Search - Simple Minds :: Empires & Dance

Early Brilliance From Simple Minds

J. Donato | 03/30/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Astonishing third album by Simple Minds achieves greatness for the first time. A tightly integrated eurotrance song cycle, this album sometimes seems like a single track. Their Krautrock influence really came to the fore after they finally began touring on The Continent. "I Travel" is their most exciting track ever! Possibly the most exciting track I've ever heard! The churning rhythm sequencers are acid house a decade early. Elsewhere the pace is deliberate and unrelenting, albeit slower. "Thirty Frames A Second" is the great third single that never was. Charlie Burchill's guitar studiously avoids cliche and what more can I say about Derek Forbes' bass? He is the powerful heart of everything Simple Minds did until his ouster."

Minimalist Masterpiece

H. Jin | Melbourne, Australia | 01/22/2010

(4 out of 5 stars)

"After the arty post-punk experiments of 'Real to Reel...', the very minimalist approach of Simple Minds' third album is a bit of a surprise. 'Empires And Dance' bears a much heavier electronic influence than before, but it is not really a "dance" album as such. The songs and arrangements are very sparse, driven predominantly by bass, drums, and minimal keyboard lines. Charlie Burchill's heavily distorted guitar is mostly pushed right back in the mix, breaking through only occassionally for stabs of processed noise.



The first two songs, in fact, aren't really represetative of the album's overall sound. 'I Travel' is an upbeat disco track, while 'Today I Died Again' is a haunting Eastern-tinged drone. From here, though, the minimalist approach kicks in: 'Celebrate', 'This Fear Of Gods', 'Capital City', 'Constantinople Line', 'Thirty Frames A Second'... all of these are very skeletal bass/drum/synth tracks. While not very heavy on melody, these songs are memorable because they are so hypnotic, really working their way into your brain.



There is a clear social/political subtext to the album as a whole, although Jim Kerr generally keeps his lyrics very enigmatic and detached. This does give the album a somewhat cold and distant feel at times, especially when combined with the musical arrangements. However, two songs ('Today I Died Again' and 'Thirty Frames A Second') deal with deeply personal themes, and are surprisingly emotionally affecting given the dryness of the remaining songs.



Despite its very stripped-back arrangements, 'Empires And Dance' is every bit as brave and ambitious as 'Real To Reel' or 'Sons And Fascination'. It's different to anything Simple Minds have done before, but they really make it work. It's a shame most people know Simple Minds for their blowhard stadium rock than for experimental gems such as this.



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