''Feasting with Panthers'' is the sixteenth solo studio album by the British singer/songwriter

Marc Almond Peter Mark Sinclair "Marc" Almond, (born 9 July 1957) is an English singer. Almond first began performing and recording in the synthpop/ new wave duo Soft Cell where he became known for his distinctive soulful voice and androgynous image. ...

. The album is credited to Almond and Michael Cashmore, of

Current 93 Current 93 are an English experimental music group, working since the early 1980s in folk-based musical forms. The band was founded in 1982 by David Tibet, who has been Current 93's only constant member. Background Tibet has been the only const ...

and Nature and Organisation, with both given equal billing. The album was released by Strike Force Entertainment, part of Cherry Red Records, on 30 May 2011.

Background

Marc Almond first worked with Michael Cashmore when Almond contributed guest vocals to the

album ''

Black Ships Ate the Sky ''Black Ships Ate the Sky'' is a 2006 album by the UK-based musical ensemble Current 93. The album features numerous guest vocalists, such as Anohni, Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, Marc Almond, and Shirley Collins. It features nine versions of the 1816 ...

''. They next collaborated as Marc Almond & Michael Cashmore for the EP ''Gabriel and the Lunatic Lover'' in 2008 and continued to occasionally work together until they completed ''Feasting with Panthers''. The album is entirely composed of poetry set to music and was produced with both artists separate at all times with music and vocals being sent back and forth. ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' describes the album as "a sumptuous piano-driven collaboration with Michael Cashmore, featuring songs derived from the poetry of

Jean Cocteau Jean Maurice Eugène Clément Cocteau (, , ; 5 July 1889 – 11 October 1963) was a French poet, playwright, novelist, designer, filmmaker, visual artist and critic. He was one of the foremost creatives of the s ...

Gérard de Nerval Gérard de Nerval (; 22 May 1808 – 26 January 1855) was the pen name of the French writer, poet, and translator Gérard Labrunie, a major figure of French romanticism, best known for his novellas and poems, especially the collection '' Les ...

and Jean Genet", which Almond in the same article calls "decadent poetry translated by

Jeremy Reed Jeremy Thomas Reed (born June 15, 1981) is an American former professional baseball outfielder in Major League Baseball (MLB). Early life Reed graduated from Bonita High School in La Verne, California in 1999, and went on to play college basebal ...

". The album was released as a gatefold

digipak Optical disc packaging is the packaging that accompanies CDs, DVDs, and other formats of optical discs. Most packaging is rigid or semi-rigid and designed to protect the media from scratches and other types of exposure damage. Jewel case ...

which included a 14-page booklet.

Critical reception

''Feasting with Panthers'' received mixed reviews from critics. Jon O'Brien in the ''

Record Collector ''Record Collector'' is a British monthly music magazine. It was founded in 1980 and distributes worldwide. History The early years The first standalone issue of ''Record Collector'' was published in March 1980, though its history stretches ba ...

'' magazine states that it is an album of "tales of young boys and dark pleasure" but calls it "a sumptuous banquet". Ian Shirley in his ''

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

'' review states that ''Feasting with Panthers'' "is just too one-note to be considered as anything other than highbrow background music" but concedes that "Almond is in fine form, toning down his sometimes theatrical tendencies in favor of a more restrained vocal style".

Track listing

# "The Thief and the Night" ( Jean Genet) – 5:20 # "Sonnet XI" ( Count Eric Stenbock) – 2:02 # "Boy Caesar" (

) – 6:40 # "The Lunatic Lover" (Stenbock) – 6:07 # "Crime of Love" (

Paul Verlaine Paul-Marie Verlaine (; ; 30 March 1844 – 8 January 1896) was a French poet associated with the Symbolist movement and the Decadent movement. He is considered one of the greatest representatives of the '' fin de siècle'' in international and ...

) – 3:30 # "The Sleeper in the Valley" (

Arthur Rimbaud Jean Nicolas Arthur Rimbaud (, ; 20 October 1854 – 10 November 1891) was a French poet known for his transgressive and surreal themes and for his influence on modern literature and arts, prefiguring surrealism. Born in Charleville, he start ...

) – 3:54 # "The Song of the Unwept Tear" (Stenbock) – 3:27 # "Patron Saint of Lipstick" (Reed) – 4:45 # "Gabriel" (Stenbock) – 5:49 # "El Desdichado" (

) – 2:26 # "Hotel de France and Poetry" (

) – 3:55 # "The Man Condemned to Death" (Genet) – 5:35 # "Feasting with Panthers" (Zebulon Xander) – 7:12

Personnel

–

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or withou ...

* Michael Cashmore – all instruments and backing vocals *

– poem translation & adaptation

References

{{Authority control 2011 albums Marc Almond albums Cherry Red Records albums