Any idea on what the main concept behind the Swans album The Seer is, I've been listening to it over and over again for the past few days seems pretty dense.
>>63698657
There is no concept.
god sex child fuck sun
Gira has said he has no fucking clue what it's about.
stare at the wolf's asshole while michael sings 'I see it all'
its about the war in afghanistan.
song for a warrior is the most blatant example
its about psychological issues
the song lunacy is the most blatant example
>>63698657
Its about le scary dog girrrr XD
>>63698657
Primitivism, obviously.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjMGZEq41-g
if I remember correctly somewhere in this video he briefly talks about it
>>63699322
>>63699235
>>63699220
>>63698913
>>63698852
>>63698707
Wrong
>>63699454
Talks about it right here, its cosmic. Has to do with the big bang/big crunch
>>63699322
>>63699479
If you allow me to elaborate, The Seer is filled with references to rituals, mysticism and magic. Hell, the very concept of a seer is a mystical being. Further, traditional/primitive music constantly crosses over with drone music, to the point where specific droning chants (such as the buddhist ohm chant) is commonly associated with ritualism.
I mean, it isn't a particularly scholarly work. I've always got the feeling that The Seer was a mishmash of aesthetics and ideas Gira perceived as primitive or mystic. Including, duh, "cosmic stuff" and "the universe breathing" or whatever.
Anyway, GIra is a rapist.
>>63699586
The point is we are putting more thought into what The Seer is supposed to mean than Gira himself. And half of Swans albums could be labeled as primitive
>>63699664
>And half of Swans albums could be labeled as primitive
Nah.
dogs anus
>>63698657
The concept, the idea, is to be as monolithically crushing as possible. Gira himself just sort of goes by gut with these things as he's stated in numerous interviews, and The Seer seems to very much be a product of his mood and fascinations at the time of its making (as most all albums are).
But really it's just this big monolithic force to me. That's how I choose to interpret it; the point is to be as oppressive in scale and form as possible. That's literally all there is to the concept, and the themes of primitivism and ritualism in the album are a natural extension of that desire and goal.
>>63700194
>monolithically crushing
meet Godflesh
Gira probably had something in mind when he wrote the album but I'm pretty sure he said I SEE IT ALL I SEE IT ALL was improvised and he just went with it
>>63698852
He has said the album was 30 years in the making. How could you work on something for half a lifetime and not know what it's about?
>>63700847
IDK But he has said he has no clue "what the seer is" or what it's about. He could very well mean about it sonically, music is primarily about the feeling of sound rather than the idea of poetry. But that's what he's said, believe that both of them are true or one cancels the other out, whatever you want.
>>63700847
joseph writes the songs. Gira is just a vessel
>>63700847
30 years in the making means that it incorporates everything that he's done in his entire career, and would not have been made without his past work having been made as well. It doesn't mean that he spent 30 years thinking about "The Seer".
>>63700847
Art just doesn't work like a puzzle bb
Maybe there isn't one? Some artists clearly has a story they want to tell with an album and others have a mood they want to create. Sometimes they just make something they think sounds good and you should enjoy whatever meaning that you personally get out of it. It's clearly had an effect on you so it's done it's job.
>>63698657
I think it's about (as well as to be kind) the developemental stage in childhood and all the stigma that can be thrown upon somebody in this period, just judging from a lyrical stand point. Songs like "Just a little boy" and "Lunacy" I think demonstrate that point
there isn't one
it's just a bunch of stuff that happened
>>63701678
or didn't
just some sounds
maybe a couple anti-sounds thrown in
>>63699586
The name Seer implies the ability to see, in a mystical or psychic sense. It's primarily about religion or prophecy, from an altered state of mind or a vision.
How /mu/ doesn't get this I will never understand, it's literally spelled out in the album name and lyrics.
>I see a dog, I see a dog, I see a dog
It is clearly about a dog.
>>63702088
This based anon is most likely correct. Sometimes what you see is what you get.
If I recall correctly, I remember reading something about the concept being heaven and hell. The tracks (in no particular order) have either a correlation to one of the two.
>>63699586
>Anyway, Gira is a rapist.
Incorrect
>>63702418
To me, this album is an epic battle between Heaven and Hell; between the creator, and Beelzebub himself, all through sound. This album is an audiotoric representation of the end of the world and God, he’s there.
Everything is covered on here, and it’s pretty distinctive what is meant to sound like what. It seems about half of these songs are trying (and succeeding,) to represent hell with the incredibly tortorous “Fuck! Fuck! Lyrics blowing you away into an endless fire of brimstone and scorching hot fire lyrics of Apostate. Or, each track is representing heaven with the bells that chime your soul clean on A Piece Of The Sky.
Here’s what I’d label each track as, (categorized by Heaven, and Hell theme.)
>1. Lunacy - Hell
>2. Apostate - Hell
>3. A Piece Of The Sky - Heaven
>4. 93 Ave B. Blues - Hell
>5. Daughter Brings the Water - Hell
>6. Song For A Warrior - Heaven
>7. Mother Of The World - Both
>8. Avatar - Heaven
>9. The Wolf - Hell, descending
>10. The Seer - Hell
>11. The Seer Returns - Hell, closing credits
Mother Of The World is made almost entirely of sounds you’d already heard prior to it: it has the piano rain drops of Lunacy, the guitar build ups and explosions on Apostate, yet, it also has the beautiful backing vocals and the uplifting, chiming bells of the beautiful song, A Piece Of The Sky.
It seems that these two themes are having an epic battle, or, if you want to go dark, having sex, on our earthly planet. It is really quite genius…and…it..might not be intended…
Songs themed of hell on here are about as dark as you can possibly get, being noisy, cunning, and even scary, very scary.
Heaven themed songs are just about as uplifting as you can get with what seems to be angels, singing, about worshipping God, they’re filled with bells that chime, chime straight into your soul. These songs feel like I am listening to sounds coming out of the planet Kolab!
Which theme do you prefer? Heaven or Hell?
>>63702809
TL;DR -- essentially the idea is about Gira overthrowing Heaven and Hell after the Seer prophesies that he will become a (Young) God but once he ascends to Godhood he succumbs to the infinite madness and absurdity that goes along with it, tearing himself apart and taking all of creation with him.
>>63702809
>>63702819
Hell >>> heaven; it has both The Apostate and The Seer saga
dude rape lmao
>>63699479
He only said that about the doggy butthole.
