The Angels of Light

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See also The Angels of Light (UK band)

The Angels of Light is an experimental folk-rock group that was formed circa 1998 by singer/guitarist Michael Gira after he disbanded Swans, the group he'd 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, though no less emotionally draining.

The 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 former Swans guitarist Kristof Hahn.

All Angels of Light albums have been released on Michael Gira's label Young God Records.

[edit] Discography

New Mother (Young God Records, 1999)
How I Loved You (Young God Records, 2001)
We Were Alive (Young God Records, 2002)
Everything Is Good Here/Please Come Home (Young God Records, 2003)
Sing "Other People" (Young God Records, 2005)
Angels of Light and Akron/Family (Young God Records, 2005) - split album with Akron/Family.

[edit] Trivia

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".