His Name Is Alive – A Silver Thread (Home Recordings 1979 – 1990) (2021) [Official Digital Download 24bit/44,1kHz]

4 disc, 60 track anthology compiling early work by Warren Defever aka His Name Is Alive, prior to signing to 4AD. This set compiles 3 volumes previously released on vinyl, alongside a bonus disc.

For the past couple of years the Disciples label has been exploring the His Name Is Alive tape archives, charting the development of their sound over 3 roughly chronological volumes – All The Mirrors In The House, Return To Never and Hope Is A Candle (the latter LP being released alongside this boxset). The full vinyl trilogy is anthologised here, alongside a bonus disc which collects together the best tracks from a series of cassette companion volumes that Defever compiled to go alongside each LP – 6Teen OK, Return Versions and Ghost Tape EXP.

Whilst ‘official’ His Name Is Alive albums are much-loved by fans of the 4AD label in it’s crepuscular Cocteau Twins/This Mortal Coil period, these tentative tracks reveal a different kind of sound, notably losing the layer of prominent female lead vocals to reveal the shadowy instrumental moves going on underneath, with some tracks recorded when Defever was as young as 10.

With help transferring ageing cassettes and annotating the results from Shelley Salant of Tyvek, the unearthed results are revelatory – a gorgeous sequence of gently decaying tone float made with an incredibly primitive DIY set-up. Comes with a 36 page booklet containing essays on each of the vinyl LPs by Mike McGonigal (author of books on My Bloody Valentine, Galaxie 500 and noted for his publications Chemical Imbalance, Yeti and Maggot Brain), alongside beautiful photos from the Defever family album.

Tracklist:
01. His Name Is Alive – Piano Rev (02:03)
02. His Name Is Alive – Lliadin (02:55)
03. His Name Is Alive – Something About Hope (02:35)
04. His Name Is Alive – All The Mirrors In The House (01:27)
05. His Name Is Alive – Because Piano (02:23)
06. His Name Is Alive – Rememory (04:43)
07. His Name Is Alive – Tape Sound (00:36)
08. His Name Is Alive – Guitar Rev (02:01)
09. His Name Is Alive – Fine As Feathers (02:20)
10. His Name Is Alive – Reflection Pool (04:01)
11. His Name Is Alive – Equally Divided (01:59)
12. His Name Is Alive – Tape Slow (03:17)
13. His Name Is Alive – Outside The Window (00:33)
14. His Name Is Alive – Echo Lake (03:43)
15. His Name Is Alive – F Choir (02:06)
16. His Name Is Alive – Return To Never (04:38)
17. His Name Is Alive – Lake Night (02:53)
18. His Name Is Alive – Morning Machine (02:06)
19. His Name Is Alive – Early Version (04:15)
20. His Name Is Alive – Piano V (02:11)
21. His Name Is Alive – To Remember (02:45)
22. His Name Is Alive – My Thoughts Are To Thee Drawn (04:09)
23. His Name Is Alive – Guitar Echo (03:05)
24. His Name Is Alive – Forever Getting Lost (01:09)
25. His Name Is Alive – Chords (00:36)
26. His Name Is Alive – From The Night Tape (00:38)
27. His Name Is Alive – Descending (01:47)
28. His Name Is Alive – Last Thing Thought Of (03:15)
29. His Name Is Alive – Whitesnake (01:23)
30. His Name Is Alive – Gone (01:53)
31. His Name Is Alive – Princess (02:16)
32. His Name Is Alive – Either (02:05)
33. His Name Is Alive – Coldless (03:30)
34. His Name Is Alive – Liadin (02:55)
35. His Name Is Alive – Disappear (01:56)
36. His Name Is Alive – Never (01:37)
37. His Name Is Alive – Pass (01:32)
38. His Name Is Alive – Nearby (02:59)
39. His Name Is Alive – Salendro (03:07)
40. His Name Is Alive – Porter (02:30)
41. His Name Is Alive – Still (02:21)
42. His Name Is Alive – Halo (03:40)
43. His Name Is Alive – Insiders (03:15)
44. His Name Is Alive – Sun Reflection (04:16)
45. His Name Is Alive – Dream Piano (02:29)
46. His Name Is Alive – Sleep 6teen (01:56)
47. His Name Is Alive – Something Blood (04:07)
48. His Name Is Alive – 6teen Secrets (02:34)
49. His Name Is Alive – Entrance Protection (01:03)
50. His Name Is Alive – 6teen Cheers (02:01)
51. His Name Is Alive – Heaven In The Sun (01:02)
52. His Name Is Alive – Return To Never Version (03:48)
53. His Name Is Alive – Vision Return (04:41)
54. His Name Is Alive – To Remember Version (04:41)
55. His Name Is Alive – Early 2 Version (04:47)
56. His Name Is Alive – Angel Waves (03:23)
57. His Name Is Alive – Piano V Version (03:20)
58. His Name Is Alive – Slept Thru (06:22)
59. His Name Is Alive – In The Great Night (03:23)
60. His Name Is Alive – My Heart Goes Out (05:40)