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All Revolutionary Army of Infant Jesus titles at rucds.GEMM.com - as low as $8.31

The Revolutionary Army of the Infant Jesus

The Revolutionary Army of the Infant Jesus - The Gift of Tears (LP/CS Sanitorium/Probe Plus, 1988 / CD, Sanitorium/Probe Plus, 1992)

Incredible. What can I say? It's Celtic, it's folky. It's experimental. It's tribal-percussive. It has beautiful child-like female vocals harmonized with male vocals. Spoken words. Madrigals. Gregorian chants. Insane distorted guitar. Samples of people speaking Russian, French and German. A very sophisticated CD of music that is certainly experimental, keeping in tradition with the principles of some of the early industrial artists. One of the most unique bands in the world. Influences include Dead Can Dance, and the films of Luis Buneal and Andrei Tarkovsky. (by Josh Pyle)

The Revolutionary Army of the Infant Jesus - Mirror (CD, Sanitorium/Probe Plus, 1991)

The music is dreamy. Very cool. More of the same from the first release, but better. Immaculate! More female vocals, some heavy industrial beats mixed in with flutes, acoustic guitar and samples. More samples of Russian, French, and German. A little shortwave radio thrown in for good measure, plus some guitar feedback. A spacey jazz tune on here, reminds me of "Twin Peaks" if it was set in the 60's on the French Riviera. Incredible chant piece on here, a prayer recorded live. A very elegant, very dark, yet very spiritual and majestic CD. (by Josh Pyle)

Revolutionary Army of the Infant Jesus - The RAIJ Double CD Collection / Paradis (2CD / CD, Apocalyptic Vision, 1994 / 1995)

C.S. Lewis once wrote "Holy places are dark places." If his sentiment could be expressed physically, it would undoubtedly find embodiment in the music of the Revolutionary Army of the Infant Jesus. These English musicians appear well-versed in the western liturgical music tradition which seems to be the basis of their beautifully reverent and dark compositions. In addition to simple chant-like vocals sometimes haunted with an ethereal, childlike female voice, RAIJ incorporates such an array of musical elements it's impossible to name them all. They combine folk, celtic, world beat, tribal percussion, Eastern European, and some Middle Eastern influences into a truly original sound. RAIJ's first album, The Gift of Tears, explores some of these components in notable pieces such as "Come Holy Spirit" and "Beauty after the Fall". The first one begins with a lone classical guitar, soon accompanied by bass and tribal percussion while a simple, chant-like melody and a floating female vocal carry the piece. "Beauty" is just that--a harmony of classical guitar, woodwind melody, and spoken word. The Gift of Tears is very much organic and acoustic, but there is also quite a bit of experimentation in all of RAIJ's music. You'll hear the clanging of cathedral bells, echoing percussion, and spoken word in foreign languages, including samples from the films of Andrei Tarkovsky and Jean Cocteau. "De Profundis" is full of reverberating metallic clanks, layers of feedback, and a swirl of wind instruments. Overall, the second album, "Mirror," is more experimental than the first. Although there is less use of acoustic instruments, the earthy element is still present but is saturated with processed sounds and samples. "Nostalgia" is a beautifully somber and captivating piece composed of a dark orchestral arrangement and a piano interlude while a man's voice drones in the background. Another composition meshing samples and noise with instruments is "Psalm". Unidentifiable whooshes and echoes soar across the clear solemnity of a child-like voice singing the words of Psalm 51. In the new EP Paradis, RAIJ continues to blend organic instruments and experimental sounds into lush masterpieces. "The Parable (of the Singing Ringing Tree)" is an 8-minute rendering of the original found on Gift of Tears, this time made fuller with an accordion-like instrument and guitar. "Mouvement" is a simple but well-crafted piece consisting only of congas. The focus of "Paradis" is the ethereal female voice which swoops and echoes with a semi-operatic quality. Perhaps the highlight of the EP is "She Moved Through the Fair", an atmospheric piece slowly building in percussive speed and intensity reminiscent of the final movement of Ravel's "Bolero".

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