Could someone elaborate? What makes this album good? After multiple listens, I cant seem to grasp it. I can understand its excellence from a musical standpoint, but the lyrics seem lazy and meaningless. Maybe someone could explain.
The trick is its not good. Swans aren't that good, but its fucking cool to like them so every fucking hipster that wants to jump on in to something fucked up and heavy suddenly has a valid say
avant teen trash people only listen to along with their swans t shirts so they can look eclectic and cultured for social meme points, dont fall for it OP
>>63221760
>>63221834
>>63221864
Hello, reddit!
Its really not deep at all, especially the lyrics, but it has nice songwriting structure and progression. Most Swans albums rely on progression and tension building, but what makes them unique is that with almost every album they switch up the method by which they accomplish that tension. I would agree some hipsters inaccurately hail them as godsends and they never reinvented the wheel, but they are a great band with a long, varied ride of a discography that is almost always worth a listen at every stop
>>63221834
>Its really not deep at all, especially the lyrics, but it has nice songwriting structure and progression. Most Swans albums rely on progression and tension building, but what makes them unique is that with almost every album they switch up the method by which they accomplish that tension. I would agree some hipsters inaccurately hail them as godsends and they never reinvented the wheel, but they are a great band with a long, varied ride of a discography that is almost always worth a listen at every stop
Not really sure who to believe. I guess at the end of the day an album is only as good as you make it out to be. I REALLY enjoyed Filth for some reason.
They also have great live performances, but every single one will have a token hardcore mosher that read on wikipedia that Gira gets fired up about moshing but inevitably fails to incite any abnormal level of aggression and quits after the 3rd song in the set. This sole, shirtless man is to be acompanied by at least 5 other young people who read on wikipedia about the band's notorious deafening live sound that gets parroted across all online music discussion forums, and every one of them will make sure to offer you their spare earplugs while you wait in line for the venue doors to open. You will find that once Swans start their set they will never reach any harsh levels of amplitude, and only during crescendos will it even audibly resonate any differently than the average rock or metal show.
>>63221986
I get that this is a troll thread but its nice to actually talk about this band without mentioning the rape case for the first time in weeks
>>63222017
Pretty much this. I still wore earplugs though cause I'm not trying to to tempt tinnitus. The swells on Just a Little Boy is probably the loudest sound I've ever heard.
>>63222017
If this is a troll thread, its unintended. I know that Swans has a cult-like fanbase, that I really just don't get. I really enjoy Swans heavier music, but albums such as To Be Kind and The Seer haven't clicked for me. (Not implying that these albums are an easy listen.) I honestly don't think I get their music just yet.
>>63222113
Newer music, that is.
>>63222088
Even shitty lineups like Warped Tour feature bands who play louder than Swans. The loudness meme only applied in the 90s
>>63222113
Just google the swans album flowchart and figure out for yourself what you like best of their discog then, over time you will probably find a place for all their albums. And if you don't think The Seer has some of their heaviest moments you need to listen more, albums like Filth were only made heavy by the mixing at best
>>63222147
I mean, yes and no. The Swans have a nicer setup than like every side stage at Warped. If it's all just brutal treble outdoor cabinet monitors, of course it's going to sound louder but way shittier. Swans are successful as fuck and it shows in their investment in their gear.
>>63222186
I was hoping no one would notice my error. Of course, I think their newer music has insanely intense and heavy moments, which pay off even more than their earlier music ever did.
Trigger warning: I think I would enjoy To Be Kind more as an instrumental album. Lyrics were nothing but a distraction to the unbelievable musicality. That's why I'm asking for some sort of justification.
Swans are a band that that relies on crescendo. They start off a song slow and quiet, and over the course of 15 to 20 minutes, they build up the song one layer at a time, gradually increasing the energy until the song feels like it's soaring above the clouds, pulsating with primal energy. they often do this multiple times over the course of a song. There's lots of bands that use this technique, but few do it as well or as consistently as swans.
