Review: Swans ‘Birthing’
It is intimidating covering a band you love as you pray you’ll do them justice; there’s an omnipresent feeling that you owe them for years of aural enjoyment; cue Swans.
Formed in 1981, the band were a part of New York City’s no-wave scene but set themselves apart by being far more confrontational than their contemporaries. Their initial run lasted until 1997 and saw quite the musical evolution from punishing industrial noise-rock to a sound that saw them embrace the melodicism of psychedelia, folk and gothic country.
Reconvening in 2010, My Father Will Guide Me Up A Rope To The Sky continued where Soundtracks For The Blind left off, taking cues from post-rock outfits as Godspeed! You Black Emperor. Since then, they’ve put out a further six post-reunion albums, culminating in Birthing, the latter significant as, according to Michael Gira, it will be his ‘final foray into the all-consuming sound worlds’, we’d best make the most of it then.
The Healers incorporates Americana with traces of lap steel and wraps it in droning soundscapes reminiscent of Droneroom, SUSS and Earth. The whole vibe here nods to America’s western heritage as well as the progressive, forward-thinking approach we’ve long come to expect from Swans, resulting in a sublime opener.
It seems absurd to label the album’s first single I Am A Towersuch, as at over nineteen minutes, it is hardly a Foo Fighters pop rock ditty. Both the female vocals, as well as Gira‘s, offer the track up as a sort of invocation and one you can’t help being drawn to, despite the presence of lyrics such ‘Wash my blood blubber scum with gritted black oil. Just show me an ocean and I’ll fart as it boils’. The majority of the track is somewhat mellow, but then it takes you into unexpected territory reminiscent of the late, great David Bowie and the ’70s art-rock inclinations of Heroes. An extraordinary piece.
a thoroughly enriching, life-enhancing experience…
Birthing features a flurry of synthesisers, though thankfully not of the kind that were featured during the worst excesses of the ‘80s, think more krautrock in nature. This is accompanied by haunting guitar work as well as the all-immersive post-rock that has dominated the band’s material in recent years. The hints of oriental inspired melodies also bring some welcome sonic variety to the mix, demonstrating that this far into their career, Swans are still prepared to experiment, truly epic.
Red Yellow is reminiscent of Italians Goblin and their collaborations on numerous Dario Argento works as well as 1978’s Dawn Of The Dead, eerie yet enchanting. Guardian Spirit, as the name implies, is imbued with an otherworldly sensibility and gothic overtones, it also bears similarities to Hexvessel, with some of the naturalistic folk-influenced passages, which, as a fan of that band, I was more than happy about.
The Merge features a merger of Throbbing Gristle/Whitehouse style avant-garde noise, rumbling bass and intermittent free-jazz style interludes, marking it one of the record’s most unsettling, uncompromising yet musically intriguing numbers. (Rope) Away (two separate tracks on physical copies of the record), has a beautiful ambient feel, along with the Americana of opener The Healers once more in place to help bring the record full circle. A very appropriate conclusion to the album.
With a runtime close to two hours, Birthing isn’t an album you can casually put on in the background while doing chores like ironing. It requires solid commitment to be able to fully ingest all of the nuances, and should you choose to do so, then brace yourself for a thoroughly enriching, life-enhancing experience.
Label: Young God Records | Mute Records
Band Links: Facebook | Bandcamp | Spotify | Instagram
Scribed by: Reza Mills
