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Last Active 03-18-19 8:35 pm
Joined 10-02-13

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 Lists
01.04.25 suddenly everything has changed ♦12.28.23 guess what bm is still making tunes
10.26.23 living in maine...10.13.22 dreamo
08.10.22 machine operator-core04.23.22 MY WAR
04.11.22 hey there sleepy smile11.29.21 mental health struggles
06.20.21 bm has another new band lol12.12.20 wadup y’all
10.04.18 autumn albums pls09.16.18 my band's final album
07.15.18 window:01.13.18 space rock
10.15.17 my band made a movie09.17.17 18!!
04.28.17 hyosis album04.13.17 yet another massive album
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Swans Ranked

After tons of listening, I have decided to do a ranking for my current favorite band. Not going to include EPs, just albums, and buy was this tough to do.
1Swans
Soundtracks for the Blind

Swans are one of the most interesting bands to ever exist. They pioneered the No Wave scene with already indescribable music, they created some really beautifully dark compositions, but with Soundtracks for the Blind, they take every single thing they can do and spread it throughout the record. There is the epic music of albums such as Children of God and the Great Annihilator, the early noise of Filth and Cop, and even some things in the middle of albums such as Holy Money and Greed. But even then, there is still a bunch of new sounds. There is ambience, drone, electronics, punk, orchestral music, and the rest is indescribable. To sum it up, this is the masterpiece Swans had always pointed towards. They've taken just about everything they ever did and brought it all together, to create something similar to the White Album. Not an easy listen for casual music fans though, it is as horrifying as it is beautiful. If I could give only a few albums a 6/5, this would most definitely be one of them. 6/5
2Swans
The Seer

This may have been made nearly thirty years after their inception, but Jesus Christ do they sound amazing. It has elements of their early, noisy stuff and elements of their later, more hypnotic stuff. I don't think I've heard a record this unique in quite a while, especially from a man as old as Michael Gira. It's interesting how this is so heavy, yet there are no massive riffs, growls, or anything like that. Just two hours of madness. Disc one is very dark while disc two reaches more for the light, but it's still rather dark. Simply put, this is possibly the greatest album I've heard in the past few years. It sounds as if they picked up right where Soundtracks for the Blind left off. The only song that isn't spectacular would have to be the Wolf, that is it. This is truly how post-rock should be done, something completely extraordinary, that is so truly genre-less that it's the only suitable term. 5/5
3Swans
Children of God

After some very noisy beginnings, Swans were hitting a few bumps in the road. Holy Money in particular though, showed some interesting evolution away from the intense noise and into something more. Children of God masters every single aspect of this though, with Swans crafting their first true masterpiece. The lyrics aren't about violent murder or sex anymore, but more based on religion and questioning, hence the title. Jarboe in particular sounds much more in place here, with her voice beautifully gliding over the softer songs. Certain songs still maintain noisy aspects, but it sounds much more streamlined and patient. Overall, Children of God is Swans first masterpiece, and one of the best albums of the 80s that sadly goes unnoticed. This isn't metal, but it's certainly heavier than a lot of the other things I've heard in my life. 5/5
4Swans
To Be Kind

I take back what I said about the Seer being the culmination of every Swans release, this album truly is. The big thing the Seer seemed to leave out was the raw intensity of albums from Filth up to Holy Money. With that said, it's amazing that Mr. Gira can sing this way when he's 60 years old, doing growls and shouts just as powerful as he did 30 years ago. The instrumentation seems to be focusing more on groove and rhythm this time around, and the compositions owe a lot to Soundtracks for the Blind in particular. Overall, To Be Kind is another Swans masterpiece that shouldn't be missed this year. It may be somewhat incomprehensible in the end, but to me that's a good thing, kind of like a religious experience. 4.7/5
5Swans
White Light From the Mouth of Infinity

The Burning World was a really big shift from what Swans were known for. While Jarboe introduced a new sense of beauty to their sound right when she joined, it came out on a new level with the Burning World. While that sound was somewhat underwhelming and different for Swans, White Light is where the sound becomes perfect. There is a massive sound with almost no noisy riffing or pounding drums the way their early stuff had, but it still sounds heavy emotionally. A near masterpiece all the way through, White Light should not be missed. 4.6/5
6Swans
Filth

Swans may have put out their masterpieces later in their career, but their debut is something that still has yet to be replicated. While many would call this No Wave, I think it sounds more like it's influenced by the No Wave sound of DNA or Teenage Jesus. Using walls of feedback, pounding drumming on both traditional drums and pieces of metal, intense bass playing, and Michael Gira's disgusting vocals. It's also their most punk influenced record, with some songs from them that could be considered fast. Possibly the most hateful sound ever produced, try at your own risk. Heavier than almost any form of heavy metal. 4.5/5
7Swans
The Great Annihilator

The gothic side of Swans seemed to be coming out more and more as their albums came out. Jarboe's presence was becoming more and more massive, and the Great Annihilator is quite possibly the peak of this side. Love of Life put a more accessible twist on this gothic sound, and the Great Annihilator is quite possibly their most accessible record. Songs such as Celebrity Lifestyle and Where Does a Body End almost fall under alternative rock, but the rest of the album is very epic and experimental. They utilize lots of symphonic elements, noisy guitars, and just plain frightening sounds, which aren't unusual for the band, but this record is one of a kind as always. Despite not being as big or even as interesting as their other efforts though, this is still another near masterpiece for one of the most consistent bands ever. 4.5/5
8Swans
Love of Life