>>63222241
Thats fair enough, they definitely have a more accurate and refined sound that they are able to keep accurate even at loud amplitude. I still don't think they've warranted earplugs for at least a decade now tho, but hey opinions are like assholes
>>63222282
I feel like the lyrical quality is kinda dependent on the era but its hard to write off the entire album. I look at Swans lyrics in a similar way as Xiu Xiu's (so glad they toured together btw), sure its maximum edge most of the time but its not usually without purpose
>>63222354
You captured that feeling well imo, I often find myself wishing bands like GYBE could have the same level of primal intensity. I think they mainly started capitalizing on that progressive layered sound with The Seer tho, which makes it such a good jumping on point in their discography
>>63221760
I didnt like it the first few times I listened to it, but now it's one of my favorites , just put it on late at night and get comfortable, it's fantastic.
>>63221760
Are the lyrics your only complaint?
I like the animalistic energy and the incredibly wide array of textures the album brings. I can zone out to the drones or ride the huge momentum of the grooves.
Regarding the vocals, it's amazing to here Gira losing his mind along with the rest of the instrumentation.
>>63222393
What stuck out to me was the song "Things we do". For fucks sake, the instrumentation is so nice, but over it, you have this couple muttering "we fuck, we love, we heal etc." over and fucking over again. I understand repetition can dramatize a particular verse, but this just sounded utterly annoying and pointless. to me, it doesn't seem too difficult to write down some things humans do, talk it out over some instrumentation, and simply call it "Some things we do". I need a hardcore Swans fan in here to elaborate.
>>63222826
Yes. Lyrics are pretty much my only complaint. It's hard for me to enjoy an album if the lyrics are garbage, no matter how fantastic everything else might be. I want to like this album, because the drones, buildups, and rage induced breakdowns are fantastic.
>>63222847
>>63222880
This is why this is a troll thread
>>63222880
I guess that's fair. It's probably a lost cause to defend Swans' lyrics as being "deep," but here are some lyrical aspects of the album that I like.
My favorite lyric on the album is probably from I'm Just a Little Boy. The whole song is a vulnerable, heart-wrenching character portrait.
I also think the lyrics on the latter half of Bring The Sun/Toussaint L'Ouverture.
I think the chants of "freedom, liberte, egalite, fraternite" outline some of the major themes of the rebellion that Toussaint L'Overture led, as well as his aspirations to build a just empire. It's interesting to hear how all those plans come crashing down at the end of the song.
>>63222880
>>63222847
If you're not capable of listening to lyrics on anything other than the surface level, then you probably won't be able to enjoy a vast subsection of music.
>>63222977
>Toussaint L'Overture
That's interesting, I've been listening to a podcast about the Haitian revolution recently, but I hadn't listened to Swans since then, and I hadn't put 2 and 2 together.
>>63222991
Ah finally. You're the person I've been waiting for. Please, tell me the meaning behind some tracks from To be Kind like I have been asking. I know I'm missing something. I'm positive its not lazy work on Swans part.
>>63222017
Then you go and mention it yourself because fuck logic right?
Typical Swans fanatic.
>>63221760 (You) (You) (You) (You) (You) (You)
>>63221834 (You) (You) (You) (You) (You) (You)
>>63221864 (You) (You) (You) (You) (You) (You)
>>63223060 (You) (You) (You) (You) (You) (You)
>>63222847 (You) (You) (You) (You) (You) (You)
>>63222880 (You) (You) (You) (You) (You) (You)
Ok you can go home with your (You)s now
The entire ethos of Swans is basically an exploration of the unconcious/instinct, thoughtlessness, everything based only on feeling and not thought.
This goes for the music but it also goes for the lyrics, they aren't meant to mean anything in particular, they mean what they mean and that's whatever it is they mean. You might hear of that quote he said about The Seer where when he was asked about what "The Seer" is that he said "Fuck if I know". It is a raw reflection of Gira's mind, and that is where the merit lies in Swans' concept.
inb4
>you can't make unconcious music, it's impossible!
No shit, you're missing the point
>>63221864
>social meme points
what planet are you on
>>63221883
best answer. theyre not the greatest experimental rock, post-rock, noise-rock, or no wave band ever, but they're great at creating hypnotic visual music with lots of repetition and aggressive (non-metal) sounds.
