article

Swans were an American industrial/rock band active from 1982 to 1997, led by singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Michael Gira.

Swans were one of the few groups to emerge from the New York, USA No Wave scene intact. The band was formed in 1982 by Michael Gira, and employed a shifting line up of musicians between then and their dissolution in 1997. The only other semi-constant members were keyboardist/vocalist Jarboe, and, to an extent, guitarist Norman Westberg.

One of the trademarks of their early work was playing at painfully loud volumes during concerts, to the point that audience members sometimes regurgitated and the police sometimes had to force them to cancel. Though their first few albums were perhaps more influential on other musicians, Swans' later work is often lauded and considered by many fans as equally powerful.

Early Music

The earliest version of Swans comprised Gira on bass guitar and vocals, Jonathan Kane on drums, and Sue Hanel on guitar. This line-up was not preserved on tape. Kane stated that that "Sue was the most fearsome guitarist we’d ever heard in New York. She was unbelievable" *

Hanel did not stay long in the group, and by the time of their recording debut, she had been replaced by Bob Pezzola; the group also featured saxophonist Daniel Galli-Duani. The debut EP, Swans, released on Labor, is markedly different from anything they would do later. It is reminiscent of such post-punk outfits as Joy Division or The Birthday Party, albeit more violent and slow. This is evidence of Swans' roots in the No Wave scene of the late 1970s, which had more or less collapsed by the release of Cop.

Their early music was typified by slow and grinding guitar noise, and pounded drums, punctuated by Gira's morbid and violent lyrics, usually barked or shouted. Critic Ned Raggett describes Swans' early recordings as "aggressive beyond words." *

Their first full-length release, Filth (1983), featured driving, choppy rhythms and abrasive drums; the whole is vaguely remiscent of heavy metal music, but Raggett contends that "early Swans really is like little else on the planet before or since." * Filth was the first album to feature guitarist Norman Westberg, who would play a vital role in much of Swans' music, and who was featured on every album but Love of Life.

Cop (1984) and the originally untitled Young God EPThis release has been known by several names, usually by one of its two A-sides, such as "I Crawled" or, infamously, as "Raping a Slave". This release is often confused with their self-titled debut. continue in the same vein, reminiscent of heavy metal music played in extreme slow motion. Gira's vocals had changed slightly, becoming slowly more melodic, although the snarl still remained. Some of the songs on the EP, particularly "Young God" and "I Crawled", have an actual vocal melody, if rudimentary, hinting at the sounds of future releases.Young God is considered by many to be the best of their early albums for this reason.It is also, by critics and fans alike, referred to as their "scariest" album. Even objectively, this could be taken into consideration: The title song is from the point of view of serial killer Ed Gein.

1986's Greed saw a new addition to the group with vocalist/keyboardist Jarboe joining the bandJarboe officially first appeared on the Time is Money (Bastard) 12", credited with "scream". Her first track as vocalist and keyboardist for the band was on "Blackmail", B-side from the A Screw 12". This song appears in its single version on the original Greed CD and Greed/Holy Money compilation, and in a less baroque version on Children of God.. Her presence began a slow thawing in the overt brutality and energy of Swans' early work. For example, both the opening track, "Fool", and the title song are sung, albeit rather ominously. Greed also marked the introduction of bassist Algis Kizys as a long-time, near-constant member. This was followed by its "twin" album, Holy Money, first to feature Jarboe on lead vocals. Holy Money was also the first album by Swans to incorporate acoustic elements. In particular, the eight-minute dirge "Another You" starts with a bluesy harmonica introduction. It also marks the introduction of religious themes in Swans records with the sacrificial ode "A Hanging", complete with wailing, funereal backing vocals from Jarboe.

Children Of God (1987) further expanded Jarboe's role, acting as a foil to Michael Gira's tales of suffering, torture, and humiliation. The stories portayed here, however, are ever the more unusual, given their juxtaposition - and admixture - with religious imagery. The intention was neither to mock nor embrace religion, but experiment with the power inherent in its wording and the hypocrisy of many of its leaders. Some, such as the raging "Beautiful Child", retain the brutal vocal work of earlier days, but many are quite tame: The almost baroque "In My Garden", for example, added an extra dimension with piano (only before on "Fool" and "Sealed in Skin", to far grimmer effect) and acoustic guitar. Some songs walk the line on this front. Obvious examples include "Sex, God, Sex" (heavy metal-like bass riffs with blues and gospel-inspired singing), "Blood and Honey" (murder ballad with early post-rock tendencies), and "Blind Love" (lengthy, alternating between intoned vocals and violent instrumental passages) Gira considers this to be the band's major turning point.

The Burning World

The Burning World (1989) was Swans' first and only major label album. Released on the MCA subsidiary Uni, and produced by Bill Laswell it further added to the acoustic element found in Greed.

However the album has been regarded by some fans as a major disappointment, as the line-up was augmented by session musicians and the distinctive heavy guitar element of their earlier work toned down significantly in favor of folk and world music elements. Though Swans would later explore more accoustic music with similar moods, Gira has reported that, while he admires much of Laswell's work, his efforts with Swans were simply a mismatch.

It was the first Swans album to feature more conventional pop melodies, though Gira's lyrics still favored themes of depression, death, greed and despair, though actually sung, rather than the chanting or shouting typical of earlier material. They even covered Steve Winwood's popular Blind Faith hit "Can't Find My Way Home" in 1989, one of two singles from the LP.

At this time, the band also recorded two records under the name World of Skin. This same line-up under a different name (because the name Swans was still under contract to MCA) made much of the same music attempted on "The Burning World" though perhaps more successfully, away from the constraints of MCA.

Later Music

Michael Gira's disillusionment with their MCA exploits led to White Light From The Mouth Of Infinity (1991), a successful blending of earlier hard rock and later pop styles. Produced by Gira, the album blended acoustic rock, blues and hypnotic guitar noise successfully, producing an album more complex than anything they had released in the past. This album was followed by Love Of Life (1992) and The Great Annihilator (1995).

With other projects occupying his time, Michael Gira decided to bring an end to the group with one last album and world tour. Soundtracks For The Blind (1996) was the result: a mammoth two-disc album comprising Jarboe-supplied field recordings, experimental music, dark ambient soundscapes, post-industrial epics, pre-post rock suites and acoustic guitar; Gira, Jarboe and other long time collaborators created one of the most highly regarded albums of their career. Swans Are Dead (1998) brings together live recordings from their 1995 and 1997 tours, documenting the energy and stage presence of Michael Gira and Jarboe.

After dissolving Swans, Gira formed Angels of Light and Jarboe continued her solo work.

Discography

Studio Releases

Live And Other Releases

Singles

Year Title Chart positions Album
US Hot 100 US Modern Rock US Mainstream Rock UK
1989 "Saved" - #28 - - The Burning World

External links

Notes

American musical groups

Swans

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Swans (band)".

Home Page • arts • business • computers • games • health • hospitals • home • kids & teens • news • physicians • recreation• reference • regional • science • shopping • society • sports • world