Ingladaloneness

The Waking Hour was something of a curious creation, a one-off project between bassist Mick Karn (formerly of Japan), vocalist Peter Murphy (formerly of Bauhaus), and rhythms by Paul Vincent Lawford which bore little relationship to any of the artist's previous bands or work. Propelled by Karn's expressive fretless bass work and Murphy's impressionistic lyrical content The Waking Hour was by turns dark, mysterious, and evocative. It would point to future directions that both Karn and Murphy would explore further in their solo work, but my and large The Waking Hour was something of a cult record typically acquired only by hardcore fans of both artists. But Karn and Murphy apparently were often at odds while working together and neither spoke much of Dalis Car nor did they perform material from it following it's release. Years passed and Dalis Car lived on only in the memory of dedicated fans.It was with considerable surprise that in 2010, some 26 years later, that Murphy indicated he and Karn were reuniting and working on a follow up recording. By this time however Karn was ill with cancer, an illness that would claim him mere months later, and which meant "In Glad Aloneness" would be limited to a mere five songs. Lawford also returned, lending a hand with congas and Karn's fellow Japan member Steve Jansen lent a hand to mix the tracks. And naturally, given Karn's poor health, the question arises as to whether "In Glad Aloneness" is a fitting spiritual successor to The Waking Hour, and the answer is indeed yes. That's not to say that the tracks here mindlessly ape the sonic landscapes of "In the Waking Hour" as they do not. The remake of "Artemis Rise" comes perhaps the closest, but what is missing is the expressive fretless bass work of Mick Karn. Whereas The Waking Hour often bore close semblance to Karn's Titles, "In Glad Aloneness" sounds closer to Murphy's Dust with its Middle Eastern flourishes and shadings. But then again I've often thought those same flourishes were present on The Waking Hour especially on tracks like "His Box" and there are likely to be lively conversations about differences and similarities between the two Dalis Car albums. Truthfully there are many dissimilarities and similarities between the two, but they clearly weren't intended to be cut of the same cloth; they are bookends, a beginning and an end, tracing the trajectory of both Karn and Murphy from where they started as solo artists and ending with where they were some 26 years later. The remake of "Artemis Rise" is truly inspired and perhaps the best moment of the disc as is the moving yet restrained cover of Jacques Brel's "If You Go Away", clearly a paean from Murphy to his terminally ill friend. "Subhanallah" is exquisite and would not have sounded out of place on Murphy's Dust and is a nod to earlier work on The Waking Hour. As a whole "In Glad Aloneness" is a thoughtful acknowledgement by both Karn and Murphy to how their earlier partnership inspired them as artists and fostered their willingness to evolve and broaden their horizons. In the respect "In Glad Aloneness" is a fitting coda to Dalis Car and this unique musical collaboration.

Dali's Car the waking hour was a brilliant genius work of art. Ingladaloneness is a last ditch effort to capture more of the magic of Mick Karn and Peter Murphy. Even though it doesn't compare to the waking hour it's very good and very important. Without these recordings we would be left with only the waking hour never knowing where these two would have gone in the future. And maybe, for all intensive purposes, we wouldn't really need to know because the first album was so great, but this is very interesting because it is different and shows a slightly different perspective than the first Dali's car album. Don't get me wrong, this is still an excellent album or EP actually, and I wish there were more songs on it. Hopefully there's some outtakes from the first album and from this EP that can be released in the future.I believe the waking hour was Peter Murphy's finest hour and ingladaloneness is an important follow up and the last we will ever hear from Mick Karn and Peter Murphy together as a duo, with the exception of those outtakes that Mr. Murphy will hopefully release sometime in the near future...

Dalis Car was originally a one-off collaboration between ex-Bauhaus singer Peter Murphy and ex-Japan bass guitarist Mick Karn in 1984. Their original collaboration was done mostly by sending each other tapes through the mail as opposed to really working together in the studio. They released The Waking Hour in 1984 and had one single (and accompanying music video) for "The Judgement is the Mirror." After that, the two parted ways, each embarking on their own solo careers.Flash-forward to 2010. Mick Karn announces on his website that he has been diagnosed with terminal cancer. Tons of support comes pouring in to help Karn move from his homeland of Cyprus to the UK so he can receive treatments. By around August of that same year, a video goes up (and is quickly removed) on Peter Murphy's Facebook account where he tells fans he's going to work with Mick Karn on a new Dalis Car album, their first time to even see each other since 1984.This EP, released in 2012, was the fruit of their labors and Mick Karn's last work before he lost his battle with cancer in January 2011. While only five songs in length (I believe the plan was to make it a full length album, but this was all they could get with Karn's health on the decline), this EP is just amazing. For one thing, playing it next to The Waking Hour yields no noticeable differences. A good 30+ years have elapsed between the two, but InGladAloneness sounds like the logical continuation they would have done if they continued in the 80s. Each song has the characteristic bass guitar work that I always found unique to Mick Karn. Peter Murphy's vocals are strong and spot on as always. Each song feels very emotional, at times like each is saying goodbye to the other knowing the end is near.To me, Dalis Car was always the most underappreciated and underrated of the post-Bauhaus projects (I'm not as big a Japan fan, so I can't speak to that). As with The Waking Hour, the songs on here are a bit eclectic, so don't walk into this expecting it to sound like Bauhaus or Japan. It won't. The only tragedy with this EP, and Dalis Car as a whole, is that there just isn't more material from the group.

I've been a long time Peter Murphy fan, and when this album was in the offing I followed the story via maginzines and webblogs. The album is great! I was afraid it would be very 'contemporary' but it is true to the Dali's car sound! If you're a Peter Murphy fan, or a Dalis car fan, I would strongly recommend this!