Swans -- The Seer

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.

maynard even wears a cowboy hat

plug, yall

http://www.spin.com/reviews/swans-the-seer-young-god

Listened to the first half of the stream: IMMENSE

when are those 'rose from the bed' advance-ordered copies of 'the seer' supposed to be showing up? : /

my neighbors would hate me so much right now if there weren't some kind of additional construction noise outside. thank goodness there is, and i have this album to drown it out.
SO GOOD!

i really would love to see this tour, but i have my heaviest workday the next day. real conundrum. i already played sick for this band once! can't i declare it a holy day or something?

Has there been praise for Piece of the Sky? <3 that tune. Just to get a word in there for the pretty songs.

at least you've got room to debate - the show near me is happening on my wedding anniversary :/

xp

i'm guessing that was not a spectacular way to celebrate?

This is so great.

Is this actually out yet?

Oh I guess it came out yesterday.

ha, for one of us maybe

xp

when are those 'rose from the bed' advance-ordered copies of 'the seer' supposed to be showing up? : /

― j., Wednesday, 29 August 2012 03:37 (13 hours ago)

^ I'm waiting too.

same here. haven't gotten any email notifications yet.

And here.

So I guess I know where my next iTunes card is getting spent

3LP comes with download btw!

I want to call the local record store and pick this up when I'm playing hooky this afternoon but I know they will just say it's not in yet or sold out or they (wtf!!) didn't order any :(

you should do that. maybe they have one! i asked last week to have one put aside with my name on it.

Just posted on FB:

sheesh! i forgot to post this. the seer is out now. by the way, preorders are shipping as we speak, most of them anyway...still working on it...

on spotify, too

huh, that's funny. It wasn't on there this morning. I listened to the Rope one instead. I don't really know Swans.
Good mood music.

I mean, good music for a particular mood that isn't necessarily a "good" one.

Eagerly waiting by the mailbox, like many others here.

Wrote about this record for Burning Ambulance today. Didn't like it as much as I'd hoped I would.

I called and they had sold out yesterday, so I had them prepare to hold a copy when it comes back in.

But I'm downloading it now, damn it.

the record's very ambient in its aggressiveness, but I don't think that's a bad thing

and this is a half truth: But even at their most primitive and brutarian, the old Swans always had real songs.

swans *could* write real songs but frequently relied on soundscapes and atmosphere to get the job done, I mean cop didn't exactly have prince running scared

i don't really agree with what appears to be the conventional wisdom that this album must be taken in all at once, in one session. i did listen to the whole thing at once for the first listen, but ever since then i've just diving into the epic tracks in the middle. tracks like "the seer" and "a piece of the sky" and "the apostate" are almost song suites in themselves, and it's enjoyable to listen to them individually and then move on to something else.