4AD Further Listening / His Name Is Alive - Cloud Box (10 CD)

His Name Is Alive

Hi Everyone - I was asked personally by the band to remove the links to this one which I fully respect. I urge everyone to go out there and support HNIA, as they are, and always will be one of the most innovative bands that continues to explore new styles and push musical boundaries. I'll post some HNIA rarities tomorrow.


His Names Is Alive - Cloud Box (10 CD Collection)
Released November 2004

Limited edition of 50 wood "cloud boxes" gathering ten CDs of new music from His Name Is Alive. Made available direct from Time Stereo via mail order. Despite sharing an identical title, the "Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most" album is entirely different from the album of the same name released in 2001.

Collects the following albums:

(disc one - brown rice)
(disc two - USA vs gamelan)
(disc three - dreem up)
(disc four - the pinecone)
(disc five - mytery spot)
(disc six - spring can really hang you up the most)
(disc seven - wake up jin)
(disc eight - everglades national park)
(disc nine - free concert his name is alive)
(disc ten - detrola)

disc one: BROWN RICE

Recordings from a non-stop marathon weekend session celebrating Elliot's 21st birthday + tenor saxophone and harp duets + field recordings from Bhaktapur, Nepal on new years 1999-2000 + recordings made in Ann Arbor, Michigan with Jake's high school orchestra. Previously available at shows, BROWN RICE has now been re-edited and remastered.
disc two: USA vs. GAMELAN

Elliot called, "Warn, i got the keys to the Gamelan." Warn and Hitoko jumped in the car and they recorded several hours of Americanized His Name Is Alive music on a full set of instruments of the Indonesian Gamelan orchestra kept at the University Of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Bonang, saron, gong, slentem and suling played by Warn, Hitoko and Elliot.
disc three: DREEM UP

Recorded circa 1994-95 back when HNIA was starting a lot of projects and not finishing all of them (the Mexican 1/2 speed ambient masters was another "lost" album). It began as a covers album but since warn didn't get around to learning the songs, Karin had to sing them acappella, but an acappella covers album didn't seem like such a hot idea so the project got shelved. Later on Warn added some "music" and now here it is ten years later, a long lost old school His Name Is Alive album.

disc four: THE PINECONE

"Part of my therapy when things were going bad with the music industry was collecting pinecones and trying to turn them into musical instruments. i eventually found a number of them that had desirable tonalities and a certain consistency. i didn't want to make a gimmicky 'hey look at this funny man playing an electric pinecone' type of album, so Iwrote serious songs or improvised duets with 'real instruments' like African thumb piano, nylon string guitar, violin, upright bass, treated music box, electric bear, percussion, and harmonium." - Warn Defever. Highlights include one track where the violinist plays with a pinecone replacing the traditional violin bow, and another track where the keys of the pinecone, instead of being gently stroked by thumbs, are bowed like a violin.

disc five: MYSTERY SPOT

"I don't wanna talk about it, but once you listen you can figure it out, if you're smart." - Warn Defever
disc six: SPRING CAN REALLY HANG YOU UP THE MOST

Recorded for an installation in an art gallery in Detroit after a particularly harsh winter, this long piece was designed not for the traditional left and right stereo speaker orientation but top and bottom separation. the installation was in a stairwell with one large PA speaker placed at the top of the stairs on the third floor and the other in the basement. The music tries to recreate the experience of being trapped in a house for several months and then as the ice and snow gradually melt, the windows are eventually opened, the sound of birds are heard once again, and finally there's a party at the lake!

disc seven: WAKE UP JIN

"The band Slumber Party played an all night show in Detroit (Slumber Party- Slumber Party) and at nine in the morning we played a slow quiet set to gently awaken the still-drunk/hung-over guests." - Warn Defever

disc eight: EVERGLADES NATIONAL PARK

Field recordings include warn throwing rocks at birds, and an alligator attacking and eating a bird. Several birds were probably hurt and at least one bird was eaten during this recording. Warn fails to engage an owl in a flute duet, but does get a good jam going with some fish and a bell. "I was tired of being inside a studio and wanted to record new sounds in special places. A year earlier, I recorded at a beautiful 500 year old temple in Japan, but now I wanted to find somewhere closer to home. Also in this series was a field trip to Death Valley!" - Warn Defever

disc nine: FREE CONCERT HIS NAME IS ALIVE

Played a special concert in Detroit on July 10, 2004. Lovetta sings, Warn plays guitar and piano, Elliot plays piano and saxophone, Jamie plays upright bass, and Nicole plays congas, a CD of birds plays quietly through one amplifier, and many bells were handed out to the audience members.

disc ten: DETROLA

"On Tuesday, June 15, 2004, I was trying to work in my studio (located in downtown Detroit on Woodward Ave), but I was interrupted in the evening by loud sounds from the street below. The Detroit Pistons had just won Game 5 of the NBA championships finals, beating the LA Lakers 100 to 87, and the people of the city had decided to celebrate with an unofficial late night drunken parade. The steady stream of car honking, screaming, and gun shots were too loud for me to work so I decided that maybe this would escalate into a cool riot and that maybe i should tape it. I set up some microphones out the window and waited for hours thinking it would soon pass. Eventually I decided to join in. I tried to accompany the orchestra of blaring car horns and the roaring choir of excited sports fans, on the piano. After several hours of not-quite-riot behavior, the police closed of the street, but the party continued in the distance...." - Warn Defever