Just finished listening to this record for the first time, absolutely stunning experience. Favorite song was either The Sound or Red Velvet Corridor, but overall as a coherent piece of work it flowed incredibly well. It's over 2 hours long and not once during the run-time did the record ever feel as if it needed to be shortened, everything feels perfectly contextualized and sequenced despite the vast differences in style between the songs. Great great record.
Favorite songs? Moments? Your own personal experiences? Thoughts on the album and how it fits into the Swans career?
shameless bump
yum-yab killers was literally one of the better songs on here btw
>>65450479
dude first time i listened to this i waited till like 11 at night since it was a busy day for me and i was really sleepy so as i was listening to this i came up with all these crazy images in my head that would correspond with the music. really is a soundtrack for the blind, man
>>65450479
It's fantastic. It's my second favourite Swans album, just behind To Be Kind. Helpless Child is an amazing song.
Favorite album of all time, nothing compares. I don't actually listen to it that much, I need to be in the right state of mind.
>>65450479
What I love so much about this album is the transition from track two to track three.
If you listen to I Was a Prisoner in Your Skull blindfolded, the opening is very off putting. It's heavy, loud, and not at all peaceful, like the Red Velvet Corridor. Afterwards, you get that scary bit with what sounds like a monster. It comes out of nowhere and puts the nerves on you. Following that is that intense drum beat, making it seem like something big is about to happen, but then it just disappears, showing that you had nothing to actually worry about. The audio section at the end only further puts salt into the wound, stating that the only reason why you were scared in the first places was because you're horribly fucked up and proceeds to explain just how fucked up you are. Its after all that that you realize how helpless you are, that you are nothing more than a helpless child. Thus begins track three, helpless child. Beautiful
what do you guys think of pre-soundtrack swans?
>>65451735
Overall pretty great, a few duds tho (Greed comes to mind)
>>65450982
Yeah I was listening to it at night too, pitch black room. I didn't find it scary or disturbing, just intensely emotional, even bordering on spirituality at times. Don't care how cheesy this might sound but I felt cleansed when it finished, it really hit me.
>>65451011
I thought Helpless Child sustained a feeling more than climaxed in the sense that The Sound did, and I've heard it being compared to stuff like Godpseed You! Black Emperor but I think Helpless Child is on a different level in terms of maintaining a really beautiful and ethereal groove, great track.
>>65451039
I read somebody on RYM post about saying this record, and I believe he said: This may not be the greatest album of all time, but certainly no other album could ever *outdo* this one. And I think that's a perfect way to describe it. With its scope, ambition and feeling it's just really unlike anything else I've ever listened to. Like even if some of the songs aren't things I would listen to on a regular basis like some of the Swans other material, the shit on here is just incomparable.
>>65451735
Pretty great, maybe not as great as Soundtracks but still really good. Earlier stuff isn't everyday-listening material but it's good in the right mood. They're a moody band in general but records like Cop kind of require a certain mindset to be enjoyed.
>>65451215
Good description!
>>65451735
best is the great annihilator
Favorite moments
>somber bell in Prisoner during the spoken-word part
>the beginning of the instrumental part of Helpless Child
>In Red Velvet Wound when the drone takes over the vocals
>can't remember the song, but when there is a distant beeping, then organs come crashing down
>STEP INSIDE ME NOW JESUS
>>65451735
Fantastic. Cop and Public Castration are my favorites
>>65452097
If you like Helpless Child, you'll probably like Glenn Branca. He came up with Totalism, which is what heavily inspired tracks like that.
>>65452883
Cool, I've listened to an EP by Glenn Branca before but haven't got around to The Ascension yet, will give him more attention in the future.
>>65453018
Yep. Michael Gira was in his group at one point, along with other Swans members and Sonic Youth members.
>>65452097
>This may not be the greatest album of all time, but certainly no other album could ever *outdo* this one. And I think that's a perfect way to describe it. With its scope, ambition and feeling it's just really unlike anything else I've ever listened to. Like even if some of the songs aren't things I would listen to on a regular basis like some of the Swans other material, the shit on here is just incomparable.
Fuck me, that's completely right.
Did Glowing Man leak yet?
volcano is underrated
>>65455138
PINK LEATHER STRAP ON YOUR GUITAR
NOW SPREAD YOUR LEGS
HOW BRIGHT YOU ARE
>>65455063
nah
>>65455138
yes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlIpxIAq02k
why is this the superior version of A Screw?
>>65451039
Same. My absolute AOTYAY, but not something I'd blast on daily basis, it's way too sacred for that.
how many listens did it take you to enjoy this album? ive listened to it twice but i still get bored during the more ambient bits.
>>65457362
if it gets boring you aren't in the right mood for it
YOUR LIPSTICK SMEARS ACROSS YOUR FACE
>>65455138
it's so good at keeping the dance-pop feel going while still making the song feel really corrupted, alongside the innocent-sounding lyrics that you soon realize describe something much darker.
>>65457362
At first I thought that the arrangement was a bit skewed but after some 4 or 5 full listens I realized how well the more sparse soundscapes make the hard-hitting parts like Empathy and The Final Sacrifice sound more powerful.
Also, just as you think the album has calmed down from being eerie as fuck, you get I Love You This Much which is probably the scariest track on the album.
It's an absolute 10/10
To be honest the best tracks are Epathy, Volcano, and Final Sacrifice
>>65456114
yes
It's absolutely surreal to be actually be blindfolded and listen to it, seriously, try it
>>65457362
I only listened to it once and immediately liked it from the onset, the ambient bits were very enjoyable for me, although I've listened to plenty of swans beforehand
maybe give it some time, don't try to force yourself to like it
Is everyone agrees that volcano is a fucking shitty track and don't have the right to stay in this album
>>65450479
I need to get high as fuck and listen to this in the dark. I've been wanting to do that for so long but never have.
>>65461224
nothing on this album should be cut off, it's all placed perfectly, even though yeah I don't think volcano is a standout at all
>>65461889
good luck
>>65461224
It's a song that's not meant to be pleasent, even by Swans standards.
>>65461224
fuk off its a sexy song
>>65455138
it's honestly one of the best tracks
