PRESS
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Michael Gira on Swans, religion and the hubris of Matthew Barney (The Guardian)
() - M. Gira, Michael Gira, SWANS, to be kind
The Swans frontman on why performing is like long-distance running: ‘You keep pushing and pushing and finally you break through into something else’ On stage, Michael Gira’s body is barely able to contain his energy. In person, he is all amiability, his voice sweet, his manner courteous. Not what you would expect from the frontman of the Swans, one of the most confrontational bands to emerge from the No Wave post-punk 1980s in New York City. With their penchant for experiment and their industrial, take-no-prisoners tonality, the band inspired the likes of Nirvana and Sonic Youth to push their limits musically – and otherwise. Having exhausted their own potential, however, they disbanded in 1997 and Gira went on to form the more lyrical Angels of Light. Still, the notion of returning to those extremes haunted him. And in 2010 the Swans re-formed and wasted little time in releasing five records, two recorded live. It’s their studio albums that had critics drawn in. Bordering on Wagnerian, The Seer and To Be Kind are epic explorations of belief, violence, religion, lust and desire, featuring such highlights as the 34-minute Bring the Sun/Toussaint L’Ouverture, an intense ode to the leader of the 1880s......
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Filth #22 on The Quietus 2014 Top Reissues of the year
() - M. Gira, Michael Gira, Quietus, SWANS, to be kind
http://thequietus.com/articles/16854-reissues-compilations-mixes-of-the-year-2014...
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To Be Kind # 3 in Wire magazine's 50 Albums of the Year
() - Angels of Light, M. Gira, Michael Gira, NME, SWANS, to be kind
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The Best Fit Fifty Essential Albums of 2014
() - M. Gira, Michael Gira, SWANS, to be kind
Swans - To Be Kindhttp://www.thelineofbestfit.com/features/articles/top-fifty-albums-2014Label: MuteReleased: MayOriginal Review by: Sam KrissTo Be Kind sounds alternately like a derailing freight train, a spreading wave of nuclear obliteration, the scream at the end of the world, and the chilling calm afterwards – but for all that, it might be the most accessible Swans album yet. A few moments might even qualify as singalong road trip anthems (albeit anthems best suited for a road trip directly off a cliff).It’s worth pointing out that Michael Gira turned sixty this year. However, Swans are as furious and as boundary-pushing as they’ve ever been, and despite the meticulous composition of the album, there’s still the constant nagging suspicion that Gira has gone utterly, chaotically insane....
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The Quietus - 2014 Albums of the Year
() - Quietus, to be kind
To Be Kind #3 "'I love you!' reads Michael Gira's address to his listeners, signing off the note announcing the release of Swans' thirteenth studio album. The open warmth of the sentiment might contrast with their agonisingly intense early music, but it captures the most striking aspect of this latest phase of his group's life cycle - its generosity. After a few seconds of near-silence - save filigree-fine electronic tones lingering in the air, eddying gracefully upward like sunlit dust motes caught in a draft - To Be Kind's centrepiece 'Bring The Sun/Toussaint L'Ouverture' explodes to life with a series of cosmic shockwaves, each struck chord's impact greater than the last, causing the atmosphere to tremble around you. Even though it's expected, the shock is exquisitely tactile, enough to suck the air out of your lungs. Percussion lances through your body cavity like the shudder from a skipped heartbeat, guitar textures ripple like fingers dragged hard across the skin, the music's weight presses firmly yet gently against your chest and back. Then, surging in almost immediately afterwards, a mass release of pleasure hormones triggers off sheer, clear-minded exhilaration." Rory Gibb...