>>63222147
>loudness meme
fucking christ
>>63222282
maybe read up about the lyrics and try to get some meaning from them? you wont find much though, they just sound right, without much meaning
>>63222354
i think this is why TBK is good, the 34 minute song has such a long but satisfying crescendo.
>>63223083
probably agree. it's not deep, it's just a flow of conciousness in the lyrics, just emotions
don't read into it too much
>>63223083
This pretty much. Swans lyrics aren't meant to be very deep, they're written in a stream of consciousness style
I love how this entire website has become an echochamber just like Reddit. You will notice comments that mimic ones posted before them are present on every board. You will also notice that while it isn't the rule, tripfags will be the usual suspects when it comes to copying and pasting earlier posts that they hope people won't take the time to read and rebranding them under their own tripfag trademark...
>>63221864
Nah you're thinking of p4k drones that listen to white indie music
Thinking that avant teens even exist is way too optimistic
>>63223169
"You will notice comments that mimic ones posted before them are present on every board."
Its called replying faggot.
>>63222991
Hey, you shouldn't be rude. Just try to enjoy talking to people who have a different point of view. If you do that, you're much more likely to get them to see your side of things.
Swans lyrics are supposed to be these mantra-like chants repeating over and over until the music makes them mean something. What else would fit their current sound? They have to be very general, universal, vague, but also heavy and wide in scope. Love, hate, blood, sun, child etc.
Take Screenshot, for example, which is a song about living in the moment. Listen to it with this perspective, it will make sense. Or Kirsten Supine, which is about the girl from Melancholia which suffered depression but after it became apparent the world is ending she was the only one capable of doing anything because she was mentally prepared. Or Oxygen, which is about asthma attack Gira had. And don't tell me that To Be Kind (the song) lyrics aren't beautiful in their own way.
>>63223208
Don't you ever reply to meme again unless you're a Navy SEAL who stole milkybars under electrical infetterance which was SO CASH
also the words FAGGOT and NIGGER
>>63223265
Don't be silly, OP has never listened to a Swans lyric and never intends to
>>63223169
>/mu/ is a hivemind
>tripfags are retarded
what else did you just learn
>>63221760
>The lyrics seem really lazy and meaningless
part of the problem you're treating lyrical music as if the same thing as poetry. it isn't. Some of the lyrics might be bad as poetry if you aren't taking in the music as well.
If you want an intensely lyrical experience, there are plenty of good rappers. this isn't it.
Still the lyrics aren't senseless. I'd say broadly speaking, there is a theme of religion. "Screen Shot" is about Śūnyatā /mindfulness. "For Chester Burnett" with its line about "sleeping in the belly of the oceans" makes me think of the prophet Jonah's three days in the whale. The "pink little lamb on a granite slab" of "Little God" is Jesus, who is often referred to as the Lamb of God in Catholicism, which Gira was at least raised in. Keeping with this,"sing in reverse" could be a reference to how the natural order is usually God causes death, but with Christ it is death killing God. "The universal mind" could be a Spinozan conception of God. "Bring the Sun" uses imagery that makes one think of Apollo, the Greek God that literally brought the sun each day by pulling it with his flying chariot. In keeping with the Greek theme "Toussaint Louverture" is a kind of Promethean figure who stole the light of freedom from the white devil, but at the cost of his own life (cue the sounds of being torn apart wild horses). "Kirsten Supine" is a recounting of a more modern religious vision, Von Trier's idea of the apocalypse. And the title track is about an alcoholic tyrannical asshole whose trying to get on board with the religious thing ("millions and millions of stars, in your eyes: think how similarly Krishna had the universe in his mouth) despite his doubts ("a song that's untrue") because you catch more flies with honey than vinegar.
I don't think Gira thought about all this consciously, but he's very good at probing the human unconscious as an artist
ITT: Plebs
>>63221760
>people repeating chords for 9 min
could you elaborate this point, mr musician?
