''We Were Alive!'' is a live album by

folk rock Folk rock is a hybrid music genre that combines the elements of folk and rock music, which arose in the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom in the mid-1960s. In the U.S., folk rock emerged from the folk music revival. Performers suc ...

band

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 ...

. It was released in 2002, and contains two songs previously recorded by

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 ...

. It was limited to 750 copies on release. The earnings from the record sales were used for the production of Angels of Light's next studio release, ''

Everything Is Good Here/Please Come Home ''Everything Is Good Here/Please Come Home'' is the third studio album by Angels of Light. It was released on March 4, 2003, via band leader Michael Gira's own record label, Young God Records. Produced by Gira himself and engineered by Martin ...

''. The same funding strategy was subsequently used by Angels of Light frontman

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 ...

's other band

in 2012, when the band released their live album, '' We Rose from Your Bed with the Sun in Our Head'' to fund their upcoming album ''The Seer''.

Critical reception

Ned Raggett of

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

wrote: "The sound quality sometimes results in a distanced overall mix (it combined desk recordings with a live room mic), which often can bury Mullins' quieter drum work to the point of sensing it rather than hearing it. It's unfortunate but not crippling, and in ways actually gives ''We Were Alive!'' a weird texture that's worth a listen." Peter Marks of ''

Release Magazine ''Release Magazine'' is an independent alternative music online magazine based in Gothenburg, Sweden. It was born in Umeå in 1986. The first years it was run by Britta Näsman as an A5 fanzine A fanzine (blend word, blend of ''fan (person), fa ...

'' stated: "Delicate interludes in the midst of absolute chaotic cruelty which would make

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 ...

blush."

Track listing

Personnel

;Angels of Light *

– vocals, guitar, production ;Contributors *

Dana Schechter Bee and Flower is a band founded in New York City in 1999 by singer-songwriter, bassist, animator, illustrator, composer and producer Dana Schechter. Schechter formed the band while being a member of Michael Gira's band Angels of Light. Bee and F ...

– bass, piano, vocals *

Larry Mullins Laurence A. "Moon" Mullins (June 13, 1908 – August 10, 1968) was an American college football player, coach and athletic director. He played fullback under Knute Rockne at the University of Notre Dame. He served as the head coach at St. Bened ...

–

Farfisa Farfisa (Fabbriche Riunite di Fisarmoniche) is a manufacturer of electronics based in Osimo, Italy, founded in 1946. The company manufactured a series of compact electronic organs in the 1960s and 1970s, including the Compact, FAST, Professiona ...

Marimba Lumina Marimba Lumina is a MIDI controller developed by American engineer Don Buchla that lets a musician play music via a control surface based on the layout of a marimba. Joel Davel and Mark Goldstein were the co-developers of the design and implement ...

, drums *

Thor Harris Thor Harris (born February 7, 1965) is an artist, sculptor, musician, painter, carpenter and handyman. He was the percussionist for Swans (2010–2016). He has performed with Shearwater (2001–2010), Bill Callahan, The Angels of Light, Lisa ...

–

vibraphone The vibraphone is a percussion instrument in the metallophone family. It consists of tuned metal bars and is typically played by using mallets to strike the bars. A person who plays the vibraphone is called a ''vibraphonist,'' ''vibraharpist,' ...

hammer dulcimer The hammered dulcimer (also called the hammer dulcimer) is a percussion-stringed instrument which consists of strings typically stretched over a trapezoidal resonant sound board. The hammered dulcimer is set before the musician, who in more trad ...

autoharp An autoharp or chord zither is a string instrument belonging to the zither family. It uses a series of bars individually configured to mute all strings other than those needed for the intended chord. The term ''autoharp'' was once a trademark of ...

, piano, percussion

References

External links

We Were Alive! on Young God Records
{{Michael Gira Angels of Light albums 2002 live albums Young God Records live albums Albums produced by Michael Gira Crowdfunded albums