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.
darkest dreams
His Name Is Alive Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It beats so slowly as I part
The seas before me seem to be
In thinking of a deeper meaning
Life I ask her is for living
Falling faster than forgiving
Me as I believe to be
The darkest dreams
Are the ones that come true
And are given away
Caught between me and you
In these lyrics, the singer seems to be contemplating the meaning of life and the inevitability of certain events. The stolen heart in the first line represents a love that has been taken from the singer, and as they part from this love, they feel their heart beat slowly in sorrow. The seas before them represent the unknown future and the deeper meaning they are searching for. The singer recognizes that life is for living, but sometimes things happen so fast that forgiveness cannot keep up. They feel the urgency to move forward, but are held back by the pull of gravity.
The main idea of the song seems to be the realization that the darkest dreams, the ones that we fear the most, can come true and that we must find a way to deal with them. The singer feels caught between themselves and another person, possibly the one they have lost or are about to lose. The lyrics convey a deep sense of vulnerability and uncertainty, but also a sense of determination to face whatever may come.
Line by Line Meaning
Silent as the stolen heart
My heart beats quietly, like it has been taken without permission
It beats so slowly as I part
My heart is beating slowly as I leave
The seas before me seem to be
I am faced with tumultuous waters ahead
In thinking of a deeper meaning
I am contemplating the significance of what lies ahead
Life I ask her is for living
I am questioning the purpose of existence and conclude that it is for living
Falling faster than forgiving
I am quickly descending with no hope of forgiveness
Me as I believe to be
I am myself, as I truly believe
I hurry and need gravity
I need to feel grounded and stable in a chaotic world
The darkest dreams
My deepest fears and anxieties
Are the ones that come true
The things I fear the most often become a reality
And are given away
My fears are shared and spread to others
Caught between me and you
I am trapped between my own thoughts and emotions, and those of another person
Contributed by Abigail S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Anu G
@MetalJesusRocks Brought me here.