Drainland
| Drainland | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by M. Gira | ||||
| Released | June 9, 1995 | |||
| Recorded | August 1994; Seattle, Washington | |||
| Genre | Experimental rock | |||
| Length | 46:05 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer |
| |||
| M. Gira chronology | ||||
| ||||
Drainland is the debut solo studio album by American musician Michael Gira. It was released on June 9, 1995 through Alternative Tentacles record label. Recorded in August 1994 at musician Bill Rieflin's Seattle home, the album features contributions from Rieflin and Gira's Swans bandmate Jarboe.[1][2]
Jarboe released her 1995 solo studio album Sacrificial Cake as an accompaniment to Drainland.[1][2]
Music and lyrics
The album's sound is characterized by its "hypnotically strummed guitars, chiming bells and eerie swirls of synthesizer and sound effects."[2] The tracks "Where Does Your Body Begin?", "Unreal" and "Your Naked Body" are primarily acoustic-based and feature various extra instrumental touches, including keyboards and samples.[1] Lyrically, the album explores Gira's "the self-delusion of alcoholic detachment,"[3] as well as humorous interpretations of "rock star culture and expectations" on tracks such as "Fan Letter." The track "Blind" is originally a Swans song and was taken from the recording sessions for the White Light from the Mouth of Infinity (1991) sessions.[1]
Critical reception
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |    [1] |
Allmusic critic Ned Raggett compared Drainland to accompanyig Jarboe piece Sacrificial Cake, describing the album as "a less of a mixed bag than Jarboe's own musically varied solo efforts, yet it has distinct strengths." Raggett further wrote: "Gira brings his expected bleak, alienated but still heartfelt lyrical visions to the fore, steering away from the full, epic grind of Swans and towards a variety of more restrained musical visions."[1] SF Weekly wrote: "Whether they're strumming sweet melodies on acoustic guitars or banging large metallic objects together, Gira and dulcet-toned partner Jarboe turn sunshine into something sinister."[3] Philip Sherburne of Wondering Sound described the record as a "bitter and at times bilious album, an unsparing self-portrait of the artist as an ugly man."[2]
Track listing
All songs are written by Michael Gira, Jarboe and Bill Rieflin, except where noted.
- "You See Through Me" – 5:41
- "Where Does Your Body Begin?" – 3:04
- "I See Them All Lined Up" – 4:13
- "Unreal" – 4:48
- "Fan Letter" – 7:01
- "Your Naked Body" – 2:30
- "Low Life Form" – 3:41
- "If You..." – 4:41
- "Why I Ate My Wife" – 5:53
- "Blind" (Gira) – 4:33
Personnel
- Michael Gira – vocals, electric and acoustic guitar, samples, production, engineering, design, arrangement
- Bill Rieflin – keyboards, electric bass guitar, samples, programming, production, arrangement, engineering
- Jarboe – backing vocals, sounds, keyboards, samples, production, arrangement
- John Yates – layout
- Wim Van De Hulst – photography
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Raggett, Ned. "Michael Gira - Drainland". Allmusic. Retrieved July 28, 2015.
- 1 2 3 4 Sherburne, Philip (November 27, 2011). "M. Gira, Drainland". Wondering Sound. Retrieved July 28, 2015.
- 1 2 "Jarboe - Sacrificial Cake and Michael Gira - Drainland reviews". SF Weekly. Retrieved July 28, 2015.