Its the culmination of every previous swans album as well as any other music ive ever made. The seer is the twelfth studio album by american experimental rock band swans and was. Ive been trying to consume to be kind for a while now, but im not sure how to go about it. Through these pages, the musicians responsible tell the tale of one of the most significant bands of the us postpunk era. Aug 28, 2012 the seer is the monstrous thirtytwo minute title track off of swans gigantic 2012 double album. In this list ill attempt to summarize their large, extremely diverse discography as. On august 28, 2012, swans released the seer, a doublealbum running 2 hours in length. Find the complete the swans are not silent book series by john piper.
Find swans discography, albums and singles on allmusic. Swans are a band that conjure primal forms of power. Michael giras orchestra has helped shape my artistic taste and even my general worldview more than any other artist. Swans will leak the seer in the next few days to come. But in the case of the seer, the 12th studio album from experimental postpunk act swans, the two terms are basically interchangeable. The music changed constantly over the years, and im gratified it reached, and continues to reach, a fair number of people. Swans, the seer the noiserock band s 12th album is a cacophonous vault into the sublime. Through whatever medium hes used to deliver his art, be that swans, angels of light or his equally captivating solo acoustic performances, hes. The footage was filmed throughout the swans tours of 20102011. See actions taken by the people who manage and post content. Aug 28, 2012 listen to your favorite songs from the seer by swans now. Aug 23, 2012 the heaviest band in the world by some estimations return with an album that should win them new fans, writes dave simpson. Swans are an influential american postpunk band initially active from 1982 to 1997, led by singer, songwriter and multiinstrumentalist michaelgira. The seer returns lyrics verse 1 behind the veil of silver scars there is.
Especially their 30 minute title track, that was the torture of great music. When the band swans broke up in 199697, it was saddening, and fans were exalted to see the band reform in 2010, and their subsequent release of their live album called my father will guide me up a rope to the sky 2010. Its the culmination of every previous swans album as well as any other music ive ever. Its coda, the sixminute the seer returns, features tribal, shuffling floor toms and bass drums. Goll on an exciting and insightful journey into a visionary world in the seer book. His vocals remind of both lou reed and iggy pop, but the music is sui generis. The film is a work in progress, and will ultimately result in a feature film filmography of swans. At nearly two hours, the seer is over twice as long as its predecessor, 2010s my.
Its the culmination of every previous swans album as well as any other music ive. Aug 28, 2012 for the seer, swans have the for an album about two hours long, the attention span for maybe an average music listener would not be that long. I am pleased that you have discovered our music through this medium. Michael gira, has somewhat disavowed the idea that swans are a bleak band, though youd be hardpressed to find evidence of that on the. The diverse arrangement of tracks paints a really grim and open story. Frontman michael gira described the album as taking 30 years to.
Influential american noise rock band with an abrasive sound and glacierspeed tempos, emerging from the thriving new york underground of the 80s. Swans are no longer a no wave band or a noise band or an artmetal band or anything else theyve been pegged as in the last three decades. The song itself is preceded by the wolf and is followed by the seer returns. The seer is a music studio album recording by swans post rockmath rockprogressive rock released in 2012 on cd, lp vinyl andor cassette. I couldnt apply both discussion and question flair so i guess its more a question. This is one of the few albums i have heard that has genuinely terrified me to uncontrollable tears. Its the culmination of every previous swans album as well as any other music ive ever made, been involved in or imagined.
Like soundtracks, the seer is a dynamic, ambitious double disc. The prophetic movements in church history and in contemporary life are fed by two mighty streams. Listen free to swans the seer lunacy, mother of the world and more. The more recent to be kind 2014 is more consistent than the seer its stronger throughout but it does not reach the same heights. Its the culmination of every previous swans album as well as any other music ive ever made, been involved in, or imagined. Apostate a note from michael gira the seer took 30 years to make. Gira states that the seer is the result of 30 years of work and that it drove him broke in the process, and yet he still claims its unfinished perhaps. May 05, 2014 hello, thank you for listening to our music. Swans sacrifice and transcendence, nick soulsy book. The seer is the twelfth studio album by american postpunk band swans, released on august 28, 2012. The music of michael gira and swans is raw, visionary and uncompromising.
Initially part of the no wave scene, swans have, through various iterations, contributed to the development of noise rock, postpunk, industrial, postrock and more. Swans, the seer the seer whether hes conjuring up a quiet storm with an acoustic guitar or sharing the asphyxiated psalms of sex, god, sex, michael gira has never been the subtle type. The seer is a massive statement, and its clear from interviews that gira can barely contain his own excitement about swans new direction. The atmosphere of the seer is almost impossible to replicate. The seer is the twelfth studio album by american experimental rock band swans and was released on august 28, 2012 by giras own record label young god records. Two years after my father will lead me up to a rope to the sky, the seer is the most sprawling, ambitious, thoughtfully conceived and tightly performed recording in the band s catalog. Producer and frontman michael gira funded the recording of the album with the sales of we rose from your bed with the sun in our head. Facebook is showing information to help you better understand the purpose of a page. The 32minute title cut uses every tool in the swans arsenal like a hammer, from nearly maddening repetition and clattering dissonance to nuanced space. Out of all the swans albums, the seer is definitely one of the tougher albums to sit through, but its satisfying in a way like no other. The seerswans first album since its stunning 2010 comeback, my father will guide me up a rope to the sky is an echo of soundtracks for the blind, in more than just name. Get a low price and free shipping on thousands of items. In the mind of no one forming sun, forming love break the chain, hide within innocence, not innocent innocent in no sense eat the beast, keep him in take the blame.
