alright so i got into these niggas over the course of last year, and i gotta say they're probably my favorite band of all time. i had been searching for that one rock band that i could definitively say that i adore them and i got plenty of bands that i fw, but their music just has a cathartic spiritual nature that really connects with me.

my gushing aside, i have realized that the overwhelming amount of projects that they have in their discography can be off-putting for people looking to listen to them, so i decided to take a crack at trying to point people to certain albums that would hopefully capture their interest.

without further adoooo (or is it adieu w/e man)

General Outline

Swans is a noise rock band that started out in New York spearheaded by Michael Gira in the early 80s. They gained a dedicated following with the release of Filth a no-wave industrial punk album that is lauded for it's repetitive hypnotizing rhythms, disturbing provocative lyrics, and absolutely disgusting riffs. Through the early 80s into the early 2010's Gira and co would evolve the band's overall sound in a myriad of ways over the years ranging from industrial punk rock to blues. Swans is known to be extremely influential stemming from their no-wave scene, and is credited with influencing bands such as Sonic Youth, (couple of those members were actually former members of Swans in their earlier years) Tool, Nirvana, and Neurosis.

Where it all started. As I had mentioned in the general outline Filth is where Swans began to make a name for themselves for the most part and where they began to gather an audience, this album is misanthropic, hard-hitting and has a wealth of disturbing lyrics, song titles like Raping a Slave should give you a sort of hint as to what type of content this album deals with. Lots of songs feature the same riff and pounding rhythms repeated over and over again while Gira shouts out obscenities about bosses, power dynamics and working at jobs you hate in general. Fantastic industrial rock, if you're into punk at all, this album should just about gratify something for you. It is definitive of their earlier abrasive industrial sound that can be found in other albums like Holy Money and Cop. Gira would later eschew this sound as he wasn't too fond of the crowd he was attracting (metal heads) but the overwhelming love for noise is something that he always kept with him, and it's showcased throughout their discography.

Now this is where things really started to get interesting and where their sound began to grow and fan out. Gira added a new member to the band Jarboe, and she brought melody, synths and an absolutely angelic singing voice along with her to smoothen out the roughness of the band's sound. The album follows a theme of a cult centered around Jesus hence the name Children of God which features more industrial rock, but in a more shamanic, mantra-esque fashion (which would later become a idiosyncratic feature in the band) it genuinely feels like Gira is a sort of cult leader and he's preaching to a congregation of followers throughout the entire album and losing his sanity, while Jarboe trades it off for beautiful folk ballads, they definitely represent the dichotomy for Swans namesake perfect on this album. If you have a taste for more restrained industrial rock with sickening riffs tied along with gorgeous ballads, this album would be a fantastic start for you.

White Light from the Mouth of Infinity explores the folk-ier (not a word, not sure how...) side exhibited on Children of God mixed in with some standard calmer psychedelic rock. The drones are lush as hell, and the hooks take more primacy. Jarboe also plays a bigger role in this album as it's a pretty big stylistic shift from their previous releases, it's a lot less aggressive and more introspective, overall more pleasant to listen to as well. Jarboe harmonizes a s*** ton while Gira reflects on times in his life such as when he was in prison, failure, love, and some borderline non-sensical philosophical thoughts about existence and life itself. One of my favorites from this era.

The Great Annihilator is oddly underrated and it's pretty weird because it's probably one of their most consistent works front to back, In terms of sound it's like a middle child to Children of God and White Light from the Mouth of Infinity it's an impeccable combination of gothic rock and post-punk, the hooks and choruses on here are insanely catchy and feature some of Michael's most macabre lyrics. (and they'd get increasingly more disturbing as the years wore on culminating into one of their most infamous works Soundtracks for The Blind) Jarboe is still on here singing ballads (similar to Children of God) but they're so agonizingly lush and nihilistic. It's a very odd juxtaposition that just seems to work, it's way beyond my comprehension. Definitely one of my favorites, and I'd argue it's among their best of their pre-trilogy work.

Now this F***ING album. I don't even know where to begin honestly. This is probably one of the most disturbing albums that was ever made, it features interviews from Michael's and Jarboe's parents lamenting about their aging and decaying bodies, very brooding and ominous drones, skits from C.I.A interrogations, probably Michael's most disturbing lyrics ever written in his entire discography, very moody guitar riffs and licks and I think about two to three post-rock epics that are upwards to 10+ minutes in length? (Which would later prime listeners for the infamous trilogy.) This album is palpably sinister without coming off as edgy or try-hard, it genuinely worms into you and is a sort of testament to the plights of the human condition.

