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| Nice Day EP | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| EP by | ||||
| Released | October 27, 1997 | |||
| Recorded | 1996 | |||
| Genre | Experimental rock | |||
| Length | 14:22 | |||
| Label | 4AD(JAD 7009) | |||
| Producer | His Name Is Alive | |||
| His Name Is Alive chronology | ||||
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| Review scores | |
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| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   link |
| Robert Christgau |  link |
Nice Day is an EP byHis Name Is Alive, released by 4AD in the UK in 1997.[1]
After the completion of the tour forStars on ESP,His Name Is Alive leaderWarren Defever found himself with a steady lineup for perhaps the first time in the band's history; veteran vocalistKarin Oliver and drummer Trey Many, along with newer members: vocalistLovetta Pippen and bassist Chad Gilchrist, frequent guest vocalistDara Albro on title track with Defever himself on guitar, and newer vocalist Erika Hoffman (who sings on four of the six tracks). As a result, Defever was anxious to make a new recording and quickly recorded the tracks for this EP in late 1996. It would be almost a year later, in October 1997, before it was released. Apparently this irked Defever somewhat, as the booklet for the 1999 compilationAlways Stay Sweet features a copy of a fax that Defever sent to4AD urging them to hurry up and release the EP.
While originally intended as a mail-order only release of 1,000 copies, the CD EP was soon re-pressed and sold in stores. The tracks were also appended to a reissue ofStars on ESP in 1998.
"Soul Resides in the Horse Barn" is a re-recording of an early His Name Is Alive song, which originally appeared on theKing of Sweet compilation.
Nice Day furthers the motifs ofStars on ESP--classic AM radio pop and Michigan in the late 1960s and early 1970s, but takes a more rock-oriented approach. The sound could be described as a mix betweenMotown and the grittier side of that era in Detroit: theprotopunk sounds ofThe Stooges and theMC5. The Motown influence comes via the increased presence of Pippen, an experienced soul and gospel singer.