Michael Gira / Dan Matz - What We Did

by James Alexander

published: 19 / 12 / 2001

Label: Young God Records
Format: CD

This release is a songwriting collaboration between Michael Gira (Angels of light/ex-Swans) and Windsor for the Derby's D. Matz.As anyone who has followed Mr Gira's career over the last decade or so w

Review

This release is a songwriting collaboration between Michael Gira (Angels of light/ex-Swans) and Windsor for the Derby's D. Matz.As anyone who has followed Mr Gira's career over the last decade or so will tell you the quality of his output very rarely falls below "good" and this is no exception. Sparse,acoustic based songs typify a release that is instantly more accessible than much of his work to date(i say "his" as these songs have more of Gira's fingerprints on them than Matz, or put simply this sounds closer to Angels of Light than Windsor for the derby). Highlights include 'Waiting Beside Viragio', the hypnotic chant of 'Forcing Mary' and the Matz led 'Brightest Star'. Elsewhere the mood is (as you would expect) melancholic with the material veering between light ('Pacing the Locks'), abstract ('Sunflower') and dark ('Is/Was'). Oddly considering this is a "side project" it feels more focused than any of Gira's post Swans work so far.Career wise you wonder if a increasingly marginalised figure is wise to put out another project under yet another name. Nothing , however, can detract from the fact that this is another good release from one of America's true innovators.

Track Listing:-

1 Pacing The Locks
2 Is/Was
3 Cold Creeping
4 Lines
5 Brown Eyes
6 17 Hours
7 Stiches
8 Waiting Beside Viragio
9 Forcing Mary
10 Quiet One
11 Sunflower
12 The Brightest Star