Any fans of the mind-blowing industrial/sludge rock band Swans?

I became interested in them for the fact that they are often credited as being a big influence to the avantgarde and industrial metal bands like Neurosis and Godflesh. I just got their album "The Great Annihilator" in the mail today and it totally blew me away. The music is just so raw, heavy, and complex, along with the eerie chanting of Michael Gira and Jarboe to make it very unsettling stuff. The lyrics are some of the most misanthropic I have ever heard, but are also very deep and thoughtful.

If you haven't heard anything by them and are into alot of more experimental shit, I greatly suggest you look into them.

i had the recent cop/young-god/greed/holy-money 2-disc reissue but traded it foolishly. it took a few listens to grow on me and its just lucky that i copied it before trading.

incredible stuff. so heavy, so powerful and so hypnotic.

if you like this try the british band 'black sun'. it has the same ultra-harsh, pounding feel to it but in a more filthy, sludge influenced way. mp3s and/or cd ordering here: http://www.ripyourselfopen.com/

no one else interested in this band? perhaps it would get noticed more if it was in the alternative forum. i presume jupitreas likes this band and i know a few other people have mentioned them.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EayNRh_PkBc&mode=related&search=

I only own their debut-album "Filth", and I have to say is some crushingly heavy, destroyer and disturbing music... this thread made me remember that I hadn't listened to it in ages, though...

they are on my list - they have been for a while. still haven't actually heard them, however.

^ you used to have godflesh's streetcleaner as your avatar, right? swans are almost certainly the biggest influence on that album.

Using the sludge term to describe the Swans is quite wrong, actually they have little to do with either industrial or rock for that matter. They come from the New York no-wave movement and they started off pretty much as a bone-crushing noise-rock band. After a while they evolved into a sick version of Dead Can Dance, although they definitely always stuck to more industrial-esque sound textures. The Swans are indeed an extremely influential band, especially on bands like Godflesh, Pitch Shifter or Kill The Thrill. Actually, perhaps the most innovative band of the last 20 years - The Young Gods - took their name from a Swans song.

Also, Ted Parsons (now in Jesu, used to be in Godflesh and Prong) used to drum for the Swans.

Written by -tom- on 09.11.2006 at 16:17

^ you used to have godflesh's streetcleaner as your avatar, right? swans are almost certainly the biggest influence on that album.

Yeah, that was me for a long time.

I knew they were - just that I've had a looooong interest list, and buy what I can find. Sadly, money has been tight the past couple months. Used to be able to buy around 10 cd's a month. Down to one now.

Written by jupitreas on 09.11.2006 at 17:15
Using the sludge term to describe the Swans is quite wrong, actually they have little to do with either industrial or rock for that matter.

Indeed, I aknowledge that I should have said noise instead of sludge. I wrote that after listening to only one of their albums - one of the albums at the latter end of the band's run... you know, the albums that actually had "songs" on them.

Written by BitterCOld on 09.11.2006 at 22:00

Written by -tom- on 09.11.2006 at 16:17

^ you used to have godflesh's streetcleaner as your avatar, right? swans are almost certainly the biggest influence on that album.

Yeah, that was me for a long time.

I knew they were - just that I've had a looooong interest list, and buy what I can find. Sadly, money has been tight the past couple months. Used to be able to buy around 10 cd's a month. Down to one now.

hadn't considered the "leech first buy then" technic?

don't know anyone with them, and I really prefer not to download anything without it being released by the artist specifically for download. I am paranoid and I don't want Lars and the Metallilawyers kicking in my door at 2am...

I felt guilty enough when someone on MS (to remain nameless) sent me a copy of Celtic Frost covering Wall of Voodoo's "Mexican Radio."

