The second part of the review:
In the press release, Gira writes of this new album, "It is much, much
different than the first two Angels albums." This statement is certainly
true and causes one to wonder about the impetus for the change. I suppose
one can argue that the change is essential to keep the music from becoming
stale, to avoid the oft-cited problem of getting stuck in a rut.
Certainly, from this point of view, the change is a welcome new perspective
of Gira's music-making endeavors. On the other hand, one thinks of
musicians who have found a successful formula, which they have stuck to in
creating music for many decades. Let me cite only one senior musician from
a disparate genre. Johnny Cash has been releasing albums across six (6!)
decades, from the 1950's to his most recent album last year, "The Man Comes
Around". Cash's formula has not changed all that much, emphasizing (i) his
unique voice, (ii) his man-in-black themes, and (iii) his guitar. In this
respect, there are similarities with Gira, whose music is also first and
foremost defined by (i) the unique voice, (ii) his unrepentant choice of
themes, and (iii) his guitar. From this point of view, all of the
additional instrumentation and arrangements on "Everything Is Good
Here/Please Come Home" is simply window dressing around the core
ingredients of Gira's music. Does it enhance the music or detract from the
most important elements? You can select your own answer, in a convenient,
multiple-choice format:
a) Some of both
b) One or the other
c) Damn, this review was too long
d) All of the above
The Angels of Light discography
1. New Mother (Young God, YG 08, 1999, cd)
2. Praise Your Name b/w God's Servant (Young God/Strip Mine, YG 10/SR 09,
1999, 7")
3. How I Loved You (Young God, YG 16, 2001, cd)
4. We Were Alive (Young God Records Website, No Label, May, 2002, cdr)
5. Everything is Good Here/Please Come Home (Young God, YG 22, February,
2003, cd)
Other releases cited in the review:
M. Gira - Solo Recordings at Home (Young God Records, No Label Number,
July, 2001, cd)
M. Gira - Living '02 (Young God Records, No Label Number, November, 2002,
cdr)
Dock Boggs - His Folkways Recordings (Smithsonian/Folkways, SF 40108, 1998
(1963-1968), 2cd)
Johnny Cash - American IV: The Man Comes Around (American Recordings, 440
063 336-1, 2002, 2xlp)
