LIVONIA (VINYL)

His Name Is Alive''''s 1990 4AD label debut Livonia cemented the band''''s presence among 4AD''''s well-established ethereal lineage, reinventing and refracting the label''''s sound through a prism. A tender and slightly deranged dream-pop record, it packages nearly ten years of Defever''''s home record- ings ' brought to haunting chorus via the spectral, feminine vocals of Karin Oliver. Produced / mixed by Ivo Watts-Russell and This This Mortal Coil collaborator John Fryer, the record is a powerful opening statement, inviting intrigue via noisy refrains and textural guitar. It examines the dual themes of love and loss, woozily delivered as if dreamlike.