Tanith And The Lion Tree

Recorded during the early 1991 Gulf War as a partial comment, Tanith and the Lion Tree found Edward Ka-Spel, partially accompanied by his then partner Lady Loop, creating a queasy, fractured feeling of a fairy tale definitely not designed for children, as the opening intensity of “‘O’ From the Great Sea” makes clear. There’s plenty of calm beauty as well though, as on the slow fading of the instrumental “Loop 1,” while the absolutely compelling gentility of “Prithee” – the setting of a Ka-Spel vocal then shifting into a gentle piano part is remarkable – might just be one of his best efforts.