RAIN TREE CROW

"Rain Tree Crow" is the eponymously titled debut full-length studio album by UK pop/rock act Rain Tree Crow. The album was released through Virgin Records in April 1991. While it´s the debut album under the Rain Tree Crow monicker it could just as well have been released as the sixth full-length studio album by Japan, as it features the same four musicians in the lineup who also recorded Japan´s final studio album "Tin Drum" (November 1981). In fact Virgin Records put pressure on the band to release the album under the Japan monicker but lead vocalist David Sylvian vetoed the idea and got his will (although the album front cover features the names of all four musicians, which is of course a label marketing trick to lure in fans of Japan). The album was relatively successful and to begin with it wasn´t meant to be a one-off project, but as old disagreements came to the surface again, Rain Tree Crow folded again even before being able to tour in support of the album.

Stylistically it´s an atmospheric, organic, and deeply melancholic album, featuring steady organic grooves, synth/keyboard and guitar chords and themes to create atmosphere, and lead vocalist/guitarist David Sylvian´s pleasant and warm baritone voice in front. The tracks aren´t your usual vers/chorus structured pop/rock songs, but often more linear in structure and not always written to be an accessible listen. In that respect Rain Tree Crow respect the artistic integrity of Japan, but other than that this sounds more like a David Sylvian solo album than an album created by all four members of the last incarnation of Japan. Mick Karn´s busy and dominant bass playing and the creative and groovy drumming of Steve Jansen for example aren´t heard much on this album. This is generally a more stripped down and atmospheric release. And I´m afraid some tracks even travel down the repetitive dark and ambient muzak road.

"Blackwater" was released as an album single, and it´s probably the most mainstream oriented and normal vers/chorus structured track on the album, so that makes sense. It´s still a melancholic and ambient pop/rock song, but it´s relatively accessible. "Rain Tree Crow" features a warm and organic sounding production job and it´s obvious that this is a late 1989/1990 recording when you listen to the drum sound, the synths/keyboards chosen, and the way the vocals are produced. It´s just a really well sounding release.

Upon conclusion "Rain Tree Crow" will probably not be what most people expect when they learn that it was recorded by the same lineup who recorded Japan´s "Tin Drum" and it´s definitely not a given that fans of Japan will find this interesting. Sylvian´s baritone and the melancholic atmosphere of the music is recognisable but the instrumental part of the music is generally far removed from the sound of late 70s/early 80s Japan. A 3 star (60%) rating is warranted.

I was a big fan of Japan at the time and subsequently loved Sylvian and Karn's solo work and when this album appeared - hyped by the music press as a 'Japan reunion', it certainly wasn't what I expected on first listen. Rather than deliver a commercial album loaded with a few pop hits, what you got was a very atmospheric and experimental album consisting of a lot of meandering instrumental pieces. It's one of those albums you have to be in he right mood to listen to but when you are - it's a masterpiece. It's more new age and ambient as opposed to new romantic and is more akin to the feel of some of Sylvian's solo work but it's certainly something that's best digested as a whole. Much of it was created from studio improvisations and some tracks work as a link between some of the more composed pieces. According to reports, Sylvian took the whole project over but to me it sounds like a band given free rein to experiment and come up with something interesting - which they did. Anyone looking for a catchy single will find solace in 'Blackwater' but the majority of the album consists of what can be termed atmospheric mood music and often that mood is quite bleak. Rain Treet Crow was initially meant to be an ongoing project but, possibly due to the disagreements that have been well documented and the lack of commercial material, they left us just this one singular album. It's certainly one that repays repeated listening and you could envisage Rain Tree Crow making very evocative soundtracks for arty films. Personally, I like this album a lot and is worth investigating if you are prepared to accept it's a radical departure from Gentlemen Take Polaroids and Tin Drum!

Rain Tree Crow is a one-shot album, but excellent to say the least. What was supposed to be a reunion between the members of Japan, turned into a supergroup of the "Who's Who" in '90s Progressive Rock. Members are Mick Karn, Richard Barbieri (Porcupine Tree), Steve Jansen, David Sylvian, Michael Brook, and Bill Nelson. The members of Japan realized they were performing entirely different material from what they were previously covering in the 80s; thus, the name Rain Tree Crow prevails. Here's a quote from the liner notes: "The majority of the material on this album was written as a result of group improvisations. There were no pre-rehearsals; The improvisation took place in the recording studio and much of the finished work contains original elements of those initial performances." This CD would appeal to fans of Bark Psychosis, later period-Talk Talk, Eno and '80s King Crimson (the ambient works such as "Nuage" & "The Sheltering Sky"). Highly recommended!

Occasionally I'm coming back to this album, as 'Rain Tree Crow' is something for special moments exclusively. This Japan offshoot ... or rebirth ... it's got to be it, right? ... or whatever else ... might be somewhat controversial. David Sylvian himself claims that this production would be his personal favourite of all the material created with these musicians, which are Richard Barbieri, Mick Karn and Steve Jansen basically, as well as several guests. So what's the matter here? The album is the result of mostly improvised sessions at diverse studios situated in France, Italy and the UK, recorded between September 1989 and April 1990 - that means a windfall, if you ask me, roundabout seven years after the official Japan break-up

'I haul you in a sea of silence' - their outcome fascinated me from the beginning - speaking of eclectic styled dark mooded melancholicsongs, pretty much based on a semi-acoustic fundament. It all starts with the space/ethno/jazz fusion blend called Big Wheels In Shanty Town which alone is an astonishing affair - every time I listen to this song I'm quite sure to detect a new facet - guitars, bass, hammond, electric piano, drums, horns and synths - all the ingredients are put together to something challenging. And I still did not mention every component yet - also speaking of some native African female vocal contributions ... and then, just when being on the way to leave the town again, Sylvian joins in with his distinctive signature - a sentimental singing voice which surely plays an important role on this production.

