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New Mother
New Mother
Studio album by Angels of Light
Released	April 5, 1999
Studio	Ethel Sound/Triclops (Atlanta, Georgia) ; King Mattress (Atlanta, Georgia) ; B.C. Studios (Brooklyn, New York) ; Spa Recording (New York City, New York)
Length	70:32
Label	Young God
Producer	Michael Gira
Angels of Light chronology

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	^[2]
Melody Maker	^[3]

New Mother is the debut studio album by American folk music act Angels of Light. It was released on April 5, 1999 via frontman Michael Gira's own record label Young God Records, immediately after Michael Gira disbanded his previous band, Swans. The album features contributions from various musicians, including violinist Hahn Rowe, Rasputina band cellist Julia Kent, drummer Thor Harris, composer Joe McGinty and ex-Swans members Bill Rieflin, Phil Puleo and Bill Bronson.^[4]

The album contains versions of some songs that were performed live during Swans final tour, including "The Man With the Silver Tongue" and "Not Alone". The Michael Gira solo album Solo Recordings at Home contains an outtake from the recordings session for this album, on the song "God's Servant".

Critical reception

Ned Raggett of Allmusic gave the album a positive review, stating: "No less than 19 musicians participated in the creation of New Mother, and the fact that Gira was able to synthesize their efforts and create such a powerful debut bodes well for his future efforts in this vein." He also wrote that the record "draws on a juxtaposition of lush '60s American and European pop orchestration."^[2] Jordan N. Mamone of CMJ also praised the album, writing: "While many of the Swans' attempts at levity sounded forced and gothic, the Angels of Light shine naturally, with poise and stunning clarity."^[5] He subsequently included the album in his "Top Ten Picks" list.^[6]

Track listing

Side One
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Fragment"	0:31
2.	"Praise Your Name"	4:48
3.	"New Mother"	4:35
4.	"Angels of Light"	6:53
Total length:		16:47

Side Two
No.	Title	Length
5.	"Inner Female"	4:47
6.	"This Is Mine"	4:17
7.	"Shame"	4:10
8.	"Intermission"	1:14
9.	"The Man With the Silver Tongue"	4:13
Total length:		18:41

Side Three
No.	Title	Length
10.	"Real Person"	5:09
11.	"Forever Yours"	5:06
12.	"How We End"	2:35
13.	"The Garden Hides the Jewel"	5:21
Total length:		18:21

Side Four
No.	Title	Length
14.	"Not Alone"	4:33
15.	"Song for My Father"	3:41
16.	"His Entropic Highness"	5:33
17.	"Fear of Death"	2:56
Total length:		16:43 (70:32)

Personnel

Angels of Light

Michael Gira – vocals, composition, production, acoustic guitar, electric guitar

Additional musicians

Bill Rieflin – piano, bass guitar, Farfisa organ, B3 organ, analog synthesizer, acoustic guitar, backing vocals
Christoph Hahn – lap steel, classical and electric guitar, Casio organ, backing vocals
Larry Mullins – vibraphone, timpani, tabla, percussion, backing vocals
Thor Harris – hand drums, percussion, glockenspiel, backing vocals, water bowls
Phil Puleo – percussion, melodica, organ, mouth harp
Julia Kent – cello
Bill Bronson – bass guitar
Joe McGinty – upright piano
Michele Amar – backing vocals
Hahn Rowe – violin
Birgit Staudt – accordion
Thomas Dodd – Irish harp
Martin Bisi – organ, backing vocals, engineering, mixing
Chris Griffin – banjo, dobro, dulcimer, mandolin

Other personnel

Hillary Johnson – assistant engineering, engineering
Michael Moore – engineering

Chart positions

Chart (1999)	Peak position
CMJ Radio 200^[7]	74

References

^ "SWANS NEWS". Archived from the original on April 23, 1999. Retrieved August 9, 2017.
^ ^a ^b Raggett, Ned. "Angels of Light - New Mother". Allmusic. Retrieved March 8, 2014.
^ Booth, Daniel (April 24, 1999). "The Angels of Light - New Mother". Melody Maker. Vol. 76, no. 16. p. 36. Retrieved March 5, 2024 – via Internet Archive.
^ Gira, Michael. ""New Mother" on Young God Records". Retrieved March 8, 2014.
^ Mamone, Jordan N. (May 1999). "Angels of Light _ New Mother". CMJ. 58 (617): 3. ISSN 0890-0795.
^ Mamone, Jordan N. (January 2000). "Staff Top Ten Picks". CMJ. 61 (649): 33. ISSN 0890-0795.
^ Glen Sansone, ed. (September 1999). "CMJ Radio 200". CMJ. 59 (634): 17. ISSN 0890-0795.