DAVID SYLVIAN EVERYTHING AND NOTHING COMPILATION DOUBLE ALBUM VIRGIN RELEASE: OCTOBER 17, 2000 REVIEW: DECEMBER 4, 2000

Some people just don't thrive in bands. Even if the bands are brilliant, like Yellow Magic Orchestra, Can, King Crimson or Japan, they are bound to sneak out of the outfit to breathe fresh air and find absolute artistic freedom.
The funny thing is, all the above-mentioned people have gone solo, but seem to have formed some kind of semi group together where they keep showing up. Ryuichi Sakamoto, Holger Chukay and Robert Fripp keep showing up in the credits of this David Sylvian compilation. I think Sylvian does the same on their albums. If that isn't enough living legends for you, the brilliant guitarist Marc Ribot also appears, along with jazz maestro Arto Lindsay.
Sylvian's greatest asset is his ability to assemble the talent of these, sometimes difficult, avant garde musicians, and harnessing it to create accessible, beautiful pop songs. His lyrics are more like classical poetry than the ordinary bleeding hearts rambling, and his solemn voice is what ties it all together.
So here are a number of elegant songs from David Sylvian's long career, from the Japan success album "Tin Drum", up until last years "Dead Bees on a Cake". They are all rich in texture and ambience, without spacing out and forgetting the song itself.
"Everything and Nothing" is a pleasant introduction to David Sylvian's work. Despite spanning twenty years, the songs fit amazingly well together, and the contemplative mood is preserved all the way through.

MATTIAS HUSS