While the album's overall ambience is consistently quiet, sensual, and dimly lit, there are subtle dynamic shifts among the individual compositions. The moodily acoustic "When Poets Dreamed of Angels" is countered by the hymn-like "Let the Happiness In," while the rhythmic pulse of "The Boy With the Gun" is followed by the almost abstract "Maria." The result is an album varied in texture yet unified in mood. Arguably Sylvian's finest effort, SECRETS OF THE BEEHIVE offers a haunting, sustained musical experience.