1. Black River Song
2. Promise of Water
3. The Man We Left Behind
4. My Brother’s Man
5. Not Here/Not Now
6. Joseph’s Song
7. We Are Him
8. Sometimes I Dream I'm Hurting You
9. Sunflower’s Here to Stay
10. Good Bye Mary Lou
11. The Visitor
12. Star Chaser
Review:
Angels Of Light: Siobhan Duffy Gira, Ryan Vanderhoof, Larkin Grimm (vocals); Michael Gira, Seth Olinsky (acoustic guitar); Christoph Hahn (electric guitar); Phil Puleo (hammer dulcimer); Patrick Fondiller (mandolin); Eszter Balint, Paul Cantelon (violin); Julia Kent (cello); David Garland (flute); Birgit Cassis Staudt (accordion); Steve Moses (trombone); Bill Rieflin, Miles Seaton (bass guitar); Dana Janssen (drums); Adam Sachs (unknown instrument).
Michael Gira continued to atone for years of fronting the loudest band ever, the Swans, with both his second band, Angels of Light, and his label, Young God Records, which gave the world the likes of Devendra Barnhart and Akron/Family. Both of these endeavors bolstered his belief that music need not split ears to be adventurous, challenging, and beautiful.
WE ARE HIM, the fifth long-player from Angels of Light, is wholly uncategorizable, and features Gira chasing far-flung muses from Beefheart stomps ("My Brother's Man") to dirgy semi-ragas ("Promise of Water"), to almost traditional pop ("Good Bye Mary Lou.") The constants throughout are delicate arrangements, odd structures, and Gira's mesmerizingly laconic baritone. There are familiar touchstones here--synth-era Leonard Cohen and Nick Cave's solo work to name two--but Gira is an original and WE ARE HIM is weird American noir that sounds like nothing else on earth. - CD Universe
