Swans -- The Seer

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

I'm gonna guess Jonathan Davis as the mystery million-selling stylistic magpie...

'nother gnu intervue: http://beardrock.com/interviews/michael-gira

Ugh, the section about 10 minutes into "The Apostate", with the wailing air raid siren guitar and the semi-randomized cracking snare drum that starts off sounding like fireworks and then veers closer to machine-gun fire, punctuated by the huge full-band hits...so good it hurts.

Wow this album is great.

Funny that Gira mentions Springsteen in that Pitchfork interview -- I have tickets to see both him and Swans within two weeks of each other. Lotta rockin.

How long does this stuff stay up on NPR first listen?

I guess till the album goes on sale? That would make sense

About a week, I think, maybe till the next round?

This rules so much. The fact that we can apparently expect new recorded material on a regular basis is such a gift.

I love this album already.

would guess he means Reznor above

Kinda lol that he would consult lawyers over someone else "whispering conspiratorially" without actually copying any lyrics or melody lines.

Fucking great album though!

He's referring to Maynard James Keenan, the Puscifer track 'Trekka' sounding like 'Everything At Once' from 'Shame, Humility, Revenge'. He was going on about it on the Swans facebook page about a year back. May have deleted the posts since though.

Got my shipping notice this morning.

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