Love them, I've come to appreciate them a lot more recently although I've only a burnt copy of Cop/Young God. Not really interested in the reissue cds, so I don't have anything else, ideally I'd like the entire discog one day.
My favorite song would have to be 'Cop', it's just like being headbutted slowly over and over again for eight minutes, bloody heavy too. The entire album is just so mammoth. I'd recommend to everyone here, watch the live video of 'A Screw (Holy Money)' on youtube. It's absolutely fantastic but I'm not sure if I'd ever attend one of their shows or not....

As a side note, their cover of 'Love Will Tear Us Apart' is almost better than the original.

Filth is one of the most br00tal albums ever... and it was released on 1983! Before thrash, death and black metal!

Yeah, this band is too great, I'm also a fool for not knowing them for longer.

Islands (Life after Death) is amazing, that song made me listen to these guys. The voice is interesting to hear in a relaxing day, but I don't know much more about them, I'll have to see a couple of videos on youtube or download some more stuff when I have time....

Amazed this thread hasn't been swamped by the release of the new album.

Yes. It's very good. It's more consistent and listenable than Soundtracks, though that one has some of the best Swans stuff, ever. It's not Gira at his best and I miss Jarboe, but it's far from a disappointment. Buy it.

Does anyone heard their most recent album "The Seer"? Two discs, two hours, and 11 tracks. Demanding but really great stuff, highly recommend. Here is a sample:

It's fucking exhausting. I can no longer subscribe to my statement about the previous album, because I don't really like it anymore. This is a step up, but way too long and doesn't quite have that "something." Then again, that's coming from someone who didn't love Soundtracks for the Blind nearly as much as practically everyone. I like Children of God and White Light From the Mouth of Infinity best, personally.

Here's my review of the album for RYM:

Quote:
Another pretty good release from Swans. It's a step up from My Father Will Guide Me Up a Rope to the Sky no doubt, but it stumbles on new problems. The length as such is not a problem, but the lack of musical ideas to support it is. There's not a whole lot going on. "But it's experimental and avant-garde and drone and stuff, you pleb!" Sure, but I still find more to enjoy in a Ryuichi Sakamoto or Popol Vuh album, when it comes to meandering oddities. You can have direction and purpose even if you're artistic.

In terms of style and sound, the album is very samey. It's like dragging your feet through a rotting mire, gray clouds overhead. That has its charm, and I'm not saying I don't enjoy how Swans have musically realized the concept of bleakness, over their career and even here. But after two hours or whatever the running time is, I'm kinda hoping for some high point, a rock or a tree to reward the trudge through the barren landscape. Song for a Warrior does offer some respite, and the following Avatar is probably the strongest song on the album. Actually the whole of the second disc is strong, but by the time I get to the two 20-minute giants I'm already pretty exhausted and fed up with the mood of the album. It's the meandering first disc that's the real offender, here.

It's great to see Gira return to something as ambitious, sprawling and oppressive as this album. I just wish it was executed with a little more versatility, bombast and good ideas. I'm still going to give this a good score, because I ultimately enjoyed it a fair deal. Taken out of context, there's plenty of strong material here, and it's not actually difficult to get through the album in one sitting. It's not even overly boring. The whole just doesn't do justice to its individual parts. And there's a lot of filler, with songs clocking three times longer than their substance warrants. Swans did OK, but they should do better.

Highlights: Lunacy, Avatar and Apostate.

Written by IronAngel on 08.09.2012 at 01:49

It's fucking exhausting. I can no longer subscribe to my statement about the previous album, because I don't really like it anymore. This is a step up, but way too long and doesn't quite have that "something." Then again, that's coming from someone who didn't love Soundtracks for the Blind nearly as much as practically everyone. I like Children of God and White Light From the Mouth of Infinity best, personally.

Here's my review of the album for RYM:

Yeah I really cannot decide how I feel about it. It is very oppressive and unpleasant, there are some moods where that appeals to me and then I think it is really awesome, in other moods it is just too unpleasant. The second disc is much more accessible though so I tend to listen to that more.

