The Body Lovers and The Body Haters were

experimental music Experimental music is a general label for any music or music genre that pushes existing boundaries and genre definitions. Experimental compositional practice is defined broadly by exploratory sensibilities radically opposed to, and questioning of, ...

projects led by composer

Michael Gira Michael Rolfe Gira (; born February 19, 1954) is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, author and artist. He is the main force behind the New York City musical group Swans and fronted Angels of Light. He is also the founder of ...

between 1998 and 1999 following the breakup of

Swans Swans are birds of the family Anatidae within the genus ''Cygnus''. The swans' closest relatives include the geese and ducks. Swans are grouped with the closely related geese in the subfamily Anserinae where they form the tribe Cygnini. Sometim ...

in 1997. Both projects served as an outlet for Gira's

loop Loop or LOOP may refer to: Brands and enterprises * Loop (mobile), a Bulgarian virtual network operator and co-founder of Loop Live * Loop, clothing, a company founded by Carlos Vasquez in the 1990s and worn by Digable Planets * Loop Mobile, an ...

experimentation within the

drone Drone most commonly refers to: * Drone (bee), a male bee, from an unfertilized egg * Unmanned aerial vehicle * Unmanned surface vehicle, watercraft * Unmanned underwater vehicle or underwater drone Drone, drones or The Drones may also refer to: ...

and dark ambient genres and were compared to the compositions comprising Swans' final pre-breakup album '' Soundtracks for the Blind''. The music was built around samples and

found sound Found objects are sometimes used in music, often to add unusual percussive elements to a work. Their use in such contexts is as old as music itself, as the original invention of musical instruments almost certainly developed from the sounds of nat ...

s, some of which dated as having been recorded as far back as 1980.

History

The Body Lovers/The Body Haters was conceived as a studio only project after the dissolution of composer Michael Gira's band

in 1997. Swans had been active since 1982 and had come to serve as Gira's primary musical outlet. The project featured input from former Swans contributors, such as

Jarboe Jarboe Devereaux, known mononymously as Jarboe (), is an American singer and musician who came to prominence as a member of the New York City experimental rock band Swans in 1985. Jarboe and Michael Gira, the founder of Swans, were the two consta ...

Bill Rieflin William Frederick Rieflin (September 30, 1960 – March 24, 2020) was an American musician. Rieflin came to prominence in the 1990s mainly for his work as a drummer with groups (particularly in the industrial rock and industrial metal scene ...

, Bill Bronson,

Norman Westberg Norman Westberg is a guitarist from Detroit best known for his work with Swans. Present through almost the entirety of the band's existence, Westberg was brought on for Swans' debut album ''Filth'' (1983) and appeared on every album through 1991 ...

and Clinton Steele. The name Body Lovers was inspired by a composition on Jarboe's '' Sacrificial Cake'' titled "The Body Lover". A trilogy was planned and two albums were released, '' Number One of Three'' in 1998 and '' 34:13'' the following year. The music was built on samples and found sounds, with Gira drawing inspiration from composers such as

Glenn Branca Glenn may refer to: Name or surname * Glenn (name) * John Glenn, U.S. astronaut Cultivars * Glenn (mango) * a 6-row barley variety Places In the United States: * Glenn, California * Glenn County, California * Glenn, Georgia, a settlement ...

and

Arvo Pärt Arvo Pärt (; born 11 September 1935) is an Estonian composer of contemporary classical music. Since the late 1970s, Pärt has worked in a minimalist style that employs tintinnabuli, a compositional technique he invented. Pärt's music is in pa ...

. After 1999, Gira turned his attention to his song-oriented project

The Angels of Light Angels of Light were an American folk band that was formed circa 1998 by singer-songwriter and musician Michael Gira after he disbanded Swans, the group he had founded in 1982. The band has marked a distinctly different style for Gira since he ...

. In 2010, Gira reformed and began touring Swans.

Discography

;Studio albums *'' Number One of Three'' ( Young God, 1998) *'' 34:13'' (Young God, 1999) ;Compilation albums *''The Body Lovers / The Body Haters'' (Young God, 2000)

References

External links

The Body Lovers
at

Discogs Discogs (short for discographies) is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. While the site was originally created with a goal of becoming the la ...

The Body Haters
at

{{DEFAULTSORT:Body Lovers The Body Haters American ambient music groups American industrial music groups American noise rock music groups American experimental rock groups Musical groups established in 1998 Musical groups disestablished in 1999 Young God Records artists