This came out in 1999 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
First we don’t hear from him for 10 years; now we can’t stop him. Not that anyone wants to.
After a decade of silence, former Japan leader David Sylvian re-emerged in spring with the textured, moody and deservedly acclaimed Dead Bees On A Cake. Six months later, he’s back with this three-track disc. No, it’s not a single: Two of the songs are half-hour, ambient soundscapes featured in multi-media museum pieces the performer created during his time off the stage. Fittingly, Approaching Silence seems more like artwork than songcraft. The glacial pacing, trance-like drones and exotic minimalism of the instrumentation — strings, bells, gongs and the like — are as lulling and seductive as one of Monet’s water lilies. I may not know art, but…
