Cargo Records

Songs for a Dog (Limited Edition)

A collection of solo songs by New York City's prolific Michael Gira, also known for his work with The Angels of Light and the influential Swans, besides operating the Young God Records imprint which amongst many other things during recent years has been responsible for introducing Devandra Banhart, Akron/Family and Mi & L'au to the world.

Having initially cut his teeth on the outer reaches of the post-No Wave scene of the early 1980s, Gira has over the years honed his craft into something more sophisticated without actually having lost sight of the power, emotional tugs or even, on occasion, the simplicity of his earlier works. On 'Songs for a Dog', he has collected ten tracks that catch him in his purest form. Mostly built around his guitar and voice in a home studio environment, the songs here both expose the very kernels from which he usually works from and illustrate only too perfectly how they can function without the layers of sound he's also often fond of exploring. More importantly, these songs capture an artist who seems forever capable of pushing himself into new avenues and whose laurels consistently get cast aside in the process. NOTE: This album is strictly limited to 2000 & will not appear in any other fmt.

Track Listing

1.'Promise of Water' - Recorded for this LP, first appearance

2. 'Lena's Song' - from "I am singing to your from my room" web-only CD

3. 'Destroyer' - same as above

4. 'Rose of Los Angeles' - same

5. 'God Damn the Sun' - originally appeared on Swans' "Burning World" album. This versionrecorded specifically for this lp.

6. 'God's Servant' - outtake from The Angels of Light's "New Mother" CD

7. 'Purple Creek' - from "I am singing to you from my room"

8. 'Lines' - from Gira/Matz collaborative CD "what We Did"

9. 'Waiting Beside Viragio' - same as above

10. 'Mean Monster Mike' - from "I am singing to you from my room"