Search - Angels of Light :: We Are Him

Please buy this album.

Jonathan D. Mcfadden | Fayetteville, AR USA | 09/01/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Fans of any of Michael Gira's previous Angels of Light albums will not be disappointed with his amazing new record. Personally, I found very much to like about the Angels tracks on "Sing Other People" and the split album with Akron/Family (who are wonderful in their own right, but that's another review), however, those tracks were not nearly as fleshed out and immediate as the blindingly gorgeous ones on We Are Him. Here, Gira has taken what he has learned and created with his collaborations with Akron and combined it with the devastating wall of sound approach he perfected on "Everything is Good Here..." I really don't know where to start on this one, because every song is compelling, and there are no weak spots, but I particularly like "Not Here/Not Now", "The Man We Left Behind", "We Are Him", "My Brother's Man", "Sometimes I Dream I'm Hurting You" and "Promise of Water".



I never for a minute thought, when the Swans were still together, or when Gira announced he had a new band, that he would eclipse anything he ever did with this new, completely different music. I would never discount the Swans, one of my favorite bands, but this is simply the case. I love the Swans on so many levels, but Gira has one-upped himself with Angels of Light.



Even if you've never heard of Swans or Angels, or are a fan of more mainstream stuff like Nick Cave (who Michael is easily on the same level as) or Will Oldham, you will enjoy this breathtaking record very much. It certainly means a great deal to me. BUY IT and support YGR!"

The world is still burning

Pieter | Johannesburg | 09/09/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"We Are Him is the fiftth album by Angels Of Light, Michael Gira's 21st century project after the dissolution of Swans. It opens with the uptempo Black River Song, then follows the heavy slow number Promise Of Water with typical Giraesque apocalyptic lyrics. One of the album's masterpieces is the melodious and flowing The Man We Left Behind, a mournful ballad. Here the band is in top form on a song comparable to the track Angels Of Light on the album New Mother.



Harshness and dissonance rule on My Brother's Man, whilst Not Here/Not Now has a complex arrangement with some atmospheric female vocals. Joseph's song is a mid-tempo track with arresting imagery and beautiful instrumental flourishes and is followed by the album's other highlight, the title track with its pulsating beat. Sometimes I Dream I'm Hurting You with its spiritual undertone starts out slow and oneiric before the tempo speeds up to a raucous 100kph.



There is an initially interrupted melody line in the short track Sunflower's Here To Stay which also has some great guitar and a bucolic air, like some singalong folky romp done by Fairport Convention. The instrumentation on the ribald Goodbye Mary Lou sounds like bluegrass to me while The Visitor is full of gravitas and the album concludes with Star Chaser, a melancholy observation on lost love. In its most tuneful moments, the music reminds me of the fogotten Swans masterpiece Burning World.



There are beautiful but disturbing paintings on the front and back cover of the CD holder, by Deryk Thomas of the eerie bunnies fame of Swans albums like White Light from the Mouth of Infinity and Love of Life. The fold-out contains two full-color and one black & white painting by Deryk with the lyrics printed on the other side. We Are Him is a great album, not quite as dark as Gira's work with Swans or some of the previous Angels Of Light albums. The overall sound is quite reminiscent of the previous album The Angels of Light Sing Other People.



How I Loved You



Omniscience



Great Annihilator



Various Failures 1988-1992



Everything Is Good Here / Please Come Home"

The horror

D. Keene | tampa,fl | 11/27/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I just discovered Gira's music. He is a great artist. Like John Cale, Nick Cave, Warren Zevon and Tom Waits and other unique artists he has seen and felt the heart of darkness and he has something to say about it, something beautiful and terrifying. You've asked me to make some comments concerning this recording and I don't want to repeat what has already been said by others. I purchased this album and the "Great Annihilator"on Amazon . The Swans did some great work also. I listen to a lot of different music and these two recordings are among the best. I'm also glad that I purchased the CD package rather than the mp3 down load. The artwork is terrific, like a fairy tale nightmare.



Edit on March 8, 2008. I have since purchased all of Angels of Light Albums. This is the Best. They are all very good but this one is Best. The Angels of Light Deserve to be heard."