SWANS ARE NOT DEAD.
This was the message that fans of Michael Gira's bizarre gothic/industrial/atmospheric group Swans were greeted with earlier this year. The group had been disbanded since their last album, the incredibly long and excessively harrowing Soundtracks for the Blind. My Father Will Guide Me Up A Rope To The Sky is the result of this reformation and is due out next month (thank you internet).
My opinion of Swans varies quite heavily from album to album, while I love Soundtracks and their aggressive no-wave debut Filth, I never really connected with The Great Annihilator, the other album of theirs I have. My Father Will Guide Me Up A Rope To The Sky is interesting as it's the first album that sits somewhat in the middle. There are some definite highlights, No Words/No Thoughts and You Fucking People Make Me Sick, though I don't quite hold it up to the same regard as Filth and Soundtracks. Then again, that's a fucking high standard. What I like about this album is that, despite being broken up for over 10 years, it still sounds like Swans; and when you consider that Swans sound like nothing else, that's an impressive achievement. I went in with somewhat mixed expectations and, while my MFWGMUARTTS didn't blow me away, it was definitely a pleasant surprise to hear something thoroughly deserving of the title 'Swans album'.
Runner-up AotW: The Mountain Goats - The Sunset Tree
No comments:
Post a Comment