Swans

Swans, in their lifetime as a band from 1982 to 1997 set up a template for heavy music that is being ripped off right left and centre in today’s post metal climate. If Neurosis is the one band that just about everybody in this genre has taken from, then Swans comes a close second. Neurosis themselves have been heavily influenced by this band so I guess it all comes down to this.

"Swans are majestic, beautiful looking creatures. With really ugly temperaments."


Michael Gira’s own words to describe why he chose the name Swans for his band. I’m not going to bother you with a factoid dear diary. Instead I hope to talk about the music that this band makes. Gira along with long time guitarist Norman Westberg and Jarboe who joined the band in 1984 made some of the most visceral, beautiful and consistently depressing music ever. The first four albums by the band Filth, Cop, Greed and Holy Money are intense work outs that focus on one hypnotic riff played out over the entirety of the song with Gira shrieking, screaming, ranting and simply speaking over the music. There were no real songs at this point although I think the change started showing itself on 1986s Holy Money with the inclusion of Jarboe and also the addition of acoustic elements into the band’s sound.



What came next is for me the pinnacle of the band’s sound. I prefer cold beautiful Swans to cold ugly Swans and with 1987s Children of God all the way through 1995s The Great Annihilator, Swans were untouchable. Sure, lots of die-hard fans say the band sold out with their one and only album for a major label The Burning World but man, it still has some terrific songs. Forget about Jarboe’s haunting vocal performance “Can’t find my Way Home” (written by Steve Winwood for Blind Faith originally). Instead, listen to the album from start to finish and let it take you on a trip like every Swans album does. Yes, they have proper songs on this one with proper verse chorus structures that are adhered to almost slavishly but the songs despite not really sounding like Swans.



Okay, that sounded like a justification for The Burning World and it probably is. The other albums in that period for the band were much better, particularly the trio of White Light from the Mouth of Infinity, Love of Life and The Great Annihilator. These three albums saw the band mix and match styles old and new where you had gentle acoustics sitting next to abrasive noisy sections with a sprinkling of world music including Trilok Gurtu playing the Tabla on The Burning World.



I guess the biggest difference for me between the first four albums and the next five is that early Swans could tire you out over the course of one song. The clanging industrial nature of the beast coupled with Gira’s vocal performance pushed these songs all too often into a sort of tolerance test. How long can you last before you throw your headphones in the corner, curl up and start to weep? Children of God onwards, the band became more organic and with it the music now lulled you with its beauty and it is only when the album gets over that you realize it’s drained you completely. Like I said, I prefer beautiful but sad Swans any day.