Dead Can Dance

It took Dead Can Dance to find the common ground between black-clad gloom rockers and Birkenstock-sporting new agers. They accomplished this by emphasizing the melancholia in their mix of mesmerizing vocals, catchy drum beats, synthy world music, European Renaissance folk and modern studio wizardry. Wrapping it all in Joy Division-style album covers helped lure in the alternative rock crowd. The amazing part was that they never watered any element down, but created a world and a sound all their own. They plunge you into a Technicolor Seventh Seal that shows the beauty in death and disease while keeping the chess-playing grim reapers at a safe distance. For those who love Siouxsie Sioux and herbal tea -- Dead Can Dance are the Tuck and Patti for the Anne Rice set.