From The Glowing Man's limited edition... 00:00 Frankie M 23:10 A Little God In My Hands 34:51 Cloud Of Unknowing 01:01:34 Just A Little Boy 01:15:42 Cloud Of Forgetting 01:27:04 The Glowing Man
one of the loudest ive never been to one of their shows but my ego was decimated with the soundtracks album prior listening into the subconscious before I dosed three hits of blodder it stuck with the trip of course things got crazy acid scissors and mirrors don't mix I cropped my personality hair lol looks like their playing in a air plane hangar lots of reverb
They aren't, at least not in the traditional sense. Even when he isn't obviously cuing them, they're all following Gira's playing, movements, and vocals. The band watches him closer than orchestras watch conductors. Their songs are always divided into distinct sections and they know what kind if playing is expected of them during those sections, but Gira is 100% in charge of the speed, feel, and length of those sections.Counting would be totally useless because they won't move on to the next material without being cued and Gira decides when to do that by feel. They also practiced for upwards of 10 hours a day, 7 days a week for months leading up to tours, which is how they are able to play pounding, repetitive chords for like 10 minutes straight and manage to be the tightest band I've ever seen.
filt right?? Every time I watch these guys play I always think “man, I gotta meet some people like this!” Although, my musicianship is nowhere near these cats.
I find it hilarious that arguably the loudest band on the planet today is a bunch of 50 and 60 somethings that seem like they'd refuse nights out on the bars because they're "too loud"
One thing to always remember is that if the members of a hardcore and/or loud band look like just a couple of guys, they will most likely shatter your skull
1:11:49, this part where the crescendos changes from loud burst into the most earth shattering jam session is absolutely insane. What a phenomenal band.
Swans is the quintessential example of a band whose studio albums are merely a taster for the live experience, which after having experienced it myself can definitely say is THE way to consume their otherworldly sonic assaults. As genius as they are in the studio (legitimate arguments for several masterpieces in their discography), they blow the studio albums out of the fucking water with the live sound. They just know exactly what they're doing live. Frequencies are filled, the sound assaults you physically, stupefies you. You're left hypnotised and at the end of the set, you wonder 'just what on earth happened?'. I don't know exactly what happens, but I know it's got the potential to change your perspective entirely.
If there ever was a nail on the head response ! The albums are a point of reference ,they have to be made,they have to exist and they have to be archived...but where it's at ; the seances in the flesh...It's where the gates of heaven and hell open ; The most beautiful and terrifying thing you have ever witnessed...S\\//\ S
Goddamn! These guys not only pick up where Pink Floyd left off at. They also put rocket fuel in the engine, drive it off the cliff, and set it to fly directly into the sun to burn for eternity. These guys are amazing!
I used to play this loud to scare away squealing young teenagers from outside my bedroom window. They don't go away now. Fuck I've made them Swans fans!
I know To Be Kind is the nu Swans album everyone says is their best one from that period, but I really think they were fucking onto something with The Glowing Man
The Glowing Man is the triumph of the Swans return, IMO. Even though I think To Be Kind is essentially a perfect album, The Glowing Man just takes that ultra-high level and springboards onto another dimension entirely. The apocalyptic blues of TBK implode into some kind of dark hole from the sheer mass of the instrumentals into a collapsing star on TGM. It's otherworldly music in the purest sense of the word. Deliquescence as a companion piece. It's just so unbelievably good. It digs deep into your brain and never leaves. I think I've heard TGM in its entirety at least 300 times, without exaggeration. I listened to it the album single day at work for a few years, it was my cheat code to getting into an extremely focused and productive zone. Every single listen had new discoveries, new sounds caught, something to ponder.
@@moushindeiru9769 Yes, a brilliant album. Easily top 2 in their live album releases. I saw them live as they were touring TGM and Deliquescence, so had the fortune of hearing The Knot live. Life-changing! I was too stupid to pick up the CD, and now it's resold for exorbitant prices, I'll likely still buy it off a reseller eventually.
