''Solo Recordings at Home'' is the fourth studio album by American singer-songwriter and musician

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 ...

. It was released in 2001 through Gira's own record label,

Young God Records Young God Records is an independent record label formed by Michael Gira in 1990 that specializes in experimental, avant-garde and often non genre-specific releases. The label was named after an EP released by Gira's band Swans called '' Young Go ...

. The album features Gira's home recordings. The unreleased track from the home recording sessions were included in the album ''The Milk of M. Gira: Selected Solo Home Recordings 2001-2010'', released in 2011.

Background and music

''Solo Recordings at Home'' is primarily an acoustic album, "placing the emphasis on Gira's voice and guitar only, captured at home via one microphone." Nevertheless, the track "Irish Queen" was roughly recorded during a concert and the fully orchestrated track "God's Servant" was taken directly from the Angels of Light's '' New Mother'' (1999). The album also features reworkings of two

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. Someti ...

tracks, "I Remember Who You Are" and "Love Will Save You," from '' The Burning World'' (1989) and ''

White Light From the Mouth of Infinity ''White Light from the Mouth of Infinity'' is a studio album by the American experimental rock band Swans. It was released in 1991, through the record label Young God. The band supported the album with a North American tour. In 2015, it was rem ...

'' (1991), respectively. The songs on the album feature lyrics on various topics. The track "Kosinsky" was described as "a fascinating contrast to the lyrical meditation on voyeurism" while the tracks "Surrogate" and "On the Mountain" were described to be "among his bluntest ever."

Critical reception

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 databa ...

critic Ned Raggett wrote: "In keeping with his post-

work, though, Gira's singing balances command with empathy, cracked and tender at once; anyone not taken with his late-'90s singing won't be convinced here, though fans will find it addictive." Raggett further wrote: "His guitar playing similarly can shift on a dime from sudden, brusque runs to gentler, steady

fingerpicking Fingerstyle guitar is the technique of playing the guitar or bass guitar by plucking the strings directly with the fingertips, fingernails, or picks attached to fingers, as opposed to flatpicking (plucking individual notes with a single plectr ...

, evoking everything from strung out rural blues to Nick Drake's hushed emptiness while still sounding uniquely in his own style."

Track listing

All songs written by

. # "What You Were" – 5:36 # "All Souls' Rising" – 5:55 # "Love Will Save You" – 4:46 # "Surrogate" – 5:45 # "Kosinsky" – 4:47 # "On The Mountain" – 6:31 # "Waiting Beside Viragio" – 2:19 # "Someone Like Me" – 4:47 # "I Remember Who You Are" – 4:57 # "Mosquito Coast" – 5:11 # "Irish Queen" – 4:41 # "God's Servant" – 4:48 # "Mary Found John" – 1:13

Personnel

– vocals, guitar, recording, artwork

References

External links

* {{Authority control 2001 albums Michael Gira albums Young God Records albums Albums produced by Michael Gira