PRESS » SWANS
-
Live In Limbo: Capsule 33 Swans
() - 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, whileLiL 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 00:00 00:00 Podcast: Download (18.9MB) ...
-
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......
-
The Crack magazine: Swans
() - Michael Gira, SWANS
...
-
Entertainment.ie 'To Be Kind' Review | 5 Stars
() - SWANS
Who could have seen this coming? Thirty two years since they first emerged as the enfants terribles of the New York music scene, Swans have just delivered the year's most uncompromising, thundering and blindingly brilliant album so far. Nothing even comes close to this; To Be Kind is two hours of music of gut-wrenching intensity, a series of never-ending peaks that take the rudiments of rock music and summons up something that is strikingly original. With To Be Kind, Michael Gira and his cohorts have delivered an album that surpasses their critically acclaimed 2012 release The Seer in all respects. The days when listening to a Swans record was something of a masochistic experience, a brutal form of aural punishment are long gone; To Be Kind is arguably their most accessible album while still challenging and demanding more from the listener than any other rock band would dare to. It's a record that requires patience - two hours of music spread over just ten tracks with every minute resonating with a clarity of purpose and a vibrancy beyond the capabilities of most contemporary rock acts. Michael Gira turned sixty this year; it is incredible to think that he is still making albums as edgy......
-
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...