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Swans - Leaving Meaning. review




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Band: Swans
Album: Leaving Meaning.
Release date: October 2019


Disc I
01. Hums
02. Annaline
03. The Hanging Man
04. Amnesia
05. Leaving Meaning
06. Sunfucker

Disc II
01. Cathedrals Of Heaven
02. The Nub
03. It's Coming It's Real
04. Some New Things [CD/Digital bonus]
05. What Is This?
06. My Phantom Limb

Are Swans dead? Yes and no. But Michael Gira is alive!

What do I mean by that? I mean that Leaving Meaning. comes at a pretty pivotal point in Swans long career. Founded in 1982 and moving through everything from post-punk to no wave to industrial rock to gothic rock to neofolk to post-rock before announcing in 1998 that Swans Are Dead and dead they were until 2010. What followed were four albums, the latter three of which have been some of Swans most celebrated and also their longest as well, each clocking in at over two hours in runtime. In 2017, the band in its iteration at its time announced once again that it would stop touring and performing, and up until Leaving Meaning. announcement, it could've meant the complete end of Swans. But at the same time, they were right about it being the end of that iteration of Swans. Rather it is the end of Swans as a band, as much as Swans ever were a band.

Leaving Meaning. finds Swans completely at the helm of main-man Michael Gira as the only official member, the rest being a cast of revolving contributors, some of which ex-members of Swans, some of which contributor from Gira's inter-Swans project Angels Of Light, but also some possibly familiar names like Anna Von Hausswolff or Ben Frost, even an entire band with The Necks. This isn't though that much of a big change, considering that Michael Gira is the only constant member of the band, with close second being Norman Westberg, who still makes contributions to the record. Michael Gira is Swans, whether we like it or not. Especially considering some of the songs on the record were previously part of either Gira's solo album I Am Not This or the fundraiser album What Is This?. But I assume most people had not heard those earlier versions and we can concentrate on the final completed opus, the rebirth, Leaving Meaning..

The first thing to notice is that even though it's still a double album, Leaving Meaning. is at least half an hour shorter than the three albums which preceded it. But in tone and genre, it is not a far cry from what was on those records, with its unmistakably Swans touch, but distinct enough to feel like a new incarnation. Even with its reduced runtime, the album is once again very patience testing, with the music moving at very glacial paces that could put funeral doom to shame at points, but that don't really feel stretched out for the sake of covering ground. Swans have played with this "less is more" approach for a while now, and even though I don't find that Leaving Meaning, does it as well as some of their previous albums, it is still a far cry from most bands attempting the same approach. If there ever was an album this year that I could describe as hypnotic it would be this one. With its meticulous layers that really take their time into building the sound and its often repetitive grooves, it achieves that feeling quite seamlessly, and in here I have to give credit to The Necks whose contributions in the title track and in "The Nub" make those some of the most hypnotic on the record.

That's not to say that the other tracks don't achieve the same effect, but it's great seeing Swans influence on other artists being felt in a Swans record, from both the aforementioned The Necks and from Anna Von Hausswolff, whose latest album, Dead Magic, is some of the most powerful recent examples of the band's influence, and having her and sister's vocals on "It's Coming It's Real" does give such a great contrast between the chill Hawaiian vibe and the impending sense of doom of the dronish pace and Gira's apocalyptic vocals. Overall, through the record there is a bit of a lighter tone than on the previous records, felt on the likes of the aforementioned tracks and on "Annaline", the folkiest track on the record. And on the other hand we have the cathartically tragressive "The Hanging Man" and "Sunfucker", and the groovy "Some New Things", all of which have that constant sense of dread in their repetitive grooves. The extended personnel gives each track a slightly different flavor, which does make the album feel a bit disjointed (especially with the album's flow being most affected), but it creates a lot more interesting sounds to be heard, with not only the approach but the instruments and the vocals on the album having their range extended as well.

