The Angels of Light
Encyclopedia
Angels of Light are an experimental
group that was formed circa 1998 by singer/guitarist Michael Gira
after he disbanded Swans
, the group he had founded in 1982. The band has marked a distinctly different style for Gira since he left Swans, most noticeably being musically more melodic and less brutal than his previous efforts.
Before the band was formed, Gira intended to call his post-Swans acoustic/song-based project The Pleasure Seekers. This name was discarded because there had been a group with the same name in the 1960s. The first two live performances of what would become the Angels of Light (the Tonic/Bowery Ballroom
benefit shows) were billed as "Michael Gira with guests".
Angels of Light include many New York City
collaborators, including Dana Schechter
of Bee and Flower
, Kid Congo Powers
of The Cramps
, Larry Mullins
aka Toby Dammit
, Bliss Blood
of The Moonlighters, Thor Harris
of Shearwater
, and most recently the Brooklyn
band Akron/Family
as well as Berlin-based Swans
guitarist Christoph Hahn and freak-folk musician Devendra Banhart
.
All Angels of Light albums have been released on Michael Gira's label Young God Records
.
Experimental rock
Experimental rock or avant-garde rock is a type of music based on rock which experiments with the basic elements of the genre, or which pushes the boundaries of common composition and performance technique....
group that was formed circa 1998 by singer/guitarist Michael Gira
Michael Gira
Michael Rolfe Gira is an American musician, author, and artist. He is the main force behind the recently reformed New York City musical group Swans and fronts the Angels of Light...
after he disbanded Swans
Swans (band)
Swans are an influential American post-punk band initially active from 1982 to 1997, led by singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Michael Gira. The band was one of the few groups to emerge from the early 1980s New York No Wave scene and stay intact into the next decade. Formed by Gira in...
, the group he had founded in 1982. The band has marked a distinctly different style for Gira since he left Swans, most noticeably being musically more melodic and less brutal than his previous efforts.
Before the band was formed, Gira intended to call his post-Swans acoustic/song-based project The Pleasure Seekers. This name was discarded because there had been a group with the same name in the 1960s. The first two live performances of what would become the Angels of Light (the Tonic/Bowery Ballroom
Bowery Ballroom
The Bowery Ballroom is a music venue in the Bowery section of New York City. The structure, at 6 Delancey Street, was built just before the Stock Market Crash of 1929. It stood vacant until the end of WWII, when it became a high-end retail store. The neighborhood subsequently went into decline...
benefit shows) were billed as "Michael Gira with guests".
Angels of Light include many New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
collaborators, including Dana Schechter
Dana Schechter
Dana Schechter was born and raised in San Francisco. As a musician, composer, and artist/computer animator, her travels have led her across the globe. She founded her band Bee and Flower in NYC in 1999, and released their debut CD "What's Mine Is Yours" in 2003 on Neurot Recordings...
of Bee and Flower
Bee and Flower
Bee and Flower is a band founded in New York City in 2000 by singer-songwriter, bassist, animator, illustrator, composer and producer Dana Schechter...
, Kid Congo Powers
Kid Congo Powers
Kid Congo Powers is the stage name of Brian Tristan , an American rock guitarist and singer, best known as a member of The Gun Club, The Cramps and Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.-Biography:...
of The Cramps
The Cramps
The Cramps were an American rock band, formed in 1976 and active until 2009. The band split after the death of lead singer Lux Interior. Their line-up rotated much over their existence, with the husband and wife duo of Interior and lead guitarist Poison Ivy the only permanent members...
, Larry Mullins
Larry Mullins
Laurence A. "Moon" Mullins was an American college football coach and athletic director. He served as the head coach at St. Benedict's College from 1932 to 1936, Loyola University of New Orleans from 1937 to 1939, and Saint Ambrose University in 1940 and 1947 to 1950...
aka Toby Dammit
Toby Dammit
Toby Dammit , is an American musician, percussionist and composer. He has often been credited as Larry Mullins, his adopted name...
