Angels of Light – Other People

Michael Gira sheds the last traces of the brooding moodiness surrounding his former band Swans on Other People, turning out upbeat acoustic songs that almost sound happy, like the breezy “On the Mountain.” Gira’s backing musicians, members of Akron/Family, join him from the bah-bah-bahs in “Lena’s Song” to the group sing-along on “Destroyer.” Although Other People is a welcome departure from Gira’s earlier work, the intensity of his voice never completely gels with the bright instrumentation.