PRESS » Michael Gira
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Pop Matters: The Seer Guides Us to Be Kind: Ten Great Songs by Swans 2.0
() - Michael Gira, SWANS
The Seer Guides Us to Be Kind: Ten Great Songs by Swans 2.0 Michael Gira was not making a mere semantic distinction when, following the announcements in 2010 that Swans would be coming out with a new album, he insisted that the group convened to makeMy Father Will Guide Me Up a Rope to the Sky would be a reconstitution, not a reunion. To those diehard fans of the innovative rock outfit that waited 14 years following 1996’sSoundtracks for the Blind, Gira’s words were—and still are—appropriately sage. While there are characteristics of what might be called “Swans 1.0” that remain in “Swans 2.0”—namely punishing walls of sound, expansive track lengths, and grim subject matter—the music Gira and his band of volume torturers have been making since Rope to the Sky is of a class all its own. Following the concise 44 minute runtime of Rope to the Sky, Swans decided to go full-hog, churning out two slabs of rock and roll at its most brutalizing: 2012’s The Seerand the recently released To Be Kind. At two hours each, these records provide listeners with a lot to be entertained by—but, like anything, there’s a price. When I spoke with Gira about To......
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The Crack magazine: Swans
() - Michael Gira, SWANS
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Live in Limbo Podcast with Michael Gira
() - Michael Gira, SWANS
Michael Gira is the founding member of Swans. After three decades of challenging music of which remains entirely humanistic in nature. In 2010, Swans returned to the music scene and created three albums, each earning more acclaim than the last. With their 2014 release “To Be Kind” they continue on this track with high praise from the likes of NME, Spin and Pitchfork. The Needle Drop’s Anthony Fantano gave “To Be Kind” a perfect rating, while LiL gave it a 9.7/10 On knowing when a track is right. Hint, it’s never right! Why “To Be Kind” clicks with today’s generation and society Gira listened to the first Jimmy Hendrix album on acid Performing at NXNE with St. Vincent and collaborating with her Gira highly recommends listening to Savages Follow link to find podcast recording: http://www.liveinlimbo.com/2014/06/12/capsule/capsule-33-swans.html...
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Michael Gira – Arcadia Series at St John’s Church, London | The Line of Best Fit
() - Michael Gira, SWANS
Forming part of a series that sees New York’s experimental champion William Basinski pay homage to his infamous Arcadia Studio with specially curated events around London, Michael Gira performed an evening of darkly unrelenting no-wave folk at Hackney’s St John’s Church.Perhaps the father of American post-industrial rock as lead singer of Swans, Gira was a natural choice for the unique collaboration that was spearheaded by organisation Art Assembly. Historically proven to be at the forefront of leftfield music, his growling and direct approach to his solo work was only amplified by heavenly acoustics of the vast well-chosen venue.Ensuring the Arcadia ethos of providing a platform for new artists edging into the experimental scene was faithfully acknowledged, the handpicked line up also featured newcomer Aino Tytti alongside an atmospheric set from Basinski himself. Having embraced a more modernist approach to things, both Tytti and Basinski enlisted the help of laptops to compose swirling ethereal soundscapes that score the stuff of hallucinogenic dreams.As reality melted away to meditation, Tytti’s set featured field recordings from the everyday peppered amongst heaving masses of intricate instrumentation. In comparison from the seemingly freeform composition of Tytti’s work, Basinski showcased more structured material from his impending......
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Michael Gira @ Church of St John, London | Bearded Magazine
() - Michael Gira, SWANS
Michael Gira // William Basinski @ Church of St John, London A mesmeric show from two of NYCs most revered avant garde composers As London begins what might be a fleeting early summertime and a gorgeous sunset descends over the office blocks and vibrant streets of east London, an evening with two of New York’s more respected explorers of space and noise within music may not seem like an ideal soundtrack to the warm breeze and orange skies outside but as we wander into the Church of St John in Hackney any thoughts of sunshine fade as lights dim and the music starts.First to take the small stage is William Basinski. Best known for his Disintegration Loops project which saw the woozy atmospherics of decaying audio provide a sonic backdrop to the tragic events of 9/11 unfolding in front of the video camera on the roof of his Brooklyn Apartment. It was the resulting 74 minutes that saw Basinski’s composition inducted into the 9/11 Memorial Museum as a harrowing document of one the most tragic days of the 21st century. It’s also Basinski who is curating this series of London tributes to Arcadia, the Brooklyn art-space that became the hub for performance art......