Angels of Light include many New York City collaborators, including Dana Schechter of Bee and Flower, Kid Congo Powers of The Cramps, Larry Mullins aka Toby Dammit, Bliss Blood of The Moonlighters and Pain Teens, Thor Harris of Shearwater, and most recently the Brooklyn band Akron/Family.
Gira talks about the Angels project :
I write the songs on acoustic guitar, then gather musicians and friends, and build up the orchestrations with them in the studio and in live performances. I guide the process, but solicit their creative contributions actively. Each recording contains the contributions of an ever-changing plethora of amazing musicians, whom I thank here heartily!
After many years (too many to comfortably contemplate!) of dwelling on "sonic overload" with Swans, I now concentrate on augmenting the songs I write with orchestrations that support the basic song, rather than the sound itself taking over.
My goal is to achieve the same sense of magic I experienced as a child listening to Burle Ives recordings of Brer Rabbit and other such marvels, including the early Disney children's records I listened to long ago.
I view the arrangements as little films created to make a context for the words and voice, so that one can drift off into the world the music creates. I produce the Angels recordings, and the production of the recordings is as important to me as the songs themselves.
Most of the instruments used in the recordings are acoustic, but not all. Electric guitars, bass and drums etc., are sometimes used (as well as an occasional electronic sound, or loop), but I intentionally steer clear of a "Rock" sound. It doesn't interest me at all any more.
However, I have no particular fealty to "The Song" as if it were some sacred codex. On the other hand, just sitting around my house, writing these things, and finally coming up with a statement that I think makes sense, I want to bring them to life as much as possible, in new and challenging ways for both myself and you, so I always strive to present them in a fresh and interesting context.
For this reason, I'm always changing the sonic approach from record to record.
All Angels of Light albums have been released on Michael Gira's label Young God Records.
The name Angels of Light was first used by the spiritual theater group founded by drag queen Hibiscus of The Cockettes. It is not known whether Gira's group was named in homage to Hibiscus's similarly metaphysically-minded group.
Destroyer
The Angels of Light Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Her mouth is filled with flames
Her skin is black, her fingers trace
The diamonds in her veins
Here she comes down from the sun
To wash this country clean
Comes down for us, down from the dust
Here she comes now dressed in red
To heal this ruined race
I know somewhere, where there's a god
He's lying at her feet
And we'll walk freely through the mountains and the trees
And we'll breathe deep again where the air is pure and clean
And we will drink freely from the milk of our revenge
And we will break down the prison gates that keep you in
So please show no pity as we come up from the ground
And please remember as you kill us and cut us down
That time will not wash clean the bloody face of history
And someone will breathe here again and they will hate you for what you leave
Destroyer by The Angels of Light is a song that speaks about a dark, apocalyptic, and dystopian future where a savior has come down to wash the country clean, murder what remains, and heal the ruined race. The lyrics are very poetic and symbolic, describing the savior as a woman who comes down from the sun and is dressed in both white and red, with her mouth filled with flames and diamonds in her veins. The song speaks about revenge against whoever is responsible for the ruined society, and the need to break down the prison gates that keep people captive.
The lyrics suggest that the savior is determined to bring justice and make things right, whatever it might cost. The song speaks about the hope for a better future, where people will breathe pure and clean air and walk freely through mountains and trees. However, the song also recognizes the inevitability of hatred and revenge, believing that time will not wash the face of bloody history clean.
Overall, Destroyer is a powerful and deeply philosophical song that touches on themes of destruction, revenge, and hope for a better future.
Line by Line Meaning
Here she comes dressed in white
A being appears in a pure form
Her mouth is filled with flames
She speaks with a fiery passion
Her skin is black, her fingers trace
Contradictory markings symbolize multiple identities
The diamonds in her veins
The preciousness of her existence
Here she comes down from the sun
A higher being descends to Earth
To wash this country clean
To cleanse the land of its sins
Comes down for us, down from the dust
Arrives to serve humanity from humility
To murder what remains
To destroy the corrupt and unjust remnants
Here she comes now dressed in red
Appears again, now imbued with the color of blood
To heal this ruined race
Bringing salvation to a damaged population
I know somewhere, where there's a god
A higher power exists, possibly within or controlling her
He's lying at her feet
The god supplicates to her
And we'll walk freely through the mountains and the trees
The future will offer freedoms we don't currently possess
And we'll breathe deep again where the air is pure and clean
We will regain the gift of clean air
And we will drink freely from the milk of our revenge
Justice will be served, and it will be sweet
And we will break down the prison gates that keep you in
Oppressive systems will be defeated
So please show no pity as we come up from the ground
Do not pity us as we rise from the dirt
And please remember as you kill us and cut us down
Those who persecute us will not be forgotten
That time will not wash clean the bloody face of history
Atrocities committed will not be absolved with time
And someone will breathe here again and they will hate you for what you leave
The legacy of evil will haunt those responsible, even beyond death
Contributed by Adrian I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.