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Swans
2,476,780 plays (87,935 listeners)
New York City, New York, United States (1982 – 1997)
Swans were an influential noise rock, experimental, folk, post industrial band from New York City, New York, United States, active from 1982 to 1997, led by singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Michael Gira.
Marginally associated with the no wave scene at first, their original sound was slow and heavy, with live performances that were often so brutal and physical that in a number of instances certain audience members were made ill, police were called and venues were shut down. This early physical sound is possibly best heard on the live album Public Castration Is a Good Idea.
Their initial style shifted a little by the time Swans released seminal twin albums Greed and Holy Money. The music had sped up, at times being even more punishing than their earlier output. Drum machines and samples were slightly more prominent. Michael Gira was joined vocally by Jarboe which gave the band a broader sonic range. Tracks featuring Jarboe were often quieter, even pretty, acting as counterpoint to the more harrowing themes on the albums. Over time, this style would come to dominate the Swans’ output, although they somehow seem to have been able to make a strummed acoustic guitar seem as brutal as their earlier amped-up assaults. The lush instrumentation of their albums from the late 1980s and the 1990’s anticipated the birth of post-rock.
Swans eventually broke up in 1997; Gira went on to release some solo work, later forming the band The Angels of Light, who continue many of the themes and styles found in (later) Swans. Jarboe releases solo work and frequently works with other bands and artists; recently she released an album with Neurosis, a group clearly heavily influenced by Swans.
Marginally associated with the no wave scene at first, their original sound was slow and heavy, with live performances that were often so brutal and physical that in a number of instances certain audience members were made ill, police were called and venues were shut down. This early physical sound is possibly best heard on the live album Public Castration Is a Good Idea.
Their initial style shifted a little by the time Swans released seminal twin albums Greed and Holy Money. The music had sped up, at times being even more punishing than their earlier output. Drum machines and samples were slightly more prominent. Michael Gira was joined vocally by Jarboe which gave the band a broader sonic range. Tracks featuring Jarboe were often quieter, even pretty, acting as counterpoint to the more harrowing themes on the albums. Over time, this style would come to dominate the Swans’ output, although they somehow seem to have been able to make a strummed acoustic guitar seem as brutal as their earlier amped-up assaults. The lush instrumentation of their albums from the late 1980s and the 1990’s anticipated the birth of post-rock.
Swans eventually broke up in 1997; Gira went on to release some solo work, later forming the band The Angels of Light, who continue many of the themes and styles found in (later) Swans. Jarboe releases solo work and frequently works with other bands and artists; recently she released an album with Neurosis, a group clearly heavily influenced by Swans.
Top Albums
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The Great Annihilator
Swans
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Children of God
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White Light From the Mouth of Infinity
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The Burning World
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Shoutbox
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McNothin wrote:
I know.
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catachresistant wrote:
Those weren't girls.
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McNothin wrote:
I remember the good ol' days when you could walk into a restroom and find a girl's number on the wall and maybe call her and ask her out and possibly have a relationship. But now it's all just racial slurs and people smearing their feces. No one makes an effort anymore.
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catachresistant wrote:
It's like decrying the state of graffiti on toilet stalls.
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catachresistant wrote:
I don't know what shoutboxes are for, if not to act like a child on. Not like you can say anything substantive in a block of text with a maximum of 1000 characters and no allowed line breaks. Not without REALLY HURTING PPL'S EYES. What are we supposed to talk about anyway?? It's music, you fucking listen to it.
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Lord_Maryja wrote:
Cowboy Horseman of Apocalypse and Perverse Dark Angel. Nothing better than them.
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McNothin wrote:
The Swan's shoutbox will never fill the soulless void that was my childhood. But that doesn't mean I won't stop trying.
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brokenear wrote:
because it is 2010 now.
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Andrew_Williams wrote:
Triple's got a point. Why does everyone here, including myself, act like children when it comes to this kickass band?
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brokenear wrote:
giras castration is a good idea.
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nancykitten wrote:
He'd probably get his cock out. We would not complain!
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kwintpod wrote:
He would give us one hell of a spanking
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catachresistant wrote:
OOOOH OOOH WHAT WOULD GIRA THINK WHAT WOULD GIRA THINK
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TripleSol wrote:
I never got why the Swans shoutbox is always filled with retarded shouts, it's a shame really, i guess if Gira read all this he would feel sort of like the times when stupid metalheads went to the early Swans gigs. You suck people.
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nancykitten wrote:
true.
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catachresistant wrote:
One wonders why they'd even have a need for a cellphone. Perhaps to set it on vibrate and stick it up their own asses.
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catachresistant wrote:
I suspect the only calls Swans fans receive are from their probation workers.
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nancykitten wrote:
i'd love a "I COULD KILL THE CHILD" ringtone.
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McNothin wrote:
I don't need a fancy ringtone cuz no one ever calls me. Oh god I'm alone.
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Lady_Ligeia wrote:
I'd get a Big Strong Boss ringtone anyday!
Videos
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News
M.Gira Sep 30 NYC The Stone
14 Sep 2008 | from blog.myspace.com/swansaredead
Only Five Dollars...from thewire.co.uk/articles/1223The Stone thestonenyc.com
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29 Sep 2007 | from blog.myspace.com/swansaredead -
25 Jul 2007 | from blog.myspace.com/swansaredead -
19 Jul 2007 | from blog.myspace.com/swansaredead
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Recent Activity
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modifiedbear, khufnagel, Ledbetterman and 6 other people added Swans to their libraries. 30 minutes ago
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wiressenkinder unlinked Swans from L'idée de meurtre évoque souvent l'idée de mer, de marins. 19 hours ago
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famicom tagged Swans with ‘2009 ars skonheter’. yesterday evening
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miki-7 and O987654321 added Swans to their libraries. yesterday afternoon
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Popsick tagged Swans with ‘swans’. yesterday morning
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Popsick, OncePink and stationeryfun added Swans to their libraries. yesterday morning
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wlodku wrote about Swans in 2009 - Top 5. yesterday morning
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membermember, filigreeshadow and virus93 added Swans to their libraries. Friday evening
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WerBack connected Swans to the group Untrue Metal. Friday afternoon
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unaesthetic wrote about Swans in 2009 top 10s. Friday afternoon
Related Journals
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2009 top 10s
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1 Jan 2010 | Add comment
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