Named after history class notes on Abraham Lincoln, the Livonia, MI-based s… Read Full Bio ↴Named after history class notes on Abraham Lincoln, the Livonia, MI-based sonic manipulators His Name Is Alive formed when multi-instrumentalist/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.

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.

Man On The Silver Mountain
His Name Is Alive Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I'm a wheel I'm a wheel
I can roll I can feel
And you can't stop me turning
'Cause I'm the sun I'm the sun
I can move I can run
But you'll never stop me burning

Come down with fire

Lift my spirit higher
Someone's screaming my name
Come and make me holy again
I'm the man on the silver mountain
I'm the man on the silver mountain

I'm the day I'm the day
I can show you the way
And look I'm right beside you
I'm the night I'm the night

I'm the dark and the light
With eyes that see inside you

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to His Name Is Alive's song "Man On The Silver Mountain" contain vivid imagery that portrays the persona of a powerful entity that is remarkably dominant and seemingly unstoppable. The lines "I'm a wheel, I can roll, I can feel" and "I'm the sun, I can move, I can run, but you'll never stop me burning" express an unrelenting force that will not allow anyone or anything to hinder their forward momentum. The next section amplifies this imagery further, as the persona declares themselves to be the "man on the silver mountain" and the one who possesses the power to guide and uplift others. With the lyric, "come down with fire, lift my spirit higher," the persona is seeking divine intervention to empower and elevate them even beyond their already lofty status.

The song continues with the persona reaffirming their dominion with the lines, "I'm the day, I can show you the way, and look I'm right beside you" and "I'm the night, the dark and the light, with eyes that see inside you." Once again, the persona is conveying their seemingly unstoppable presence that can guide and evaluate everything around them, as they explore the duality of light and darkness. As the song progresses, the chorus repeats the line "I'm the man on the silver mountain," as if to reiterate the transcendent power and authority of the persona.

Line by Line Meaning

I'm a wheel I'm a wheel
I am a force that keeps on rolling

I can roll I can feel
I am capable of movement and sensation

And you can't stop me turning
Attempts to halt me will be in vain

'Cause I'm the sun I'm the sun
I am a source of brightness and warmth

I can move I can run
I possess the ability to shift my location and pace

But you'll never stop me burning
Efforts to extinguish my flame will not succeed

Come down with fire
Descend upon me with passion

Lift my spirit higher
Elevate my soul to new heights

Someone's screaming my name
An individual is calling out to me

Come and make me holy again
Assist me in becoming pure once more

I'm the man on the silver mountain
I am the individual standing atop a high and pure peak