Cloud Pop (HNIA)

CLOUD POP (The Cloud Box sampler)

His Name Is Alive remains one of my favourite artists ever to be released on the 4AD label. Just dropped by their website tonite after spending the last few days thinking about hearing their music again and noticed they are offering a special download of their latest work "Cloud Pop" (mp3's for a limited time).

It's all quite lovely, no shock there, but always a delight to discover new tracks from them. Highly recommend downloading them all. It's a nice set of music to hear, especially the two part composition entitled "The Pine Cone" (parts I and II).

Named after history class notes on Abraham Lincoln, the Livonia, Michigan-based sonic manipulators His Name Is Alive formed when multi-instrumentalist and producer Warren Defever (also of shockabilly group Elvis Hitler) was still in high school. Defever, former schoolmate Karin Oliver (vocals), and drummer Damian Lang released self-produced cassettes of their music, one of which made its way to Ivo Watts-Russell, founder of the pioneering art label 4AD. Intrigued with His Name Is Alive's blend of spectral vocals, poetic lyrics, and textural guitars, Watts signed the band.