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Swans | Die Tür Ist Zu / Soundtracks for the Blind | Review
Your Flesh #35perhaps their most seductively accommodating music"Music is never tragic, music is joy. But there are times it necessarily gives us a taste for death; not so much happiness as dying happily; being extinguished. Not as a function of a death instinct it allegedly awakens in us, but of a dimension proper to its sound assemblage, to its sound machine, the moment that must be confronted, the moment the transversal turns into a line of abolition. ...the refrain itself is the content of music. The refrain is rather a... Read more...
Swans | Soundtracks for the Blind | Review
New York Press | Adam HeimlichWeather VaneLately it's been a little hard to hear music over the sound of my teeth gnashing. The autumnal transition always stresses me out. I've been listening to the new Chavez album, "Ride the Fader" (Matador), to pass the time until the weather stabilizes again. Enjoying it with the kind of furtive admiration that sparks a pre-adolescent crush. Unrequited love. Mostly though, I'm overwhelmed with worry about What Happens Next. I never liked Chavez before. Never distinguished themselves from a lot of other smartrock bands,... Read more...
Swans | Soundtracks for the Blind | Review
Focus 15 | JoAnn GreeneSwans should've called this Soundtracks For The DamnedAfter fifteen years, The Swans are apparently calling it quits, claiming that Soundtracks for the Blind will be their final studio album. However, a tour is planned for the new year; thus, we can expect a live record to follow sometime after. But this double album, clocking in at over 140 minutes, will truly be the band's epitaph. The evocative title doesn't begin to conjure up the correct images for this grand finale at all. More appropriately, The Swans... Read more...
Swans | Soundtracks for the Blind | Review
Dawnrazor zine vol. II/III | Einar SjursöSadly, the final Swans chapter, but what a swansong!Sadly, the final Swans chapter, but what a swansong! This gargantuan 140 minutes journey combines all the best elements of the back-catalog, and stretches them even further. Found recordings, tape loops, ambient drones, samples, and even "regular" songs, although nothing is regular on "Soundtracks for the Blind." A manifest of musical genius, a disturbing rollercoaster-ride through landscapes you didn't know exist. If only all bands could throw in the towel at an equal stage. Not that... Read more...
Swans | Soundtracks for the Blind | Review
CMJ Jackpot | Megan Framptontheir last studio release as SwansThroughout their 15-year history, Swans have continually dabbled in excess, and this double-CD (their last studio release as Swans, they claim), is no exception. Although this release is titled as a soundtrack, and there are plenty of wandering, loosely constructed tracks, the songs themselves are filled with abrasive, grinding percussion that would be too intrusive to be used as a background in a film. This aesthetic—long, drawn-out, slower-than-slow songs that are harsh and ominous—has epitomized Swans songs since lead Swan Michael... Read more...
Swans | Soundtracks for the Blind | Review
Lumpe Housea disturbing zenith of every good and bad idea the Swans have embraced throughout their long careerAt least 15 torturous years of experience and idea have been distilled into a 2 CD set heavy with delicate melodies and apology, creating a disturbing zenith of every good and bad idea the Swans have embraced throughout their long No New York career. Pieces of conversation, crude and also plaintive vocals by Jarboe, songs more appropriate for World of Skin albums, Gira's poetry, soft instrumental interludes, struggling parts of curiosities culminate in... Read more...
Swans | Soundtracks for the Blind | Review
Focus 15 | JoAnn GreeneSwans should've called this Soundtracks For The DamnedAfter fifteen years, The Swans are apparently calling it quits, claiming that Soundtracks for the Blind will be their final studio album. However, a tour is planned for the new year; thus, we can expect a live record to follow sometime after. But this double album, clocking in at over 140 minutes, will truly be the band's epitaph. The evocative title doesn't begin to conjure up the correct images for this grand finale at all. More appropriately, The Swans... Read more...
Swans | Soundtracks for the Blind | Review
Lumpe Housea disturbing zenith of every good and bad idea the Swans have embraced throughout their long careerAt least 15 torturous years of experience and idea have been distilled into a 2 CD set heavy with delicate melodies and apology, creating a disturbing zenith of every good and bad idea the Swans have embraced throughout their long No New York career. Pieces of conversation, crude and also plaintive vocals by Jarboe, songs more appropriate for World of Skin albums, Gira's poetry, soft instrumental interludes, struggling parts of curiosities culminate in... Read more...
Swans | Soundtracks for the Blind | Review
New York Press | Adam HeimlichWeather VaneLately it's been a little hard to hear music over the sound of my teeth gnashing. The autumnal transition always stresses me out. I've been listening to the new Chavez album, "Ride the Fader" (Matador), to pass the time until the weather stabilizes again. Enjoying it with the kind of furtive admiration that sparks a pre-adolescent crush. Unrequited love. Mostly though, I'm overwhelmed with worry about What Happens Next. I never liked Chavez before. Never distinguished themselves from a lot of other smartrock bands,... Read more...
Swans | Soundtracks for the Blind | Review
Focus 15 | JoAnn GreeneSwans should've called this Soundtracks For The DamnedAfter fifteen years, The Swans are apparently calling it quits, claiming that Soundtracks for the Blind will be their final studio album. However, a tour is planned for the new year; thus, we can expect a live record to follow sometime after. But this double album, clocking in at over 140 minutes, will truly be the band's epitaph. The evocative title doesn't begin to conjure up the correct images for this grand finale at all. More appropriately, The Swans... Read more...

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