 3 (02:54)

08   Pray (05:20)

everyday i pray for you
every day i pray
every night i think about...
every day i pray
i pray... for better things to come

09   The Better Things to Come (04:32)

10   On the Horizon (03:11)

11   Where Has All the Time Gone (03:12)

12   Silence and Distance (03:31)

13   Anywhere but Home (03:57)

14   In the Fire and Flames (02:13)

15   Slip Away (06:17)

16   The Last Day (04:28)

Loading comments  slowly