The group recorded its first release for the label, Livonia, in Defever's home studio. The album features Oliver's shivery vocals along with tape loops, samples, and guitar blasts, for a noise-damaged, ethereal collection of songs about ghosts, reincarnation, and dreams. By 1992's Home Is in Your Head, the band's lineup and scope expanded. New singers Denise James, Karen Neal, Melissa Elliott, and guitarist Jymn Auge added depth and breadth to the band's original lineup. An epic 23 songs long, Home Is in Your Head ranges from folky ballads to electrifying guitar maelstroms and tape collages. That year also saw the release of The Dirt Eaters EP, named for Defever's other, more rock-oriented group, of which Elliot was also a member. In 1993, His Name Is Alive released two albums: King of Sweet, a limited-edition release that mixed tape effects, samples, demos, and unreleased songs, and Mouth by Mouth, which added more pop structure into the group's inherently experimental and dreamy sound, resulting in its most accessible and diverse album to that date. A new drummer, Trey Many, took over Lang's duties.
As Defever's reputation as an innovative producer spread, he lent his skills to bands like Grenadine, a side project of Tsunami's Jenny Toomey and Unrest's Mark Robinson, other 4AD acts like Liquorice (which featured Toomey, Dan Littleton from Ida, and His Name Is Alive's Many) and Tarnation, and other Detroit-area bands like Godzuki and Outrageous Cherry. Defever also worked on other projects, including the folky ESP Summer (with former Pale Saint Ian Masters) and the electronic Robot World and Control Panel, and founded the Time Stereo art collective with a childhood friend, artist/musician Davin Brainard. Some of Time Stereo's projects included films, coloring books, and cassette-only releases from bands like Princess Dragon Mom, the Crash, Godzuki, New Grape, and Noise Camp.
Defever's diverse interests influenced His Name Is Alive's next release, 1996's Stars on ESP. Very little of the group's original ethereal sound remained, augmented instead with touches of dub, folk, gospel, and early- to mid-'60s pop like the Beach Boys' Pet Sounds. At the time of the album's release, Defever claimed that he was so fascinated by the group's "Good Vibrations" that he listened to it for months at a time. The following year's Nice Day EP reached to garage rock and '60s R&B for its inspiration, and featured some of the gospel singers from Stars on ESP, including Lovetta Pippen, whose singing also gave His Name Is Alive's 1998 LP, Fort Lake, an earthy sensuality. Fort Lake also marked the first time the band worked with another producer, recording engineer Steve King. King, another Livonia native, had also worked with Funkadelic and Aretha Franklin, and his touch meshes nicely with the funk, soul, and classic rock allusions His Name Is Alive makes on the album. In preparation for recording Fort Lake -- named after a waterlogged Civil War fort in Michigan -- the group played monthly shows at the Gold Dollar, a tiny Detroit club. At this time, Pippen, bassist Chad Gilchrist, and additional drummer Scott Goldstein debuted as part of the new lineup.
In 1999, His Name Is Alive released a U.S. compilation of tracks from their first five albums called Always Stay Sweet; at the time, those albums were only available as British imports. Like the rest of the band's work, the compilation highlights their mercurial, unique nature. Someday My Blues Will Cover the Earth appeared two years later. Released in 2002, the darkly soulful Last Night ended up being the group's final album for 4AD, but His Name Is Alive found other outlets for their music, and were actually busier than ever. Time Stereo released several CDs, such as 2004's ten-disc Cloud Box set, Leaf Club, Brown Rice, and The Detroit River, as well as many MP3-only works, including the Summer Bird and Something_Nothing EPs and a remastered version of King of Sweet. UFO Catcher was released in 2005 on CD by the German label En/Of and on vinyl by Time Stereo, while Ypsilanti Records issued the full-length Summer Bird that spring. Late in 2005, His Name Is Alive released the Raindrops Rainbow EP via iTunes as a teaser for Detrola, their debut for Reincarnate, also the home of fellow former 4AD artist Lisa Germano and Sing-Sing, the project of former Lush member Emma Anderson.
Fossil
His Name Is Alive Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm following in your footprints, evil ways
Our love is buried
Underground
Deeper than heaven
I chose my eyes and live again
I raise my arms and start to pray
Dying out and leaving home, left inside mind alone
The opening lines of His Name Is Alive's song Fossil express a deep sense of shame and guilt, as the singer confesses to following in the "evil ways" of someone who has clearly had a profound influence on them. The repetition of the statement, "I'm following in your footprints," adds to the sense of inevitability or even resignation, as if the singer feels trapped by this cycle of behavior. The fact that the love between them is described as "buried underground" suggests something profound has been lost or destroyed.
Despite the bleakness of these words, there is also a glimmer of hope in the later lines of the verse. The singer speaks of choosing to see things differently ("I chose my eyes") and starting anew ("live again", "start to pray"), as if determined to break free of the destructive patterns that have held them back. Yet the repetition of the final lines, "Dying out and leaving home, left inside mind alone," makes it clear that this is a painful and solitary journey.
In many ways, Fossil is a song about the struggle to find oneself despite the weight of past mistakes and influences. It's about the deep desire to be free from the grip of someone else's "evil ways" and to forge a new path towards redemption.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm following in your footprints, evil ways
I am mimicking your destructive behavior and actions.
Our love is buried
Our love is no longer present or alive, but hidden away like a buried object.
Underground
Literally beneath the earth's surface, or metaphorically hidden and out of sight.
Deeper than heaven
Referring to the depth of the buried love being so profound that it surpasses even the highest known concept of distance, heaven.
I chose my eyes and live again
I have decided to view the world and my life in a new way, leading to a new beginning and revitalization.
I raise my arms and start to pray
I am reaching out to a higher power for guidance and support when faced with difficulties.
Dying out and leaving home, left inside mind alone
The end of a chapter in life and leaving behind familiar surroundings, resulting in feelings of isolation and loneliness.
Dying out and leaving home, left inside mind alone
The end of a chapter in life and leaving behind familiar surroundings, resulting in feelings of isolation and loneliness.
Contributed by Xavier G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.