Categories: Misc

Guilty By Association – Swans / Angels Of Light

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, and all you need to make rock and roll soup is some piss, some vomit, a little blood, and a few hundred wet cigarette butts. – James Toth (Wooden Wand)

I once had a band called Swans, based here in NYC. It lasted 15 years. We released a ridiculous amount of albums along the way, and they seem to have had an influence and/or effect (bad and good!) on a fair number of people. In 1999 I started my new band, The Angels of Light, at which point (I hope), I left my past behind. – Michael Gira

Angels Of Light is a project that was started by Michael Gira soon after he disbanded Swans.  All of their records came out on Gira’s own label Young God and included contributions from the likes of Bliss Blood (Pain Teens), Kid Congo Powers (The Cramps), Toby Dammit and many others.
Note – not to confuse with Psychic TV side project of the same name
Discography
New Mother CD / 2XLP (Young God, 1999 / Fringecore, 1999 / Important + Broken Sparrow, 2005)
Praise Your Name 7″ (Young God + Stripmine, 1999)
How I Loved You CD / 2xLP (Young God, 2001 / Important + Broken Sparrow, 2005)
We Were Alive!!! CD (Young God, 2002)
Everything Is Good Here / Please Come Home CD / 2XLP (Young God, 2003 / Important + Broken Sparrow, 2005)
Akron/Family & Angels Of Light (with Akron/Family) CD (Young God, 2005)
The Angels Of Light Sing “Other People” CD / LP (Young God, 2005 / 2008)
We Are Him CD / 2xLP (Young God, 2007)
Selected Compilation Tracks
“Jennifer’s Sorry” + “My True Body” on Young God Records Compilation 2000 A.D. (Young God, 2000)
“Song For My Father” on Not Alone (Durtro + Jnana, 2006)
“Destroyer” on So Much To Roast Human Flesh (Bastet, 2006)
“I Pity The Poor Immigrant” on Bob Dylan Revisited (Les Inrockuptibles, 2007)
MP3 Samples: Akron/Family / Angels Of Light | Everything Is Good Here / Please Come Home | How I Loved You | New Mother | We Are Him
Further Info: Last.fm | MySpace | Wikipedia | Young God Records

Ilya S.

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