Tunes Consumed: the Poutine Silver Platter

Michael Gira (of Swans fame) started up Angels of Light in the late 90s as what was then a minimalistic-reaction to the Wall of sound he used to imbue. His process of songwriting is simple: write a piece on acoustic guitar, then gather up a handful of friends to pass the tune around the room, and embrace the collective sound that results. This project of his tends to swing on the softer side, but this isn’t Michael Gira gone sour.

In some archaic Gira-words on his Young Gods profile, he sums up his aims with Angels of Light: “After many years … of dwelling on “sonic overload” with Swans, I now concentrate on augmenting the songs I write with orchestrations that support the basic song, rather than the sound itself taking over… I view the arrangements as little films created to make a context for the words and voice, so that one can drift off into the world the music creates… but I intentionally steer clear of a “Rock” sound.”

Until now, I’ve only been respecting them from afar. Having been into Swans back in the hey-day, I always kind of felt like Angels of Light was Gira regressing. Only after some many listening sessions with the 2005 Akron/Family split did I start to enjoy the sound, but it was still not anything I could sink my teeth into.

I always appreciated his words, but there was some element missing from what surrounded his verse; some fundamental quality of music that I felt it lacked, and as a result of that it always felt weak & sappy, like any generic Top-40 country hit. After listening to We Are Him it’s become apparent that what was missing was the characteristic Gira lack of constraint. His reluctance to go with a sound that would “take over” was an incredible fault in the music; or that was my impression.

We Are Him is nothing if not Gira back doing what he does best. As Darnielle put it: “The frightening rage of old Swans surfaces several times, albeit in more bucolic clothing [and] the contrast is bracing. Lyrically Gira’s constantly in-pocket, addressing his subjects with renewed agility, but also in a very relaxed voice; if De Sade had lived long enough to tell folk tales around a campfire, some of them might have sounded like this. The genuinely playful orchestration - banjos? horns? chimes? slide? check – is by turns charming and perverse, and has a band-of-brethren feel to it that’s both ominous and exiting.“

You can read Gira’s own words on the new album in extensive detail over here at the label’s site. The album lands some time in August. Until them you can dig these tracks, and if you happen to see Gira, give him a chummy ol’ pat on the back.

mp3:
Angels of Light - Black River Song
Angels of Light - We Are Him
Angels of Light - Goodbye Mary Lou