CHILDREN OF GOD

A band that I had never heard of until the sensation of the release of 2012's amazing The Seer hit the pages of ProgArchives. To have this kind of power and manipulative music going this strong for over 40 years is quite remarkable! You go, Michael Gira!

1. "New Mind" (5:13) Michael Gira's commanding stage presence can be felt so strongly through his vocal performances. All this with one chord and steam engine crawling along at a snail's pace! It's like being at an old-time revival! (8.75/10)

2. "In My Garden" (5:34) two chords! Arpeggiated! Accompanied by piano! and flute! With airy-breathy voice of seductress Jane Jarboe. Wow! I was not expecting this! Sounds like something Zeuhl that predates Magma--as if it should have come from the 1960s Flower Power era, before the spaceship from Kobaia arrived. (9.5/10)

3. "Our Love Lies" (5:50) part Johnny Cash, part Sergio Leone, part Leonard Cohen, the gospel background vocals and plodding C&W guitar with Michael's theatric vocal reminds me of Maynard James Keenan's Pucifer theatrics. As powerful as this music is, it would probably be moreso were I not deaf to the lyrics. (8.75/10)

4. "Sex, God, Sex" (6:49) screaming, wailing guitars within which Michael wallows and wades his dirge-like propheteering. Again, I feel as if I'm at a revival with people speaking tongues and writhing on the ground beneath Michael's radiant hands and attentions. (13/15)

5. "Blood And Honey" (4:46) a bit of Dead Can Dance feel in this one. Jane Jarboe takes a turn singing in a low, sultry breathiness--like Souixsie and Lisa Gerrard are capable of doing. The breathy spoken word vocals at the end remind me of Irene Pappas with Aphrodite's Child. (8.75/10)

6. "Like A Drug (Sha La La La)" (5:36) abrasive industrial noises mixed in with syncopated industrial guitar chord repeating itself ad infinitum while Michael slowly drawls out his slow-motion sentences. Interesting "sha la la la" chorus. (8.75/10)

7. "You're Not Real, Girl" (4:21) acoustic guitars strumming and picking with synth strings and Michael's slowly drawling voice. He sounds strung out. Again, I am completely surprised at how powerful these songs can be with such simple musical support. Portends MAUDLIN OF THE WELL. (9/10)

8. "Beautiful Child" (5:16) fireworks and industrial samples precede punk-ish drum and guitar train--sounds like a food processor doing its work. Then Michael and background Greek chorus enter and transform the song into an ancient tragedian exposition--as if we're in a slave scene in a Cecil De Mille film. Violent but powerful. Portends of PUCIFER. (9.25/10)

9. "Blackmail" (3:34) gentle piano and torch singing from Jane Jarboe matched up with a subject matter that is quite the opposite of gentle and passionate. (8.75/10)

10. "Trust Me" (5:23) acoustic guitar with oboe open this one on what sounds and feels like a gentle romp through memory lane. But then at 1:07 Michael's heavy basso profundo almost-growl enters causing an immediate shift into ominous electric music. The way Michael uses his voice and annunciation is so masterful--so mood commanding. Like that of Leonard Cohen and Jacques Brel, it's truly a marvel. (9/10)

11. "Real Love" (6:23) sounding like an old-fashioned surfer ballad, Michael's Leonard Cohen approach to vibrational delivery takes us on a journey that is filled with such conflict and ambiguity. Harmonica and female background chorus of wordless notes only adds to the indescribable uncertainty and mystery. (8.75/10)

12. "Blind Love" (7:46) steady tribal percussion tracks interspersed with industrial noises from electric guitar provide the foundation over which a somnambulant Michael Gira talk-sings-coos--until 3:25 when guitars and cymbals crash over everything for a bit. Not as engaging or powerful lyrics as many of the previous songs. (13/15)

13. "Children Of God" (4:34) interesting mix of 1960s sounds (organ & drums with gospel-like background vocals) with modern editing and punk guitars create another interesting blend of seemingly polarized influences and directions. And this is it: No Michael Gira singing! Female chorus sings the whole song! What a weird way to end an album so thoroughly dominated by the vocal theatrics of one man! (8.75/10)

Total time 71:05

Wow! What a journey! While not musically complex (in the least), it is perfect support for Michael & Company's revivalist act. The duplicity in the match between these titles and the product are stark and provocative. Not the type of music I will sit and listen to for pleasure, but I am definitely a victim of the power and spell of Michael's shtick.

B+/4.5 stars; I don't care what genre or sub-genre you want to assign this music to, and I don't care what score the sum of the individual songs reveal, this is a masterpiece of listener manipulation via musical means! Rate it up!