Swans are not dead: Michael Gira has resurrected the seminal NYC bone crushing dark pounding cataclysm that was first associated with the early 80’s NoWave movement as a dissonant doom quartet that later evolved into an ethereal dark goth sextet into the 90’s. This picks up where it left off 15 years ago: complex compositions altogether pretty yet doomy and noisey, using guitars, bells and other “nice” instruments contrasted against his creepy voice and sickening lyrics, melodies. The absence of “later Swans” (i.e. post 1987) icon and definitive voice Jarboe is very notable, however original guitarist Norm Westberg is back (went on to do work in Cows, Heroin Sheiks). Westberg imho is one of the most creative and original guitarists to ever plug in and hasn’t been in Swans since Burning World (1988). Gira has gained notoriety in recent years for his Young God label and breaking artists such as Devendra Banhardt and truly contributing to the freak part of freak folk. His project Angels of Light precedes this, to much acclaim. Those unfamiliar with Swans are advised to not only check this out but their work prior to 1986 where they pushed bounds of volume, darkness, sickness, hollow dissonance, reached heights/depths that few if any have reached since.

1) begins with bells but quickly becomes a swirling mass of chaos, looping doom, but that’s just the intro: after ~4 min the song begins in classic later Swans fashion
2) poses as a simply slow waltzing folk song, but is dark and sick
3) halting big epic slow waltz
4) quintessential repetitive looped feel, intense with Gira dumping his sick issues on us as expected
5) mouth harp kinda weird quiet thing intro, pensive stuff appears, note the name of this track (! – yes, he’s talking about you), his 3 year old daughter share’s vocal duties, then the clanging industrial noise of old appears, holy shit
6) the driving loud wall, marching drums swans, gives way to a pretty brushed drums stroll with dulcimer
7) dissonant bass in front with Westbergs dead animal wailing guitar, head nod driving with signature repetitive pounding
8) begins with subtle, quiet if creepy noise, then an almost pleasant strumming strolling feel, a walk to the shallow grave, weirdest a capela ending ever, Michael Gira truly has issues…