I like seeing everyone in the crowd's reactions to "The Glowing Man" such a transcendent song and some people are really into it. It makes me happy Frankie M is a masterpiece and A Little God in My Hands makes me want to dance. Even though it's a song about death
I've yet to see Swans live, but if I do and The Glowing Man plays, I think I'll walk out of that concert a new person. I mean I will regardless, but The Glowing Man had such power to it
Caught them in 2017 touring Deliquescence. An actual life-changing experience. The Glowing Man is tremendous live, The Knot even more so. I was paralyzed in my spot for over 2 and a half hours, locked in some kind of trance.
@@bathsaltshero I'm gonna have to keep an eye out for them. I see I missed a show of theirs here in London not two days after my birthday last year. Sucks! Hope they continue touring in the near future.
I can't see that. Maybe i'm not sophisticated enough. I'm seeing them in March. I'm going because i'm really curious. I know there's something there, but i can't see and hear it yet.
i love this comment. I also saw something, felt something many many years ago, that moved or changed or opened something inside. I still can't say if I like Swans or not, all the time, forever. But the repetitions, those drones, on and on and on and on and on, they change you inside
It happened. Truly apocalyptic, dirty and incredibly loud. I had to wear earplugs. Good thing i got them, because as soon as the volume got to its peak (after one minute) i instantly started to sweat. I thought it was never going to end. And i didn't want it, though. I got pounded over and over for almost 3 hours. Left there feeling drained and tired. Truly an amazing experience. I'm thankful that it happened.
Incredible stuff, i love their art so much..soothing to know, that there are still artists like them in the world. Last 10 Minutes are not from this world. So fucking good, i was in trance, when i listened to this the first time. This sound leaves no space for thinking. Unbelievable good.
I've heard Michael say that he loved that era of Pink Floyd. In fact, he was telling a story about seeing them play Careful With That Axe, Eugene while he was a teenager on acid. Apparently that left quite an impression.
I've been a fan of Swans since about 1990 and I've had mixed feelings about the 2010's Swans. I saw them once in 2012 and once in 2018 and have definitely enjoyed most of the tracks/performances but I've only just now come to a conclusion how I feel about this period for them. Starting from the beginning, the early Swans is obviously raw and brutal, simple and direct. It's great but lacks the subtlety of later Swans. (This is neither better/worse, it's simply what it is). The Skin recordings and Burning World through Love of Life were Michael taking his persona to more traditional (even folky at times) forms of music to mixed results (mostly good, as is usual for him). On The Great Annihilator, Soundtracks for the Blind and Swans are Dead (and even rare recordings prior to the Angels of Light such as the Body Lovers album), Michael managed to blend experimentation, traditional sounds and the brutal early stuff to concoct a sophisticated and varied sound which he would expound upon after reforming Swans. However, where the recordings (such as on Swans are Dead) are near perfect in length, subtlety and overall effect, the reformed Swans drive this to proportions of overkill dimension! But in fairness, everything next to Swans is kind of underkill. They raise the bar on all other bands and where nothing later strikes me as quite as perfect as the Great Annihilator or Soundtracks for the Blind (or Children of God), perfection was never Michael's aim to begin with. Reforming and moving forward, Swans simply retook the artform that was theirs for better or worse and do it their way as uncompromisingly (if not moreso) than ever before.
I find it interesting that a former sound engineer said that M Gira is not properly a musician, rather a sound curator. If you listen to these 30min "songs" you realise what that means
I don't like the editing in this video. Just show us the shots (in black and white, if you have to), and let me enjoy the band. No need for long cross-fades and chroma-keyed pageantry. Swans is raw, make the video reflect that.
It's amazing how people are commenting that Swans are ripping off certain bands that were nowhere in existence when Swans first arrived on the scene! Please do your homework people!
