Swans
Rock, Experimental | The New York group Swans—with their one-of-a-kind brutally existential and bleak approach—have remained a key act of experimental music for the past four decades, and their albums are among the most widely celebrated of the leftfield rock canon. The band—led by sole constant member Michael Gira, whose aggressive, grumbling persona has become the stuff of legend—was formed in 1982 in the fertile ground of New York's 'downtown music' scene; some of the scene's key figures, including Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore, passed through the line-up in the 1980s, and Swans' music itself from this period drew heavily on the Fluxus- and punk-inspired aesthetic of their no wave contemporaries. Early Swans releases—such as Filth, Cop and Greed—reduced rock music to ruthless industrial noise, punctuated by Gira's dark, misanthropic lyrics. When classically trained singer Jarboe joined the group in the late 1980s, Swans' methods for inflicting pain on listeners became more sophisticated—incorporating mournful folk, disturbing sound collages and dark ambient into their arsenal, the band recorded a series of their most celebrated albums in the 1990s, culminating with 1996's Soundtracks for the Blind, considered their magnum opus. Swans broke up in 1997, and Gira and Jarboe continued on in Angels of Light and solo, respectively.
In 2010, Gira announced a Swans reunion; the newly formed line-up included the group's long-time guitarist Norman Westberg, and has since seen the likes of electronic music producer Ben Frost and acclaimed percussionist Thor Harris; it did not include Jarboe. Upon their return, Swans devoted themselves to hypnotic, sprawling works on the fringes of rock, placing a greater emphasis on their Americana influences; albums from this period, such as The Seer (2012) and To Be Kind (2014), are also considered among their best. Their sixteenth and latest LP, The Beggar, will be released in June 2023.
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About Swans
The New York group Swans—with their one-of-a-kind brutally existential and bleak approach—have remained a key act of experimental music for the past four decades, and their albums are among the most widely celebrated of the leftfield rock canon. The band—led by sole constant member Michael Gira, whose aggressive, grumbling persona has become the stuff of legend—was formed in 1982 in the fertile ground of New York's 'downtown music' scene; some of the scene's key figures, including Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore, passed through the line-up in the 1980s, and Swans' music itself from this period drew heavily on the Fluxus- and punk-inspired aesthetic of their no wave contemporaries. Early Swans releases—such as Filth, Cop and Greed—reduced rock music to ruthless industrial noise, punctuated by Gira's dark, misanthropic lyrics. When classically trained singer Jarboe joined the group in the late 1980s, Swans' methods for inflicting pain on listeners became more sophisticated—incorporating mournful folk, disturbing sound collages and dark ambient into their arsenal, the band recorded a series of their most celebrated albums in the 1990s, culminating with 1996's Soundtracks for the Blind, considered their magnum opus. Swans broke up in 1997, and Gira and Jarboe continued on in Angels of Light and solo, respectively.
In 2010, Gira announced a Swans reunion; the newly formed line-up included the group's long-time guitarist Norman Westberg, and has since seen the likes of electronic music producer Ben Frost and acclaimed percussionist Thor Harris; it did not include Jarboe. Upon their return, Swans devoted themselves to hypnotic, sprawling works on the fringes of rock, placing a greater emphasis on their Americana influences; albums from this period, such as The Seer (2012) and To Be Kind (2014), are also considered among their best. Their sixteenth and latest LP, The Beggar, will be released in June 2023.
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