, Bliss Blood
Bliss Blood
Bliss Blood is a musician and songwriter from Houston, Texas. She moved to New York City, New York in 1996. She has written and recorded one album with Evanescent in 2011 , five albums with New York jazz band The Moonlighters from 2000-2009, and six albums from 1988-1995 with Houston noise rock...
of The Moonlighters, Thor Harris
Thor Harris
Thor Harris is a musician, painter, and carpenter. He is the percussionist for Shearwater , a band from Austin, Texas. He has performed with Bill Callahan, The Angels of Light, Lisa Germano, Gretchen Phillips, Devendra Banhart, Rebecca Cannon, Rob Halverson and Swans...
of Shearwater
Shearwater (band)
Shearwater is an American indie rock band formed in Austin, Texas in 1999 by Okkervil River members Jonathan Meiburg and Will Sheff, although Sheff is no longer with Shearwater.-History:...
, and most recently the Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
band Akron/Family
Akron/Family
Akron/Family is a folk-influenced experimental rock band that formed in 2002, and its members currently live in Portland, Oregon , Tucson, Arizona and New York City, New York.-Music and history:...
as well as Berlin-based Swans
Swans (band)
Swans are an influential American post-punk band initially active from 1982 to 1997, led by singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Michael Gira. The band was one of the few groups to emerge from the early 1980s New York No Wave scene and stay intact into the next decade. Formed by Gira in...
guitarist Christoph Hahn and freak-folk musician Devendra Banhart
Devendra Banhart
Devendra Obi Banhart is a singer-songwriter and visual artist. Banhart was born in Houston, Texas and was raised by his mother in Venezuela, until he moved to California as a teenager. He began to study at the San Francisco Art Institute in 1998, but dropped out to perform music in Europe, San...
.
All Angels of Light albums have been released on Michael Gira's label Young God Records
Young God Records
Young God Records is an independent record label formed by Michael Gira in 1990 that specializes in experimental, avant-garde and often non genre-specific releases...
.
Discography
- New MotherNew MotherNew Mother is the debut studio album by Angels of Light. It was released in 1999. The album contains versions of some songs that were performed live during Swans final tour, including "The Man With the Silver Tongue" and "Not Alone"....
(Young God RecordsYoung God RecordsYoung God Records is an independent record label formed by Michael Gira in 1990 that specializes in experimental, avant-garde and often non genre-specific releases...
, 1999) - How I Loved YouHow I Loved YouHow I Loved You is an album by Angels of Light. It was released in 2001.-Track listing:# "Evangeline" – 8:45# "Untitled Love Song" – 4:49# "My True Body" – 6:03# "Jennifer's Sorry" – 3:38# "Song for Nico" – 4:08...
(Young God Records, 2001) - We Were Alive!We Were Alive!We Were Alive! is a live album by Angels of Light. It was released in 2002, and contains songs by The Angels of Light and Swans. It was limited to 750 copies on release...
(Young God Records, 2002) - Everything Is Good Here/Please Come HomeEverything Is Good Here/Please Come HomeEverything Is Good Here/Please Come Home is an album by Angels of Light. It was released in 2003.-Track listing:# "Palisades" – 4:27# "All Souls' Rising" – 6:16# "Kosinski" – 3:52# "Nations" – 6:47# "The Family God" – 4:39...
(Young God Records, 2003) - Sing "Other People" (Young God Records, 2005)
- Akron/Family & Angels of LightAkron/Family & Angels of LightAkron/Family & Angels of Light is a split album between New York bands Akron/Family and Michael Gira's band Angels of Light. The album features seven original songs by Akron/Family and three original songs by Angels of Light, plus a version of "Mother/Father" and a cover of Bob Dylan's "I Pity the...
(Young God Records, 2005) - split album with Akron/FamilyAkron/FamilyAkron/Family is a folk-influenced experimental rock band that formed in 2002, and its members currently live in Portland, Oregon , Tucson, Arizona and New York City, New York.-Music and history:...
. - We Are HimWe Are HimWe Are Him is an album by Angels of Light. It was released in 2007.-Track listing:# "Black River Song" - 3:11# "Promise of Water" - 5:27# "The Man We Left Behind" - 5:46# "My Brother's Man" - 4:12# "Not Here/Not Now" - 5:39# "Joseph's Song" - 4:03...
(Young God Records, 2007)