Brendan Perry - Eye of the Hunter / Live at the I.C.A.

One of the most sought-after records in the entire 4AD catalog, out of print on vinyl since the day it was released, finally comes back with everything it deserves. Eye Of The Hunter is Brendan Perry's 1999 debut solo album, his first step out from the shadow of Dead Can Dance, the band he co-founded with Lisa Gerrard in 1981 and whose influence on gothic, ethereal, and world music is impossible to overstate. Recorded at Perry's own Quivvy Church studio, a converted 19th-century stone church in County Cavan, Ireland, the album carries the natural acoustics of that extraordinary space in every note.

Backed by drummer Liam Bradley, bassist Glen Garrett, and pedal steel player Martin Quinn, Perry performs guitar, 12-string guitar, mandolin, and keyboards across eight tracks of rich, gothic folk that draw clear lines to the baritone grandeur of Scott Walker and Tim Buckley, the latter of whom is honored in a deeply felt cover of "I Must Have Been Blind" from his 1970 album Blue Afternoon. "Voyage of Bran," "Medusa," "Sloth," and "Death Will Be My Bride" each showcase a songwriter who had been refining his craft for fifteen years and was ready to claim it fully on his own terms. Critics noted the album's incredible production and described Perry's vocals as brushed-velvet, elevated to heights his previous work had only hinted at.

The companion live album makes this edition genuinely essential. Live At The I.C.A. was recorded during 4AD's legendary 13 Year Itch residency at the London Institute of Contemporary Arts in 1993 and had previously only circulated on an exceedingly rare promotional cassette. This is its first ever vinyl pressing.

Remastered at Abbey Road and upgraded to a gatefold sleeve, with original artwork by Chris Bigg of v23. Eye Of The Hunter is pressed on transparent teal and Live At The I.C.A. on seafoam green, the colors matching the album's visual palette exactly.