Leaving Meaning. takes the cohesive behemoth of the previous three records and turns it into a more manageable but slightly more disjointed beast, both in sound and runtime. It doesn't feel like it reaches the highs that they used to do, but even its lows are extremely rewarding and it feels great to have the band shape-shift a bit in personnel and approach, after it felt like they said everything they need to say with the previous incarnation.





Written on 10.12.2019 by Doesn't matter that much to me if you agree with me, as long as you checked the album out.


Comments

Comments: 8   Visited by: 52 users
12.12.2019 - 10:52
Rating: 7
Gesualdo

Excelent review!! And, apart form that. I totally agree with you...
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16.12.2019 - 18:41
Rating: 7
Boxcar Willy
yr a kook
I enjoyed this album quite a bit. The title track is really good.
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14:22 - Marcel Hubregtse
I do your mum

DESTROY DRUM TRIGGERS
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16.04.2020 - 18:33
Rating: 8
X-Ray Rod
Skandino
I took my discman and went for a long walk to town with the sun high up in the sky. I must say the album resonated well with me. Sunfucker felt specially great when I was starting to sweat after walking the first hour. Other highlights were The Hanging Man, so damn hypnotic and intriguing lyrics. What Is This? gave me major creepy feelings with the ending feeling so apocalyptic but accepting with that choir in the end. I actually have not listened to the previous 3-4 albums of them that well (or at all). It takes quite a lot of time but I feel like I need to find that time. Engaging stuff. Thank you for the review (hella late to the party, eh)
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Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29
Like you could kiss my ass
Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
Rod, let me love you.
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16.04.2020 - 18:37
Rating: 8
RaduP
CertifiedHipster
Written by X-Ray Rod on 16.04.2020 at 18:33

I took my discman and went for a long walk to town with the sun high up in the sky. I must say the album resonated well with me. Sunfucker felt specially great when I was starting to sweat after walking the first hour. Other highlights were The Hanging Man, so damn hypnotic and intriguing lyrics. What Is This? gave me major creepy feelings with the ending feeling so apocalyptic but accepting with that choir in the end. I actually have not listened to the previous 3-4 albums of them that well (or at all). It takes quite a lot of time but I feel like I need to find that time. Engaging stuff. Thank you for the review (hella late to the party, eh)

Always great seeing notifications about my older stuff, especially when it's not from a spambot.
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Do you think if the heart keeps on shrinking
One day there will be no heart at all?
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16.04.2020 - 19:00
Rating: 8
X-Ray Rod
Skandino
Written by RaduP on 16.04.2020 at 18:37
Always great seeing notifications about my older stuff, especially when it's not from a spambot.

I still can offer you a sexy time, though.
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Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29
Like you could kiss my ass
Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
Rod, let me love you.
Loading...
16.04.2020 - 21:36
Rating: 8
RaduP
CertifiedHipster
Written by X-Ray Rod on 16.04.2020 at 19:00

Written by RaduP on 16.04.2020 at 18:37
Always great seeing notifications about my older stuff, especially when it's not from a spambot.

I still can offer you a sexy time, though.

How in the world can I say no to that, but can you offer printer support in delhi?
----
Do you think if the heart keeps on shrinking
One day there will be no heart at all?
Loading...
16.04.2020 - 22:09
Cynic Metalhead
Paisa Vich Nasha
Written by RaduP on 16.04.2020 at 21:36

Written by X-Ray Rod on 16.04.2020 at 19:00

Written by RaduP on 16.04.2020 at 18:37
Always great seeing notifications about my older stuff, especially when it's not from a spambot.

I still can offer you a sexy time, though.

but can you offer printer support in delhi?


Yeah I can do that. I live near New Delhi.
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16.04.2020 - 22:13
Rating: 8
RaduP
CertifiedHipster
Written by Cynic Metalhead on 16.04.2020 at 22:09

Written by RaduP on 16.04.2020 at 21:36

but can you offer printer support in delhi?


Yeah I can do that. I live near New Delhi.

Well damn, I really have no need for spambots then
----
Do you think if the heart keeps on shrinking
One day there will be no heart at all?
Loading...

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