Our Likeness

Our Likeness
Studio album by
Phew
Released1992 (1992)
RecordedJanuary–March 1992
StudioConny Plank's studio
Length37:33
LabelMute
Phew chronology
View
(1987)		 Our Likeness
(1992)		 Himitsu no Knife
(1995)

Our Likeness is a studio album by Japanese musician Hiromi Moritani under the pseudonym Phew. It was released in 1992 through Mute Records.

Background

Hiromi Moritani, better known as Phew, is a Japanese musician from Osaka. She was a vocalist of the Japanese band Aunt Sally. She previously released her solo albums Phew (1981) and View (1987). Our Likeness is her third solo album.

When Phew recorded her music at Conny Plank's studio in Cologne in 1981, she met Chrislo Haas. At the end of the 1980s, Haas visited Phew in Tokyo, and they decided to make music together. Our Likeness was recorded in Plank's studio, from January to March 1992. It features contributions from Haas on keyboards, Alexander Hacke on guitar, Jaki Liebezeit on drums, and Thomas Stern on bass guitar. It consists of eleven tracks.

Release

The album was originally released in 1992 through Mute Records. It was reissued on 17 February 2023 through the label, on CD, on limited edition clear vinyl, and on digital formats.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusicStarStarStarStarHalf star
Pitchfork8.3/10
Spectrum Culture75%

Kelly Doherty of The Vinyl Factory wrote, "A spiritual precursor to the spiky, brash dance-punk of the early '00s while channelling a crushing metal adjacent atmosphere, Our Likeness is confrontational, intense music at its finest." Heather Phares of AllMusic stated, "Opting for a set of discrete experiments instead of the more cohesive feel of some of her later work, Our Likeness falls somewhere in between Phew's improvisations and the more structured pieces of 1987's View." She called the album "a tour de force from an artist whose imaginative spirit always burns bright."

Accolades

Year-end lists for Our Likeness
Publication List Rank Ref.
AllMusic Favorite Archival Releases
—
The Vinyl Factory Our Favourite Compilations and Reissues of 2023
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Track listing

All lyrics are written by Phew; all music is composed by Chrislo Haas, Alexander Hacke, Jaki Liebezeit, Thomas Stern, and Phew.

Our Likeness track listing
No.TitleLength
1."The Last Song"3:24
2."Our Likeness"3:52
3."Being"2:59
4."Like Water and Water"3:38
5."Glitter of Night"1:59
6."Spring"3:40
7."Smell"3:36
8."Depth of the Forehead"3:54
9."Our Element"2:49
10."Expression"3:58
11."Ocean"3:44
Total length:37:33

Personnel

Credits adapted from liner notes.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Phew (1992). Our Likeness (CD liner notes). Mute Records.
  2. 1 2 Phares, Heather. "Phew". AllMusic. Retrieved 11 October 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Doherty, Kelly (28 November 2022). "Phew to reissue 1992 album Our Likeness". The Vinyl Factory. Archived from the original on 28 November 2022. Retrieved 11 October 2026.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Phares, Heather. "Phew: Our Likeness". AllMusic. Retrieved 11 October 2026.
  5. 1 2 Eede, Christian (28 November 2022). "Phew Details 'Our Likeness' Reissue". The Quietus. Archived from the original on 4 August 2025. Retrieved 11 October 2026.
  6. ↑ Blackwell, Matthew (22 February 2023). "Phew: Our Likeness". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 13 March 2023. Retrieved 11 October 2026.
  7. ↑ Jackson, Reed (7 March 2023). "Phew: Our Likeness". Spectrum Culture. Archived from the original on 8 March 2023. Retrieved 11 October 2026.
  8. 1 2 "Our favourite compilations and reissues of 2023". The Vinyl Factory. 21 December 2023. Archived from the original on 21 December 2023. Retrieved 11 October 2026.
  9. ↑ "Favorite Archival Releases | AllMusic 2023 in Review". AllMusic. Retrieved 11 October 2026.
  10. ↑ "Our Likeness | Phew". Bandcamp. Archived from the original on 6 December 2023. Retrieved 11 October 2026.