Music Banter - Swans | The Glowing Man

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I think The Seer will always take my top place for a Swans album, but I definitely see this as a massive improvement over the sometimes excruciating To Be Kind. That album had the problem in my eyes of blowing it's load by the end of the first disc. The Glowing Man doesn't ever suffer from that problem despite being a much more subdued effort than really any other Swans album to come before. It's astoundingly consistent for the massive length, but I need to give it more listens before I could give it a higher score than an 8.

The Seer>>The Glowing Man>>>To Be Kind

(sorry if this seems rushed, I'm sort of pressed for time while writing this)

Really? The best song on TBK is Oxygen imo, and that's in disk two.

To Be Kind(10) >> The Seer (9) >> The Glowing Man (7)

Although, keep in mind my score for the Glowing Man will likely go up with time, because I haven't really digested it yet.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DeadChannel (Post 1714741)

Oxygen feels like a total retread of A Little God In My Hands imo.

After a few more listens, I'm sticking with my initial 4.5/5 ranking. Also,

To Be Kind > The Glowing Man > The Seer

Honestly fell like this is the weakest of the post-rock double disc trilogy. Disc #2 is pretty solid, like a 4/5, but disc #1 was kinda bland to me. Also "People Like Us" reminds me way too much of "Little Mouth" from My Father... Still, it's not a bad album by any means.

To Be Kind (9) > The Seer (8) > The Glowing Man (7)

This reviewer on Amazon is on to something

Quote:

Michael Gira's decision to move on from the current iteration of Swans is a bittersweet but ultimately wise one - on the one hand, these Swans have given me memorable, moving, immersive and incomparably powerful live experiences, the memory of which I'll always treasure. On the other, and on the evidence of this album, they have reached a point of repeating themselves, have become predictable, almost cosy, Swans by numbers, trapped in a single means of expression that is slowly but surely losing its impact.

Whisper it, but I find this album a boring endurance test. Background music. To me, it sounds like another retread of The Seer, its musical expression and language shorn of much of its power by a feeling of familiarity, comfort even. Bloated song lengths - check. Telegraphic tormented lyrics, bellowed portentously - check. The last thing I want from Swans is comfort and the feeling that I don't actually need to listen to the music to know what it will sound like, and I am saddened that the talent of this group is being used to give us more of the same old same old, when I am sure they are capable of so much more adventure.

I'm excited to hear what Mr Gira has for us next - whether it be a new incarnation of Swans, a revival of Angels of Light or a brand new project - and I look forward as much as always to seeing these fantastic musicians together one last time in London in few weeks.

But this record is unlikely to be played very often in my house.

Hats off, Michael Gira, for understanding that the time has come to move on before Swans become a self-parody.

Too bad he just came out with another derivative Swans record last year.

I wonder if he ever stopped to think maybe these records are too ****ing long.

leaving meaning was good for that pocket of their style, it's just not as interesting as their early or post-reunion styles.

Seer and TBK are masterpieces, but Glowing Man was a step down for sure. In hindsight seems like they just dropped it to "justify" a tour.