New Mother is the debut studio album by American folk music act Angels of Light. It was released on April 5, 1999 via frontman Michael Gira's own record label Young God Records, immediately after Michael Gira disbanded his previous band, Swans. The album features contributions from various musicians, including violinist Hahn Rowe, Rasputina band cellist Julia Kent, drummer Thor Harris, composer Joe McGinty and ex-Swans members Bill Rieflin, Phil Puleo and Bill Bronson.[4]
| New Mother | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | April 5, 1999[1] | |||
| Studio | Ethel Sound/Triclops (Atlanta, Georgia) King Mattress (Atlanta, Georgia) B.C. Studios (Brooklyn, New York) Spa Recording (New York City, New York) | |||
| Length | 70:32 | |||
| Label | Young God | |||
| Producer | Michael Gira | |||
| Angels of Light chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [2] |
| Melody Maker |  [3] |
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". The Michael Gira solo album Solo Recordings at Home contains an outtake from the recordings session for this album, on the song "God's Servant".
Critical reception
editNed Raggett of Allmusic gave the album a positive review, stating: "No less than 19 musicians participated in the creation of New Mother, and the fact that Gira was able to synthesize their efforts and create such a powerful debut bodes well for his future efforts in this vein." He also wrote that the record "draws on a juxtaposition of lush '60s American and European pop orchestration."[2] Jordan N. Mamone of CMJ also praised the album, writing: "While many of the Swans' attempts at levity sounded forced and gothic, the Angels of Light shine naturally, with poise and stunning clarity."[5] He subsequently included the album in his "Top Ten Picks" list.[6]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Fragment" | 0:31 |
| 2. | "Praise Your Name" | 4:48 |
| 3. | "New Mother" | 4:35 |
| 4. | "Angels of Light" | 6:53 |
| Total length: | 16:47 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 5. | "Inner Female" | 4:47 |
| 6. | "This Is Mine" | 4:17 |
| 7. | "Shame" | 4:10 |
| 8. | "Intermission" | 1:14 |
| 9. | "The Man With the Silver Tongue" | 4:13 |
| Total length: | 18:41 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 10. | "Real Person" | 5:09 |
| 11. | "Forever Yours" | 5:06 |
| 12. | "How We End" | 2:35 |
| 13. | "The Garden Hides the Jewel" | 5:21 |
| Total length: | 18:21 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 14. | "Not Alone" | 4:33 |
| 15. | "Song for My Father" | 3:41 |
| 16. | "His Entropic Highness" | 5:33 |
| 17. | "Fear of Death" | 2:56 |
| Total length: | 16:43 (70:32) | |
Personnel
edit- Angels of Light
- Michael Gira – vocals, composition, production, acoustic guitar, electric guitar
- Additional musicians
- Bill Rieflin – piano, bass guitar, Farfisa organ, B3 organ, analog synthesizer, acoustic guitar, backing vocals
- Christoph Hahn – lap steel, classical and electric guitar, Casio organ, backing vocals
- Larry Mullins – vibraphone, timpani, tabla, percussion, backing vocals
- Thor Harris – hand drums, percussion, glockenspiel, backing vocals, water bowls
- Phil Puleo – percussion, melodica, organ, mouth harp
- Julia Kent – cello
- Bill Bronson – bass guitar
- Joe McGinty – upright piano
- Michele Amar – backing vocals
- Hahn Rowe – violin
- Birgit Staudt – accordion
- Thomas Dodd – Irish harp
- Martin Bisi – organ, backing vocals, engineering, mixing
- Chris Griffin – banjo, dobro, dulcimer, mandolin
- Other personnel
- Hillary Johnson – assistant engineering, engineering
- Michael Moore – engineering
Chart positions
edit| Chart (1999) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| CMJ Radio 200[7] | 74 |
References
edit- ^ "SWANS NEWS". Archived from the original on April 23, 1999. Retrieved August 9, 2017.
- ^ a b Raggett, Ned. "Angels of Light - New Mother". Allmusic. Retrieved March 8, 2014.
- ^ Booth, Daniel (April 24, 1999). "The Angels of Light - New Mother". Melody Maker. Vol. 76, no. 16. p. 36. Retrieved March 5, 2024 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ Gira, Michael. ""New Mother" on Young God Records". Retrieved March 8, 2014.
- ^ Mamone, Jordan N. (May 1999). "Angels of Light _ New Mother". CMJ. 58 (617): 3. ISSN 0890-0795.
- ^ Mamone, Jordan N. (January 2000). "Staff Top Ten Picks". CMJ. 61 (649): 33. ISSN 0890-0795.
- ^ Glen Sansone, ed. (September 1999). "CMJ Radio 200". CMJ. 59 (634): 17. ISSN 0890-0795.