Swans -- The Seer

6 musicians on public castration - 2 drummers/bass/gtr/keyboard/vocals

you can watch the video version for further clarification

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqlX_9Q9ZrQ

^ my favorite long-play music video ever natch

i was there!

does it have the oiled body builder, who was the support act?

wow!

nope

so, this is not yet available for preorder, right?

new tour dates announced:

http://thequietus.com/articles/09190-swans-tour-uk-europe-us

looks like we're getting sir richard bishop as the support in glasgow, which is sweet, tho in the same venue last time round, poor old james blackshaw was drowned out by the audience (no such probs for swans lol)

man im so stoked to see swans, missed them last time

yeah don't miss 'em

unfortunately mr gira has booked swans in boston on my wedding anniversary, I don't think the missus will be down with earshattering postrock tent revival nonsense

http://facebook.com/profile.php?v=feed&id=13879391977

Only one old song, but they've never been a greatest hits kinda live band, so it doesn't really matter imo.

yeah but that old song is COWARD

i am so so so angry that i might have to pay $60 for these damn tickets.

Nothing new but while we wait:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tm04wOP_gn4

http://www.pitchfork.com/news/47255-listen-to-a-10-minute-edit-of-swans-new-23-minute-song-the-apostate/

Facebook, July 13th:

set list for upcoming tour(s)... will be over 2 hrs music, i presume:
1. to be kind (unrecorded new song)
2. she loves us (unrecorded new song)
3. avatar (from the seer)
4. coward (from swans, '85/'86)
5. the seer (from the seer)
6. nathalie (unrecorded new song)
7. apostate (from the seer)
8. mother of the world (from the seer - encore song, if called for...)

i saw that, too.

the thing up at P4k is pretty rad. i am so excited for this record. my two favorite bands in the world having records come out with a month or so of each other makes this table very happy.

preorder: http://younggodrecords.com/658457004524-the-seer-cd

It's good. Listened to it today..

Website has crashed, cannot order.

yeah i got the same

preordered back with We Rose From Your etc... but couldn't help myself and listened to the leak. and HOLY SHIT that first listen is probably one of the most intense listening experiences ever.

CANT WAIT FOR MY CD!!!!!

Waiting for my live album pre-order. But it sounds ridiculously good.

preordered back with We Rose From Your etc...

oh right I forgot that I did this!

Best use of bagpipes in a rock record award goes to...

Uh, no question:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9iOk8PqkKs

Actually Ned, there's quite a Malcolm Young influence on some of the tracks on The Seer. And thanks! I've never seen that promo.

I've heard the album and I am all about AC/DC being the hidden anchor. :-D

Touring Europe at the moment

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yZjmasZO-mU

Streaming.

so much p o w e r in this music. it is unbelievable.

listening now.

this is bracing for sure. i need to give it a closer listen another time when i'm not doing dishes and baking pie. it's not chores music.

some of the transitions between songs are clunky, but the way doc martens boots are clunky. the current song stomping on the present one to announce its arrival.

i meant the previous one, not the present one.

i think i'm going to wait to listen until i have the record so i can listen on my own time and not before i get ready to go to work.

good old lars gotrich
thanks to the magic of tumblr i know what he has for breakfast, and he eats well

i think of this cover every time i see a yorkie now

Pitchfork interview with Gira

http://pitchfork.com/features/interviews/8925-swans/

oh man they are playing here on my birthday

So I had this idea of no restrictions on this one because, really, who do I have to answer to? No one. I have my own record company. I have to answer to God, basically. I'm not young, so I want to make the best possible work I can before I exit.

okay every answer in that interview is incredible

wait was this spin interview linked? it's great
http://www.spin.com/articles/swans-leader-m-gira-say-no-society-record-labels-touring-your-spouse

this was my favorite part

You have to respect people.
Anyone who knows me now knows I'm not mellow. But when I was younger, I kind of viewed most people as enemies or potential enemies. That's not healthy, but it's who I was. At a certain point you realize some guy working at a major record label, he's got a life and soul…hopefully. You get more out of life through respecting other humans than viewing them as opponents. It took me a long time to learn that lesson. I have no idea how much Swans would have advanced if I hadn't gone around the world making enemies instead of friends.

i again state my absolute total excitement for this show.

http://www.clashmusic.com/feature/the-seer-returns-swans

"There’s one group, I won’t mention the name - they sell millions of records. On one track this fucker actually had the audacity to copy the groove and the even the way the notes bend. He even sings like me on the song - in this kind of ‘conspiratorial whisper’ style I’ve used. I consulted some lawyers on that but apparently I have no recourse, as there’s no melody involved. To me it sounded like he copied my song exactly, but apparently he ‘recreated’ it. That was really annoying, because that’s not influence, that’s just taking me and pretending it’s him. I was appalled when I saw it."

Anyone know what this is about? (my apologies if this was already discussed)

"The Seer Returns" is so fucking good

re: other people copying his style, who the fuck cares? appropriation has been around in music forever (early blues, sampling), and in modern art even longer than that (duchamp's fountain, etc). michael gira is the bad ass of bad asses, but getting butthurt about someone whispering conspiratorially is lame

No one sells millions of records anymore

Unless Adele redid "Raping A Slave" or something

I agree it's weird to hear Gira complaining about this, but I'd really like to know what songs he's talking about here

Chad Kroeger's "Children of God"

He did cop to no one selling records any more in an interview, I imagine he is retroactively complaining about someone who managed to commodify some Swans-light behavior some time in the past (like before 2003 or so).

lol at whiney

Although actually only one had tattoos, the other was longhair and beard. Thor?

yeah Thor is the longhair

I was gonna skip this because the venue is literally my least favourite in the whole world and I figured that ~atmosphere~ is such a big part of Swans shows that it would suck the life out of it. however I got offered a free ticket y'day afternoon and am v glad I took it cos they owned. there wasn't an encore but there was a lot of grateful and charming bowing at the end

Yeah, Bristol O2 Academy fucking sucks. So sad they moved from Arnolfini but I guess that means more payola for the band.

Got an excellent view at the Concorde - just busy enough without feelin crowded. Vicky rarely gets to see more than a glimpse of the band at shows cos she's little, but we could see fine. Sound quality was insane - felt like the band was playing inside me at points.

Gira's just sent out news of the latest live/demo fundraiser release, Not Here Not Now:

http://shop.younggodrecords.com/not-here-not-now-handmade-release

Meantime

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZloh0qVOLk

definitely got a copy of this. really excited

yeah I should probably buy mine ASAP, I think the last version of this (We Rose From Our Bed or whatever it was called) sold out pretty quickly (and was awesome).

this is really really good

got mine today, gonna throw it into the car for the next week or so o listening

Envious. (Would've loved to get this but the money's not to hand.)

See, this is the sort of value-added stuff I wish more acts would do.

Got my shipping notice this morning.

https://www.facebook.com/larkin.grimm.1/posts/1284036894947002