By the way - Blackcrow Hits Shoe Shine City is another exemplar which sheers away from the general course a bit - the clearest reference to a rock music behaviour maybe. I would say the song gets relatively close to the early Porcupine Tree space/ambient phase due to Barbieri's synthesizer presence. Mostly though they slow down, provide an atmosphere hard to place, absolutely unique, in a wider sense akin to some tracks on the latest self-titled SBB album, or the late Talk Talk phase. And I adore this clear sound, man! - just take the folklore as well as classically tinged acoustic guitar on Red Earth, contributed by Phil Palmer.

So this is something for well-adjusted moments only, otherwise it may get you down. You are warned! The ambient atmospheric sound overall, combined with a rather sinister album art work, is not suitable for people who have a tendency to be depressed. This would mean that 'Rain Tree Crow' is something polarizing maybe. According to the motto, either you love it, or you hate it - there's nothing in between. Now you may guess, I love it, yeah, this is a wonderful contribution to my collection which I won't miss, laden with fascinating details, dedicated to a relaxed trip - headphones and full concentration required - and then the album temporarily hijacks me into another dimension, in order to charge my internal battery - 4.5 stars.

Bahh! I remember being SO disappointed when I first heard this in '91. 'Rain Tree Crow' sound nothing like 'Japan' whatsoever. However, it has grown on me over the years in the same way that Talk Talk's last two albums have. In fact if you swapped vocalists you'd be hard pushed to tell which band is which.

On the downside Richard Barbieri is relegated to the sidelines, pushed into a corner and unable to deliver any significant contribution. 'Rain Tree Crow sounds more like a Sylvian solo album circa 'Dead Bees on a Cake' than a joint venture with his 'Japan' pals. It seems to me that he had something of a domineering personality when it came to recording. That's not to say that this recording is a failure, far from it. It's just that I expected more of a band effort.

The once Western European then far Eastern pop sound has well and truly vanished forever. This one sounds more 'cactus and cowboy'.

Fans of the last years of 'Talk Talk' will like this. Guaranteed.

File under Japan. Or wait no, don't file it there at all!

In the 10 years that separate this album from Tin Drum, each of the Japan members had been involved in solo careers and the fields of music they engaged in during those years made entirely different musicians from them. So when they teamed up again to create this record something entirely new emerged from it. No wonder they decided not to go under the Japan banner any more.

Gone is everything that linked Japan to the art-rock and new wave of the early 80's. Sylvian's vocals have dropped another octave and the music has become much more atmospheric, jazzy, free and exploratory. This album contains a kind of musical soundscapes, with a slowly creeping intensity that gets under your skin right when you expected to doze off. There still are some Japan traits, especially the Cantonese influences that pop up in tracks like New Moon and Blackcrow still remind us of Tin Drum. But the grown musical confidence of the band makes these pieces work better for me then on the somewhat contrived Tin Drum album.

After a very strong start, the quality sinks in a bit after track 8 and it doesn't fully recover again. The material becomes more experimental and almost entirely instrumental, as if Sylvian had already turned his back on his colleagues again. On tracks 10,11 and 12, his soulful breathy croon is surely missed.

File under latter day Talk Talk, sung by Sylvian, and played by Japan. Beautiful piece of work.

My first introduction to Sylvian's music, RAIN TREE CROW were recommended to me as something related to late TALK TALK. Unfortunately, they're nothing close, but fortunately they're quite enjoyable on their own. Take 80s CRIMSON, through away cranky Fripp solos (at least, it's imaginary possible!) and install nice low male vocals (David himself). Mix of ambient, proto-post-rock, experimental electronica and singer-songwriter attitude makes RAIN TREE CROW accessible but still progressive. Not that much essential in my book, but if you're fan of above-mentioned stuff, you may hunt for this album (it's really quite rare, as much as I know). Recommended.

This is stunningly beautiful album from the band once known as JAPAN, although not much different in style from David Sylvian's solo works. Slow-paced, ambient and sometimes jazz instrumentation may sound monotonous or too softy to the uninitiated, but it's pretty much how I would describe a sort of art/experimental rock music. Perhaps not a groundbreaking release, post-rock lovers may wish to check it out. If you like Sylvian's style, you have to have this item in you collection. But, further to that, I would like to recommend RTC even to general prog audience.

This album just does not click for me, Maybe there was a lot of angst between David Sylvian and the other members at the time as people have said. It falls way short of what Japan had to offer and David Sylvian's classics like Brilliant Trees.' New Moon at Red Deer Wallow' and ' Big Wheels in Shanty Town' are the best of a pretty poor lot.

I'm writing this review just as a way to pass on something I read at the time this came out. I believe it was in Tower Records' magazine Pulse!, and it reported that David Sylvian had gone back in the studio after the album was supposedly finished, and drastically altered the final mix. He apparently took the other Japan members' parts, deleting or heavily processing them, without their knowledge. According to the article, which was very short, the other three were very upset, and no longer wanted to have anything to do with Sylvian. Of course, that was over 10 years ago, so things may have changed. When I listen to "New Moon at Red Deer Wallow", it seems obvious that the track was radically altered. As it happens, I really love that track, and played it for my fellow Electroacoustic Music composers a few years ago. Of course, XTC did something similar in the early 80's with their dub experiments. Other songs on the album were left alone, apparently. Anyway, it's as good as a lot of Sylvian's solo work, but you probably already know that.