OK, I’m listening now. Halfway into the first disc. It will definitely take a few listens to truly appreciate how good this thing is but I’ll get there eventually. Second track is sublime in a handbasket!
It’s pretty jazzy, too.
The last Current 93 had a lot of jazz elements as well. I wonder if it’s something these 1980s industrial/experimental icons go through when they hit their mid-50s.
Can’t wait for this to arrive in the mail…
This album walks all over The Seer, and I love that album. the Seer was the band taking a leap, this album is the band taking a leap and reeking of pure confidence.
What are people’s opinions on ‘My Father Will Guide Me up a Rope to the Sky’ (2010)? I feel like when it came out people were like “yay! new Swans” but I never really see discussion on it.
What are people’s opinions on ‘My Father Will Guide Me up a Rope to the Sky’ (2010)? I feel like when it came out people were like “yay! new Swans” but I never really see discussion on it.
Liked it, but there are far too many “camp fire sing a long” type moments for me to truly appreciate it. I really like Jim and the first track, No Words / Thoughts.
The live versions on the absolutely essential We Rose From Your Bed With The Sun In Our Heads are far superior.
Now that was a great album.
OK, I’m going to go give To Be Kind another listen.
[;)]
‘My Father’ definitely always felt more like an Angels of Light release to me…I still like it but when I hear it I don’t think Swans…
It’s more intense than most Angels Of Light albums but less intense than newer Swans. He was still getting that groove back - it’s a good record though.
“My Father”, to me, is half Swans, half Angels of Light. It’s like they tag each other out with every other song. No Words/No Thoughts is a definite Swans song, then Reeling the Liars in, and so on. I enjoy the album though, for the most part.
This album is fucking mental.
And I’m not even halfway through yet…
[:P]
Inspired by this thread, I just re-listened to My Father…
There are a couple of tracks that feel more like Angels of Light (Reeling The Liars In, Little Mouth), but overall I’d say it definitely belongs to this era of Swans. A tad smaller in scale, sure, but certainly a preview of the carnage that was to come.
I’m downloading the new album now. Hopefully it doesn’t suck ass but it’s Swans, so I doubt it will.
After three listens:
Yeah, it’s better than The Seer. The second disc is worth the price of admission alone.
She Loves Us could be one of the greatest tracks Gira ever spewed out.
[:)]
After three listens:
Yeah, it’s better than The Seer. The second disc is worth the price of admission alone.
She Loves Us could be one of the greatest tracks Gira ever spewed out.
[:)]
Really?!? She Loves Us?! The more I listen to disc 2 the less I like it. Many of the tracks on the second disc seem like after thoughts. Two or three minute songs dragged out to ten minutes for no other reason than they can. First disc is colossal though. Especially the first two tracks. But after that it get tedious. Both She Loves Us and Kirsten Supine are musically decent but lyrically lacking. Seems like sketches of ideas Gira came up with while listening to the band jam and then just sort of left it at that. Didn’t work the lyrics up to create something truly compelling - which he is so damn good at.
I don’t know if it’s because so much obvious work has gone into creating the music that the lyrics suffered or what. But the second side comes off as a bit “eh…whatever” in my opinion. The mumbling and moaning and chanting on She Loves Us is…almost painful to listen to at times. It’s almost silly. The only decent track from start to finish on disc 2 is Oxygen. And even that is…eh, ok I guess.
She Loves Us could be one of the greatest tracks Gira ever spewed out.
[:)]
Yep I’m with you on that. For me it’s ALL about the music and in particular the rhythm section. The minimal rhythms tend to be the most enjoyable. And She Loves Us is an absolute pearler when it finally arrives. That tune live is just the best thing ever…I could’ve just watched them do that tune for the whole live show.
I kind of get Peligro’s gripe about the lyrics but vocals and lyrics aren’t really what I find interesting about Swans…it’s mos def the music and in particular the live interpretations of the music.
I thought the second disc was a lot more approachable. I really enjoyed the “groove” that some of those tracks brought to the project as a whole. It’s not as oppressive as the first half. The weight of the first side was making the listening experience as a whole seem a touch too claustrophobic. I was glad when they finally lightened up during the second half. I really enjoyed the playfulness of songs like Oxygen and She Loves Us. It a side of Swans we don’t get to see too much.
The only song on the entire album I didn’t care for at all was the closing title track. Peligro mentioned that some of the tracks seem like after thoughts and this is definitely one of those tracks. Especially the lyrics which made me cringe. “There are millions and millions of stars in your eyes”?? that was awful.
All in all I’m enjoying this way more than The Seer - an album I rarely revisit these days.
Favourite tracks from To Be Kind -
She Loves Us
Nathalie Neal
Just A Little Boy
Bring The Sun / Toussaint L’Ouverture
Anybody else game enough to write up a review?