We Are Him

Angels Of Light

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 28, 2007)
• Original Release Date: September 11, 2007
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Young God Records
• ASIN: B000T988EM
• In-Print Editions: Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #112,810 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
We Are Him is the fifth album from Angels of Light, the main vehicle for Michael Gira's music since he disbanded Swans in 1997. Gira is also known lately as the label master and in-house producer for Young God Records, responsible for the likes of Devendra Banhart, Akron/Family, and Lisa Germano, among many others, further widening the scope and influence of his 25 years of music-making. We Are Him is a potent new chapter in a fiercely individual and remarkable musical journey. Backing/contributing musicians include Akron/Family, Bill Rieflin (Ministry, Swans, Robert Fripp, and currently drummer for both Robyn Hitchcock and REM), Julia Kent (Antony and the Johnsons) Christoph Hahn (longtime Angel and former Swan) and many, many more...

"Michael Gira taught me that you don't need to play loud to play heavy, you don't need to compromise to be a success to those who really count. He is one of maybe ten people in the whole world who inspired me to pick up a guitar and try to write songs in the first place...We Are Him is an intimidating great album and a highlight in a career of highlights." - James Toth / Wooden Wand

"We Are Him is the most assured and relaxed Angels of Light album since the debut, and deserves to be considered alongside Gira's highest peaks. The frightening rage of old Swans surfaces several times, albeit in more bucolic clothing; the contrast is bracing... The title track is like a pure shot of adrenaline. An intimate, unexpected masterpiece." - John Darnielle/The Mountain Goats

"The moment i played We Are Him my heart exploded with the feeling 'that voice!!!!!!' and it has done it to me every time i have ever heard it since... now is the best Michael Gira has ever sounded and i cannot without sounding insanely thrilled express how much this means to me. We Are Him is touching, frightening, wonderfully different and whole." - Jamie Stewart / Xiu Xiu

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Please buy this album., September 1, 2007

By	Jonathan D. Mcfadden (Fayetteville, AR USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The world is still burning, September 8, 2007

By	Pieter "Toypom" (Johannesburg) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)

We Are Him is the 5th 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 poetic lyrics 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

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars the horror, November 27, 2007

By	D. Keene (tampa,fl) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.