The Revolutionary Army Of The Infant Jesus - New album

[shadowplay]

Not a very well known band I guess but I was delighted to see they have returned with a truly beautiful new album; Beauty Will Save The World. If you like elegiac and atmospheric song-writing you are in for a treat

You can listen to the whole thing here.

Comparisons? I guess if you like Nico, Apocalyptic folk and Dead Can Dance or maybe Field of Reeds you might well enjoy this.

blurb;

The first new album by the Revolutionary Army of the Infant Jesus in over 20 years. Released on Occultation Recordings.
One of music’s most elusive and enigmatic acts is lifting the veil (a fraction) to launch their new album, Beauty Will Save the World, on Occultation Recordings.
For three decades the reclusive Revolutionary Army of The Infant Jesus (RAIJ) have confounded musical classification and studiously declined every invitation to explain their unique form of musical and artistic experimentation.
Initially the Liverpool outfit built their reputation on their extraordinary immersive multi-media performances combining multiple layers of visual imagery, elements of ritual, enigmatic samples, field recordings and mesmeric live music.
Their cult status was further reinforced with the release of the now much sought-after two studio albums The Gift of Tears (1987) and Mirror (1990) and two EP collections, Liturgie Pour La Fin Du Temps (1992) and Paradis (1995). After an 18-year hiatus the appearance of a new RAIJ album, and the apparent relaxation of their strict vow of silence, are generating predictable excitement and expectancy. Beauty Will Save the World does not disappoint. RAIJ’s intoxicating mix of ethereal beauty, dazzling soundscapes and oblique mystery reach new levels of intensity and subtlety. The album title - a quote from Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoevsky – is one of the many literary, cinematic and spiritual references underpinning RAIJ’s unexpected comeback. Founder members Paul Boyce, Jon Egan and Les Hampson, joined by a fresh wave of collaborators, have crafted an album of unique beauty and originality. Prolonged silence seems to have deepened rather than dimmed their creative impulse.
As ever it is the breadth of musical genres, cultural references, borrowings and retrieved sounds that define the RAIJ aesthetic, but there is also a more consistently meditative and melodic strain that underpins the album’s integrity and purpose. In a rare insight into the RAIJ’s creative method, Jon Egan explains:
“Although our work takes elements and inspiration from many disparate sources we have never viewed it as deconstruction. We are looking for the thread that connects every manifestation of beauty, however fragile, transitory and seemingly accidental. ”
In addition to the album release on Occultation, RAIJ’s second coming also includes a live performance at this year’s Greenbelt Festival and the re-release on vinyl of The Gift of Tears by California-based label Feral Sounds.
“There is renewed interest and appreciation of our music and that’s great”, said Leslie Hampson. “We have never tried to cultivate obscurity or anonymity, we simply wanted to avoid having to explain and justify a creative process that isn’t necessarily premeditated. Isn’t it enough to listen to and experience it?”

D

[Slow-Pop]

this is fantastic. Elegiac is a great word for this music, in the most lovely way.

[shadowplay]

this is fantastic. Elegiac is a great word for this music, in the most lovely way.

I'm delighted someone likes this and I'm not surprised it's you bringing the taste! I'm struggling to think of a better record brought out by a band emerging from a long hiatus.

I loved their first album way back in the 80's and I had a real thing for the bands around at that time who combined folk and classical influences with their own thing, like; In the Nursery, Bel Canto, Coil, Dead can Dance and R.A.I.J. I still do.

D

[UlricvonCatalyst]

I'm quite enjoying this so far. Wouldn't mind experiencing the live multimedia version.

[shadowplay]

Wouldn't mind experiencing the live multimedia version.

Me too, I just love this album, it deserves wider recognition and should really be challenging for the summit of the end of year lists.

D

[scottT]

I put off listening to this because of name. It struck me as provocative in a cheap way, but I did listen to it this morning and I'm glad I pushed past that, because it is beautiful music and from what I now know about them, they don't use their references thoughtlessly. Learning that was important to me. They have purposely avoided providing context and explanation but I've read enough of their intentions to give them the benefit of the doubt that they aren't trying to be profane. My own belief is that they are missing the point of what putting faith in Christ promises, and are instead exploring the New Age belief that there are many roads to God...or in their case, substituting God for beauty and rejecting his word in the interest of pursuing an aesthetic substitute. While I do understand art, and the role of the artist in exploring, questioning and recontextualizing to find new meaning apart from accepted dogma or doctrine, it does make me sad to see earnest, thirsty people trying to make sense of the spiritual by lapping at trickles and puddles while missing the fountain.

[shadowplay]

The name comes from Luis Bunuel's That Obscure Object of Desire. I've always found them hard to read, I think they are Christians of some sort or another but I grew up a Catholic and if I'm honest I just like some of the imagery and iconography and if a band has a bit of Christian thing going I don't look to deeply into it, sorry to say that it's just lyrical colour. I enjoy music with a spiritual, pagan or mystical dimension despite myself being a godless heathen who believes in nothing but the wonder of nature.

