The album features contributions from Bee and Flower bassist and vocalist Dana Schechter, drummer Thor Harris, singer-songwriter Bliss Blood and ex-Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds guitarist Kid Congo Powers.

The songs started out with just my voice and acoustic guitar, and then developed naturally over time by playing them with my friends, whose collaboration and contributions are positively inspirational, to me anyway.

"[3] John Robinson of NME stated: "Like a dark meeting place for a tryst between Nick Cave and Sonic Youth, they take a funereal subject matter (e.g. "My Suicide"), and expand it over beautifully arranged and very huge spaces of time".

[4] Wilson Neate of Popmatters wrote: "Leonard Cohen once recorded a rather dark album called Songs of Love and Hate.

"[7] Nevertheless, Richard M. Juzwiak of Pitchfork gave the album a negative review, stating: "The fact that Gira attempts the monumental, snug fit is admirable.