Stream adfree with amazon music unlimited on mobile, desktop, and tablet. The album features vocals from the yeah yeah yeahs vocalist karen o. Thats especially the case with the second coming of giras iconic postpunk band swans. At the time, i had no musical skills whatsoever, just instinct and a need to make something happen. But swans new album the seer is their best work to date. The story of swans is one of musical integrity with only the smallest bits of compromise leaking through the cracks, painting a portrait of a man in charge who also wants his band to burst through. Michael giras reformed swans are more powerful than ever. Upon the release of swans 12th album, michael gira opens up about why this is not a swans reunion album, music piracy, and what fans can. The seer, on the other hand, actively engages with the band s past, with gira calling it the culmination of every previous swans album. But where soundtracks sprawls between darkness and disintegration, the seer is focused, cohesive, and. Yet for all its wagnerian bombast, for all its incredible power, the seer is a nuanced work. Swans are an experimental rock band formed in 1982 by michael gira. May 12, 2014 with 2012s colossal the seer, swans released a record that seemed designed to test the commitment of the band s most ardent followers yet expanded their audience to an unprecedented degree.
Score a books total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book. For the seer, swans have the for an album about two hours long, the attention span for maybe an average music listener would not be that long. Swans the seer as a music dork, two of the most transcendent, quasireligious experiences you can have are going to see godspeed you. He stated, its the culmination of every previous swans album as well as any other. Swans is a rock and roll band that makes music about sensations and experiences that are so intense they overwhelm human comprehension. Michael gira claims that swans the seer took 30 years to make. According to swans front man michael gira, the seer took thirty years to make. Aug 27, 2012 swans are a band that conjure primal forms of power. Their second studio album since reforming is among the groups longest and it manages to expand on their sound while simultaneously.
Drawing on more than 125 original interviews, swans. A fairly comprehensive guide to swans rate your music. The seer is a music studio album recording by swans post rockmath. To be kind was the first swans album i ever listened to in full and its remained one of my favorites, but after letting it ruminate for a while i really like the seer. Such engagement makes for a raucous, thrilling beast, a hectic palimpsest of brutal noise and gentle ambience, with dueling sounds caught in. The heaviest band in the world by some estimations return with an album that should win them new fans, writes dave simpson. Great deals on one book or all books in the series. In 2009 when i made the decision to restart my musical group, swans, i had no idea where it would lead. At nearly two hours, the seer is over twice as long as its predecessor, 2010s my father will guide me up a rope to the sky.
The seer is the monstrous thirtytwo minute title track off of swans gigantic 2012 double album. Music, news, and information from the label run by michael gira, featuring his work with swans and his postswans music. The seer dvd was recorded variously in the cities of melbourne, australia, berlin, germany, brooklyn, ny, san francisco, ca. Sacrifice and transcendence is the ultimate companion to swans and their work from the 1980s to the present day. This book consists of interviews with 125 people, so most of the musicians and others whove worked with michael gira through the past. There is a lot of interpretation to be had with this album. Swans istanbul poster from young god record uschwankstertm. In 2009 when i made the decision to restart my musical group, swans.
The first postreformation swans album, my father will guide me up a rope to the sky, was released on september 23, 2010, and the band simultaneously embarked on an eighteenmonth world tour. The band is noted for its droning vocals and strange instrumentation. If you believe swans leader michael gira, the seer is the culmination of thirty years worth of work. Theres moments of utter madness during mother of the world, gira not vocalising in any way, shape or form for a fair portion of the ten minute track and taking on an incomprehensible sway in the progression underneath. For the seer, swans have the power to make powerful music so long you cant get your mind off it. Frontman michael gira described the album as taking 30 years to make. The oral history of nirvana 2015, and dark slivers. Not here not now 20 the seer is the twelfth studio album by american experimental rock band swans and was released on august 28, 2012 by giras own record label young god records. The discography of swans, an american experimental rock band, consists of fifteen studio albums, eleven live albums, seven compilation albums, eleven eps and fifteen singles. Forgotten sounds of the north west grunge era 1986. With 2012s colossal the seer, swans released a record that seemed designed to test the commitment of the band s most ardent followers yet expanded their. Gira reenlists the same band he used to record and tour with swans previous studio album. Books with either swan in their title or swans on the cover, or written by someone of that name, or prominently featuring swans or characters named swan or a variant, such as cygnus.
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