This well thought-out two CD retrospective brings together aspects of Sylvian’s whole career, from Japan to his most recent Dead Bees On A Cake solo project, as well as some of his collaborative work.

Everything And Nothing showcases Sylvian’s development as a songwriter, singer, influential artist and a man who has always shown scant regard for chart placings or, for that matter, any other convention of the music industry.

A real attraction of this new collection is that many of the tracks are either unreleased, newly recorded or remixed, and the two discs have also been sequenced to make them work as a seamless whole, regardless of the date or origin of individual tracks. Clearly, Sylvian has put as much thought into this as he does into any of his work.

Not necessarily a set to be consumed all at one sitting, this is nevertheless a beautiful, evocative and haunting work It will reward the attentive listener’s patience.