(Swans is a band from New York City, New York, United States,
active from 1982 to 1997, reformed in 2010, founded & led by singer,
songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Michael Gira.
Marginally associated with the no wave scene at first, their original
sound was slow and extremely 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.
The influence of Swans upon the music world is profound. Across their 15
years of existence, the various styles they explored gave birth to
grindcore (Napalm Death, Nasum) modern "cinematic" post-rock (Godspeed
You! Black Emperor, Mono), and atmospheric sludge metal (Isis,
Neurosis)).
0 Comments:
Post a Comment