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ANGELS OF LIGHT: We Are Him [Young God]

Not many musicians get a shot at a second career, especially if their first one lasted more than 15 years and produced music of such intensity as to dare a follow-up of any sort. Yet with Angels Of Light, ex-Swans honcho Michael Gira has done just that, and fifth album We Are Him arguably surpasses his work with his old band merely by simplifying things a bit. The orchestrations that graced such Swans masterpieces as 1996’s Soundtracks For The Blind haven’t been completely dispensed with, but Gira isn’t consciously avoiding the “rock” tag anymore. He is, however, just as likely to sing a waltz (“The Man We Left Behind”) or turn the clichés of a 12-bar blues (“Promise Of Water”) into something nearly as scary as an old Skip James record. But elsewhere, oh how he rocks. “My Brother’s Man” consists of Gira’s stretched and disturbing voice sailing atop a jagged guitar riff. There’s redemption here, but as with a Bad Seeds record, it’s only attained through the spilling of blood. On “Sun-flower’s Here To Stay,” Gira and the Angels produce a pop song with piano and trombone, complete with positively joyful, wordless backing vocals. Gira used to focus on the sheer sound of his productions; with We Are Him, he puts his energy into the songs themselves. [www.younggodrecords.com]

—Bruce Miller