I haven't checked this band out. Probably should since Ted Parsons is/was a part of it; Godflesh and Prong being two of my favorite bands EVER.

Written by tea[m]ster on 10.09.2012 at 21:54

I haven't checked this band out. Probably should since Ted Parsons is/was a part of it; Godflesh and Prong being two of my favorite bands EVER.

I recommend starting with Children of God. It's sort of a turning point in their sound, as Jarboe's vocals and keyboard start to add melody and drama to the straightforward rawness of their early works, but it still maintains most of that heavy, simplistic impact. The big 90s albums take a more experimental, post-rock turn. Of them, White Light From the Mouth of Infinity is probably the most melodic (and my favorite), The Great Annihilator is more industrial and the most straightforward of the three, whereas Soundtracks for the Blind is the most massive and strange. It's hailed as their masterpiece, but I find it rather inconsistent.

Or you could check the live album, Swans Are Dead. (I have a copy with Gira's autograph btw, woo.) Absolutely look into their early stuff, Filth/Cop/Greed, but they're not very representative of the majority of their career.

My faves are Children of God and White Light...

Swans swans swans. Posted to bump to make it easier to find after locking up the duplicate thread.

Woah! There was a Swans thread! Didn't expect it to be in the Rock forum.

Written by Mercyful_Kate on 11.10.2013 at 17:01

Woah! There was a Swans thread! Didn't expect it to be in the Rock forum.

Haha, thought as much. And to answer your question from the previous thread, no, I haven't seen them live. I doubt they would ever find their way to India, unless in search of spiritual enlightenment

Written by [user id=35732] on 11.10.2013 at 17:09

Written by Mercyful_Kate on 11.10.2013 at 17:01

Woah! There was a Swans thread! Didn't expect it to be in the Rock forum.

Yeah, the MS search engine is a great tool to use before launching any thread:

http://www.metalstorm.net/forum/index.php -> Search - Search for: - "Swans" => http://www.metalstorm.net/forum/search.php?forumsearch=Swans&user_name=&new_board_id=&searchwhere=topics

Touche.

Written by Spirit Molecule on 11.10.2013 at 17:24

Written by Mercyful_Kate on 11.10.2013 at 17:01

Woah! There was a Swans thread! Didn't expect it to be in the Rock forum.

Haha, thought as much. And to answer your question from the previous thread, no, I haven't seen them live. I doubt they would ever find their way to India, unless in search of spiritual enlightenment

Perhaps you could find your way elsewhere in the world on a Swans tour. I'm serious when I say I'd never worn earplugs to a show in my life...except for Swans. Even with earplugs, they were deafeningly loud.

Written by Mercyful_Kate on 11.10.2013 at 17:26

Perhaps you could find your way elsewhere in the world on a Swans tour. I'm serious when I say I'd never worn earplugs to a show in my life...except for Swans. Even with earplugs, they were deafeningly loud.

Yeah, perhaps. Most of the bands that I have seen live have been outside India. We really don't have that many underground bands coming down. Plus now with the currency dropping, we'd probably have less bands coming down as the costs for promoters will increase :/

But, I wouldn't say I'd never get the chance to see them live, unless they disband.

I managed to get "The Great Annihilator" at the local record shop last month, after a few months of getting acquainted with it. It's definitiley becoming with one of my favorite albums, of any genre. I would like to get around to buying more of their stuff. "Children of God" being the next one on my list. I hope that they reissue "White Light from the Mouth of Infinity" sooner than later because I can't just drop $40 on a CD, regardless of how good it is. I don't even have $10 now!

Listened to some of their stuff. Not got properly into it, but I didn't dislike. I'd probably have to give The Seer a few more listens.

Written by Doge of Venice on 12.02.2014 at 18:55

Listened to some of their stuff. Not got properly into it, but I didn't dislike. I'd probably have to give The Seer a few more listens.

Here are some of my favorite tracks. If they don't impress you, I don't know what will!