I believe this is the sound Gira was shooting for quite awhile and he managed to capture it here. This was Swans' last album before they disbanded for 14 years as Gira began turning his attention to a stripped down, folk-focused band dubbed Angels of Light as he was seemingly tired of rock and long instrumental pieces that he was very fond of. This is a double album, and stands out in a very unique place in their discography because literally nothing else really sounds like this. It's like that one piece in a museum you might look at and find it strange and off-putting, but that's precisely why it's so fascinating. This album just personally conjures up fearful awe for me. If you're going to listen to this album, I'd personally advise you to dedicate a chunk of time to it, very dark experimental rock.

The first album from them after 14 years! This is a fantastic prelude to the infamous heralded trilogy that would later follow from this release, and you can literally hear the world that they're trying to create throughout this album, it features long instrumental passages of pounding drums and insane build ups, not too dissimilar to a soundtrack done for a movie of sorts, but it certainly isn't accompanying any scenes here, it IS the f***ing scene. Jarboe unfortunately was not included in any of the later iterations from them (besides some background vocals on The Seer) but it definitely worked out for them in the end, as this album is so atmospheric and impeccably composed that you don't even notice that she's gone to tell you the truth. Michael's lyrics take a more spiritual turn while being more subtly dark this time around, as he sings about crucifixion, egos, and being overall more stream of consciousness with the goal to conjure up imagery in the listener's mind. Also, catchy as f***ing s***. A great introduction to the noise rock epics that would come, and are often daunting, if you were to dig into the trilogy, I'd advise you prime yourself with this album first.

One of my favorite f***ing albums ever. This to me, is the centerpiece of the trilogy, and I think it's probably the most accessible out of the three as well (The Seer, The Glowing Man) this album is so masterfully woven that I don't even think any praise I can give it would be good enough for it. The lyrics take a more minimalistic turn to it, as Gira often exchanges words for incoherent shouts and yelling instead, and it is a lot less dark. It has a wealth of ear worms such as Screen Shot's opening guitar, Oxygen's riff and absolutely f***ing insane drum work, The title track's chorus into noise rock madness, the near psychotic break Gira has on She Loves Us, there's so many different favorite parts of this album in particular that I'd honestly be here all f***ing day. The drones are absolutely otherworldly, the nigga even f***ing threw an actual neighing horse in the transition of the epic.

This is the noise rock opus from them, it's cathartic as f***, it's transcendent and hypnotizing, and has elicited some of the most visceral reactions I've ever had from music in my life (looking at the horns at A Little God In My Hands) it's a flawless mixture of noise rock, blues, jazz influence, and absolutely mind melting riffs and guitars that'll make you wonder how the f*** did they make that sound with an instrument? This album turned them into all time favorites from me, and holds a very special place within my psyche. If you're looking to leap straight into the trilogy, I'd advise you to start with To Be Kind above all else.

Amazing write-up OP, a band with one of the best discographies ever, great choice of albums too

Saw them live once before my ears got messed up (unrelated) and it was just like people say it is, the volume makes it sound like the music is coming from everywhere around you, unforgettable experience

Listened to To Be Kind after Fantano gave them a 10 and hated it

I was like 13 then though so I’m excited to give them another try

Really enjoying Oxygen from OP

finally some quality f***ing threads on this site

salute @op

In

woah Swans comes to KTT, I never thought I’d see the day

op restoring the feeling. we need more threads like this

Goat band

The early no-wave stuff will always be my favorite sound of theirs personally but their whole discog is amazing

REAL @op

Children of God is definitely my fav LP from them

any fans of swans should also check out Glenn Branca, his album "The Ascension" is a clear inspiration for albums like the seer and to be kind (esp since gira actually played with branca)

lucky as hell, i would kill to be able to see any of the trilogy performed live man

ive seen that name mentioned a couple of times actually, ill definitely check em out

Bruh is this 2014

The Seer goated tho

i was going to initially put that one in over TBK but i realized it isn’t “easier” to get into per say, definitely a fantastic album.

never listened to Swans but im a give em a listen now

Great thread

Yes, really enjoyed reading it!

Now someone guide OP to some b****es

🙄

🚶🏾‍♂️

hmm done the first album Filth its very raw which i’m not feeling rn which is weird cause i know i would have loved it if i listened to this album a few months ago guess i’m not in the mood for more raw music guess in terms of sound it’s reminds me a lot of nine inch nails downward spiral which makes senses both are indisutrial rock but without the coherent story that downward spiral has, or maybe i haven’t noticed it.

i’m a still check out rest of their discography especially since i love cultish/occultism s*** and the next album seems to be around that theme

my fav songs from filth were weakling and power for power