''Nice Day'' is an EP by

His Name Is Alive His Name Is Alive is an American experimental rock band/project from Livonia, Michigan. After several self-released cassettes, they debuted on 4AD Records in 1990, starting a long run at the label. Throughout the band's long history, leader Wa ...

, released by 4AD in the UK in 1997.

History

After the completion of the tour for '' Stars on ESP'',

leader

Warren Defever Warren Defever (first name often spelled Warn; born April 30, 1969) is a musician and producer, originally from Livonia, Michigan, and now based in Detroit. He is most known for his chameleonic project His Name Is Alive, though he is active in num ...

found himself with a steady lineup for perhaps the first time in the band's history; veteran vocalist

Karin Oliver Karin Oliver is a former singer for the Livonia, Michigan band His Name Is Alive. She was with the band from 1989 to 1998. After leaving the band following the USA release party for the ''Ft. Lake'' album, she pursued a career in marketing full- ...

and drummer Trey Many, along with newer members: vocalist

Lovetta Pippen His Name Is Alive is an American experimental rock band/project from Livonia, Michigan. After several self-released cassettes, they debuted on 4AD Records 4AD is a British record label owned by Beggars Group. It was founded in London under ...

and bassist Chad Gilchrist, frequent guest vocalist

Dara Albro Dara is a given name in several languages. Dara, Daraa, or DARA may also refer to: Geography Africa * Dar'a, region in northern Ethiopia * Dara (woreda), region in southern Ethiopia Asia * Dara (Mesopotamia), an archeological site in Ma ...

on title track with Defever himself on guitar, and newer vocalist Erika Hoffman (who sings on four of the six tracks). As a result, Defever was anxious to make a new recording and quickly recorded the tracks for this EP in late 1996. It would be almost a year later, in October 1997, before it was released. Apparently this irked Defever somewhat, as the booklet for the 1999 compilation ''

Always Stay Sweet ''Always Stay Sweet'' is a compilation album by His Name Is Alive, released by 4AD on February 23, 1999. History ''Always Stay Sweet'' is one of the rare 4AD albums that was released in the USA only, and not the label's native UK. It is a compi ...

'' features a copy of a fax that Defever sent to

4AD 4AD is a British record label owned by Beggars Group. It was founded in London under the name Axis Records by Ivo Watts-Russell and Peter Kent in 1980 as an imprint of Beggars Banquet Records. The name was changed to 4AD after the release of th ...

urging them to hurry up and release the EP. While originally intended as a mail-order only release of 1,000 copies, the CD EP was soon re-pressed and sold in stores. The tracks were also appended to a reissue of ''Stars on ESP'' in 1998. "Soul Resides in the Horse Barn" is a re-recording of an early His Name Is Alive song, which originally appeared on the ''

King of Sweet ''King of Sweet'' is a compilation album by His Name Is Alive, originally released in a limited run by the Perdition Plastics label in 1993. Most, if not all, of the songs had previously appeared on the band's many self-released cassettes in th ...

'' compilation.

Concepts

''Nice Day'' furthers the motifs of ''Stars on ESP''—classic AM radio pop and Michigan in the late 1960s and early 1970s, but takes a more rock-oriented approach. The sound could be described as a mix between

Motown Motown is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. Founded by Berry Gordy, Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on January 12, 1959, it was incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau ...

and the grittier side of that era in Detroit: the

protopunk Proto-punk (or protopunk) is rock music from the 1960s to mid-1970s that foreshadowed the punk rock genre and movement. A retrospective label, the musicians involved were generally not originally associated with each other and came from a variet ...

sounds of

The Stooges The Stooges or Iggy and the Stooges, originally billed as the Psychedelic Stooges, were an American rock band formed in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1967 by singer Iggy Pop, guitarist Ron Asheton, drummer Scott Asheton, and bassist Dave Alexande ...

and the

MC5 MC5 was an American rock music, rock band formed in Lincoln Park, Michigan, in 1963. The classic lineup consisted of vocalist Rob Tyner, guitarists Wayne Kramer and Fred "Sonic" Smith, bassist Michael Davis (bassist), Michael Davis, and drummer ...

. The Motown influence comes via the increased presence of Pippen, an experienced soul and gospel singer.

Track listing

# "Nice Day" # "Drive Around the Clock" # "Crashed Up on the Corner" # "Soul Resides in the Horse Barn" # "Whale, You Ease My Mind" # "Oh Sinner Man"

References

{{His Name Is Alive 1997 EPs His Name Is Alive albums 4AD EPs Rock EPs