Both the Burning World and White Light were seeing Swans take a folkier, gothic, and more accessible route, which was satisfying, despite hitting a few bumps along the way. Love of Live sees them going further and further into this overall sound, with very gothic crooning, nice melodies, and an overall almost Cure-like atmosphere. They're utilizing even more percussive elements reminiscent of Joy Division's Closer, and the new use of sampling hints at the massive Soundtracks for the Blind. While some of the instrumentation and atmospheric passages aren't as powerful as they were on White Light, this album is still a near masterpiece. 4.2/5
9Swans
My Father Will Guide Me Up a Rope to the Sky

As the review from Cam said, thank god Swans broke up after Soundtracks for the Blind. They had created an indescribably massive, dark, beautiful, and just incredibly varied album that did just about everything. If they kept going, they either would've topped it and created the most confusing, darkest, and varied album possibly ever, or they would've hit an extremely poor slump with no ideas. So yeah, thank god Michael Gira called it quits around that time. But, he didn't run out of ideas or music, since he started the folkier Angels of Light, which while being great, kind of failed to match the subliminal element of Swans, but I doubt he wanted to make a second incarnation of his old band. Now, it's 14 years after Soundtracks, Michael Gira has aged, and now he is looking back on his career as a musician. But, instead of simply rehashing old ideas, he decided to take influence from the old music, and create something new. My Father is a massive, dark, and spacy return to what he does best. By not losing any of their past hypnotism and focusing on the sound of songs like The Beautiful Days, Helpless Child, All Lined Up, Better Than You, and A Screw (Holy Money), he has truly done it again. Welcome back Mr. Gira. Despite some sometimes underwhelming feelings on this release, and the standard he set with his past releases, this album is a breath of fresh air in a world where revivalism seems to sometimes be more important than pushing forward. 4.2/5
10Swans
Holy Money

Greed was signaling quite a change in sound for Swans, but it's ideas sounded somewhat unrefined and underdeveloped. With Holy Money though, they have come very close to perfecting the droning, brutal attack of albums such as Children of God. The biggest improvement lies in the droning part though, whereas on Greed they would drone on and on and not quite develop into anything, but it works here almost perfectly. The crushing power is still present though, with Coward being one of the most frightening, bloodcurdling, and just plain horrifying songs ever made. Despite not being one of their greatest albums though, it still serves as possibly the most important stepping stone between the unfocused Greed and the masterpiece of Children of God. 4.1/5
11Swans
Cop

Fuck Venom, this is brutality and heaviness at it's peak. Okay, now that that's out of the way, let's dive into the album itself. After the violent debut, Filth, Swans could only go further with this sound. And they certainly did, consequently crafting their most bloodcurdlingly angry record. Michael Gira's vocals have improved, the tempos are now at a crawling speed, and the wall of noise is at it's absolute peak (unless you include Public Castration). The problem though comes from the slow tempos and formula. While every song does its job, they all do practically the same thing. Plus, the crawling tempo makes some songs drag a bit. Either way, an absolutely frightening record that should offer therapy for those who don't have the willpower to murder but need some way to get out anger. 4/5
12Swans
Greed

Cop and Young God were both the point where Swans had pushed their slow, brutal heavy sound as far as it would ever go, at least in the studio. As to be expected, Michael Gira knew that if they simply kept making music that way, it would start to feel campy and repetitive. Now, with the introduction of Jarboe, Swans begin their transition into new territory, but has it happened yet? Well, yes and no. For one thing, the opener Fool, is led by a piano. Quite different than every single song on Cop. They're also trying to get this hypnotic feeling, which would work best on releases such as Children of God, White Light From the Mouth of Infinity, and The Seer. As for Greed, Swans simply didn't quite possess this power yet, which results in boring, dragging music more than often. Now, the things presented here are generally good, and none of them could outright be considered bad, but this serves more as an interesting Swans record than a good one because of it. So basically, a solid effort, but they still had lots of room to improve. 3.6/5
13Swans
The Burning World

Children of God was, simply put, a thought-provoking, emotional masterpiece. It had taken in the gothic strokes of Joy Division, the pounding brutality of past Swans, and some absolutely beautiful folk music to create a unique masterpiece. But, I highly doubt anyone saw this coming. Maybe if they knew Swans were going to be on a major label, but holy crap is this different. By stripping absolutely every element of their past heaviness, Swans simply made a folk (rock?) album. While it's easily their most accessible album, it also sounds rather overproduced, soft, and full of filler. Sure, songs such as God Damn the Sun and The River That Runs With Love Won't Run Dry are fantastic, it doesn't feel good as a whole package, rarely exceeding the "good" level. There is potential in here, but it isn't used to it's fullest, which is where the album falls short. Michael Gira himself abhors this record, and it's easy to see why, since this is probably the weakest Swans album there is. But, despite all odds, it's solid enough to earn a 3. So overall, a disappointing affair, but some gems are in here if you're willing to wade through some filler. 3.1/5
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