The 1986 Listening Post - David Sylvian - Gone to Earth

David Sylvian - Gone to Earth

#380/2060

September 13 1986

David Sylvian

Gone to Earth

Genre: Experimental/Ambient

1.25 out of 5

I thought Brilliant Trees was not good. 

I hated Alchemy even more and made a case that we shouldn’t even be covering it. 

Now, almost as though he knew how I was feeling, David Sylvian gives us a DOUBLE fucking record of his nonsensical garble. 

The “songs” are bad. 

The entire 2nd album is AMBIENT fucking music and he’s not good at it. 

It’s like he said, “Oh, yeah, Brian? I can do that, too!” 

Except he can’t. 

I’ve never issued an edict but, here we are, three albums into David Sylvian’s solo career and I am not listening to any more from him. 

Go away, David. 

https://music.apple.com/us/album/gone-to-earth/714848706

The 1985 Listening Post - David Sylvian - Alchemy

David Sylvian - Alchemy

#509/1143

December 15 1985

David Sylvian

Alchemy

Genre: Ambient

2 out of 5

You know what you could do instead of listening to this? Go back to Laurie Anderson’s second record. Try some Peter Gabriel. Or Brian Eno’s excellent work. Everything you love about Eno’s ambient stuff is removed and what you’re left with is a pretentious and often ugly piece of claptrap. 

We should’ve skipped this one. 

https://music.apple.com/us/album/alchemy-an-index-of-possibilities-remastered/714775660

The 1984 Listening Post - David Sylvian - Brilliant Trees

David Sylvian - Brilliant Trees

#187

July 7 1984

David Sylvian

Brilliant Trees

2.25 out of 5

Disjointed at times, lush at others. I found Japan hit or miss in the past. I prefer the commerciality of the New Romantics who took the sound to the radio. This is the logical groggy outgrowth of that tributary for me. I don’t hate it. I don’t feel like I missed anything, though. 

I had to leave this for a couple hours to make dinner and sit with the fam and, completely forgot where I was. Damn, it’s midway through “Red Guitar” and I’m pretty sure Sylvian is just making it all up as he goes. 

Did you ever wonder what David Bowie would sound like if he decided to record Gary Numan songs whilst on Ambient? Listen to “Backwaters”. Awful. 

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/brilliant-trees-remastered-2003/1041863159