Swans: Classic or Dud?

I think most of it was advice in an exaggerrated manner, I'm sure plenty of his friends and associates break plenty of these rules (especially about having kids. I doubt he sneers at Gira for having children).

I don't want to overexplain this, but it's the simple fact that he wrote a presumptive aggrieved-sounding list of unsolicited advice -- it's that impulse that repulses me, not the content. Although that's pretty bad in some places too. Anyway, I am trying to say who cares and move on.

it's like the hardman version of "dance like no one's watching"

^^

gonna go with "unbecoming for a man his age" here

another addition could be "work for yourself, don't be anybody's fucking paid employee"... oh wait

guys, it's nothing to get offended at. it's jokey in tone

I found it obnoxious too but it doesn't effect my enjoyment of the band at all, come on LL. I dont think I'd want to meet any of these guys in person anyway!

Yeah, this is Swans.

Ok ok, I'm over it!

Seem like nice people to me, but maybe a bit grumpy.
When I saw the Swans a couple of years ago I saw Thor meeting someone who must have been an old friend or something, it was really sweet how excited he looked at meeting the person. For some reason this sticks in my mind.

I still think there is good stuff on that list (surely overpopulation is something that doesnt get talked about enough; science fiction authors were scared of it in the 60s-70s, so why arent there loads of movies about it now?); there is some advice about self-sufficiency that I should probably take but I'm too scared of hurting my hands doing diy stuff.
For every time I roll my eyes at some obvious overfamiliar piece of wisdom, I think that there is always going to be some people who have never thought about it.
I remember a girl on Devianart who was asking for help because her boyfriend beat her up and she blamed herself for it. The idea that she was being wrongfully abused seemed like a total revelation to her.

ha, i enjoyed that list, thor seems cool. my brother hung out with all the swans on a recent tour, had dinner and breakfast with them through a mutual friend. said thor was super nice. gira was kind of a dick but that's no surprise.

Thor is one of the sweetest people I've ever known. I dislike lists of what people should or shouldn't do though his how to be in a band one was funny because if you spend a lot of your life in a tour van a lot of it resonated. the strength of that piece was that it spoke from an experience many share but that's unusual for many. I don't think it's presumptuous for a guy who's been in a bunch of bands & is well liked by almost everybody he's worked with to write a "how to be in a band" list, but I think it's presumptuous for pretty much anybody to write a "here's how to live your life list" well there we have it I've shared my opinion about Thor's list have a nice day everybody

i'm glad to know we share the same opinion about thor and his list! he seems like a decent person, it's just the "how to live" list-making itself that i dislike but I'd feel the same way if my beloved or bff made a similar list. just kinda disappointed.

CARRY ON with the music-making, Swans

listening to Filth first time ever, and yeah these guys have pretty much always been good. Yet another addition to the "I can't believe this happened in 1983" canon, and in a weird way, can see how this would have influenced extreme metal bands. Not in the speed department, but in the generally inhuman, grinding beats and guitars.

oh dear lord Public Castration Is A Good Thing

yes, that one

"oxygen" is killer

you guys

https://youtu.be/AKb88rSal6M

http://youtu.be/AKb88rSal6M

nnng. one day i'll do this correctly.

put an "s" after the http

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKb88rSal6M

thought i had it that time. why am i still here.

I think you actually need to remove the s after http.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKb88rSal6M

:)

is there another thread to talk about the new album?

i picked it up at their show in DC the other day. it was the second time i've seen them, and it was predictably great, albeit slightly less ferocious than the last time around (the seer tour).

yes, please join us here:

SWANS - To Be Kind 2CD (May 13, 2014) ft. St. Vincent, Cold Specks, Little Annie, Bill Rieflin and others

Meantime I looked back thirty years...

http://thequietus.com/articles/15465-swans-cop-anniversary-review

Ned I hate to tell you this but "Half Life" is the opener, not "Why Hide" ;)

it sounds like you are describing the right track fwiw

SWANS QUESTION

i just saw them a couple days ago and the last song they played had a penultimate part that sounded almost exactly like "Mother Sky" only without the lead guitar or fancy drum overdubs -- just the condensed essence (the doot doot dootdootdoot part was prominent)

they played a couple of faster songs this set and i really liked it -- the trombone one and the mother skyish song in particular
i overheard thor tell someone that they were playing all new stuff so i was just wondering if anyone else had heard the same thing?

update: I have discovered that the song is called Black Hole Man

mother of the world or piece of the sky?

no
i know both of those songs and it was neither of those

i know mother of the world backwards and forwards! it was on my workout mix for a year.

oh... the Can song. duh...

Mother Sky is also on my workout mix, that's why I'm so sensitive to hearing parts of it, hence the above question.

checking out a massive live tape from last week -- kicking myself for not going to see them the last time they were here.

That's how I felt about missing the Chicago show! I'm convinced that Chris Pravdica is their secret weapon.

Update: I conferred with someone who saw the Chicago show about the Mother Sky sounding song (he is someone who would know what I was talking about too, and wouldn't hesitate to tell me if i were mistaken) and he agreed, and added that he heard it in the bassline. So Swans enthusiasts can look forward to hearing more of that. I know I am at least.

"Black Hole Man" was the encore at the recent SF show I went to. It was amazing.

won't you come and wash away the rain

here's a recording of the whole set apparently? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNIIw455Wgw&spfreload=10

wow thanks

The 3CD deluxe reissue of Filth, which also includes the debut 12" EP, Body to Body, Job to Job and a bunch of bonus live tracks, all newly remastered, is available for preorder now (street date is 5/26).

oh wow! never thought that would happen, tbh

Thanks! Don't they send out mails about this kind of thing anymore?

THis new set comes with the audio for the London debut which was when i first saw them. Might just get another copy of this since it also has the first e.p. which I was just thinking I'd never heard last night. Have heard the soundbites up at the suite now.
I think the stripey back cover of the 3cd set is the front cover of that e.p. isn't it?

yes

Apparently (and I ordered before I knew this) if you pre-order it from the YG site, Gira signs it.