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.

We Hold the Land in Great Esteem
His Name Is Alive Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

My resources say
We are endless things
I sang I sang
All day
I sing a small sing
Wolf calls and bleeds
The coat is real
Dedicated in skin

There will be much blood
Lets just start and see
How far we get

We hold the land in great esteem
We hold the land in great esteem
My heart is red and sweet

I know its sweet because
Its not the blood that bothers me

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of the song "We Hold the Land in Great Esteem" by His Name Is Alive is an enigmatic piece that carries a message of appreciation towards the land. The line "My resources say we are endless things" may be suggesting that as humans, we possess infinite potential and abilities that we are yet to discover. The next line "I sang I sang all day" perhaps implies that the singer is in a state of constant celebration.

The following line "I sing a small sing, wolf calls and bleeds" seems to suggest that the singer, amidst the joyous feeling, is still aware of the harsh realities of life. The lines "the coat is real, dedicated in skin, there will be much blood" may infer that whatever the singer is experiencing is grounded in a gritty reality, and it may come with a great price.

The chorus "We hold the land in great esteem" is a clear indication of the singer's appreciation for the land. The lyric "my heart is red and sweet; I know it's sweet because it is not the blood that bothers me" may be suggesting that the singer has a deep connection to the land and sees it as a living entity that nourishes us in different ways.

Line by Line Meaning

My resources say
According to my beliefs and knowledge

We are endless things
We are infinite beings

I sang I sang
I kept singing continuously

All day
Throughout the entire day

I sing a small song
I sing a simple tune

Wolf calls and bleeds
The wolf howls and sheds its blood

The coat is real
The skin fur is genuine

Dedicated in skin
Committed to the land through our skin

There will be much blood
There will be a lot of sacrifice

Lets just start and see
Let's begin and test our limits

How far we get
To see how much we can achieve