However, I agree that the name might put some folk off and this is a shame.

There's also a Revolutionary Corps of Teenage Jesus

D

[scottT]

Ha!...sounds like a revolution is afoot. Onward Christian soldiers!

[shadowplay]

Onward Christian soldiers!

Now that's a tune!

D

[shadowplay]

Btw Revolutionary Army of the Infant Jesus brilliant 1991 elpee Mirror is getting it's first vinyl release. I'd argue they were in a place* few others were at the time (during what our forefather termed; 'The great grunge blight of 1991') and might actually make more sense now to most people.

There's a couple of tracks to listen to at the Bandcampand a couple more below.

The Revolutionary Army Of The Infant Jesus - Inmaculado

The Revolutionary Army of the Infant Jesus- Psalm

The Revolutionary Army of the Infant Jesus- - Nostalgia

The Revolutionary Army of the Infant Jesus - Man of sorrows

i love this band and I am fully of the opinion that their comeback album Beauty will Save The World stands steeple high above your typical weak sauce comeback record.

D

*neo classical, apocalyptic, devotional folk.

[dc]

i love this band and I am fully of the opinion that their comeback album Beauty will Save The World stands steeple high above your typical weak sauce comeback record.

i seem to have missed (possibly avoided) this the first time around, but i'm listening now and it's quite good. puts one in mind of Filigree and Shadow at points, with industrial touches and cryptic religiosity thrown into the mix. dig!

[shadowplay]

i love this band and I am fully of the opinion that their comeback album Beauty will Save The World stands steeple high above your typical weak sauce comeback record.

i seem to have missed (possibly avoided) this the first time around, but i'm listening now and it's quite good. puts one in mind of Filigree and Shadow at points, with industrial touches and cryptic religiosity thrown into the mix. dig!

Glad you like it.

The older records are even more down that road, often reminding me of pre Serpents Egg Dead Can Dance, as well as Current 93 and World that Summer period Death and June, all folded into a very European filmic folk hymnal sort of affair.

D

[dc]

The older records are even more down that road, often reminding me of pre Serpents Egg Dead Can Dance, as well as Current 93 and World that Summer period Death and June, all folded into a very European filmic folk hymnal sort of affair.
D

i recall DCD once described as "religious music for churchless people." fits these folks too, whatever the band's own convictions might be -

[shadowplay]

So (pantpantpant) there's actually two new Revolutionary Army of the Infant Jesus elpees out. Firstly Songs of Yearning which is the main event and Nocturnes which is a companion album which also contains the Carry the Sun single. At the moment it's sadly digital only due to the current crisis but there's a pre-order up for both records and if you order you get the digital now.

I'll not bore you with a flowery ramble, I'm just going to cut to the chase and say that if anything gets above Songs of Yearning in my end of year it's going to be something spectacular because Songs of Yearning is a stunningly beautiful, moving, elegiac, romantic, mysterious and mesmerising album. It very much follows on from Beauty Will Save the World their comeback elpee of a few years ago (itself right at the summit of best of it's year) but it's more of a immersive experience, it flows, it's charming, it's got something about it.

Revolutionary Army Of The Infant Jesus - Songs of Yearning on Ye Olde Bandecampe

and a rather lovely wee video for Carry The sun which slightly reminds me of the brilliant French band Fall of Saigon or Weekend

Tasting notes; Dead Can Dance, Leonard Cohen, Current 93, Death in June, Nico, His Name is Alive, Plinth, Morricone...

D

[nanamour]

I'll not bore you with a flowery ramble, I'm just going to cut to the chase and say that if anything gets above Songs of Yearning in my end of year it's going to be something spectacular because Songs of Yearning is a stunningly beautiful, moving, elegiac, romantic, mysterious and mesmerising album. It very much follows on from Beauty Will Save the World their comeback elpee of a few years ago (itself right at the summit of best of it's year) but it's more of a immersive experience, it flows, it's charming, it's got something about it.

Spectacularly beautiful, very much a worthy follow up of Beauty Will Save the World (one of my favorite albums of the last decade). Much respect for the way Revolutionary Army of the Infant Jesus continue to extend their tendrils of elegiac cryptoreligious romanticism into new sonic avenues with each record, very much the opposite of the crowdpleasing self-parody so many other bands box themselves into with later-day releases.

Shame the double decker with Nocturnes is so dear (especially when factoring in shipping across the pond); I'll probably just spring for the digital for now.

Edit: BTW, for anyone who is enjoying this, I see the entire RAOTIJ digital discography is on sale for £22.40/~USD$28/~CAD$39--that's a hot bargain if I ever saw one.