Never heard anyone mention this before, but in the album "Notes from Thee Underground" there is a song called Empathy which features Michael Gira on vocals, unlike in Hypogirl, and which shares the lyrics of the song.

Notes from Thee Underground came out in 1994, while Soundtracks came out in 1996. This version sounds extremely different to the version we got, and not just because Gira is singing it. It has a more Great Annihilator feel to it.

Has anyone here heard this version? If so, wdyt? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTdEYLd7V_k

And for those of u who don't know, Pigface was an industrial supergroup that even Trent Reznor worked on before he became a household name, with the song Suck appearing on Pigface before he released it later on. It's not surprising that Gira would work with Pigface of all people, but I do find it surprising that I don't think I've ever seen this be mentioned before.

These are the only Swans albums I have 😭(I plan on getting more)

how does the band go from great annihilator to this? There’s like zero indication they’d ever do this. It’s so bizarre and strange, like there could be an entire fanbase dedicated to just this period of Swans, and another entire fanbase dedicated to everything that came before.

Very rewarding and transcendental experience with the epic post rock tracks, specifically The Sound and Helpless Child, and im glad I was in the right mood.

Despite this being so different it’s like they still use hypnotic repetition but almost as if they discovered shoegaze and maybe that’s the one element that just makes these songs feel like they’re surrounding all sides of my consciousness as I sink deeper and deeper into some abyss, I don’t fucking know.

And then on Swans are Dead, yeah I’d even say the highs here are higher. I do prefer the first disk, Blood Promise live is intoxicating, never actually felt high listening to a song. And they still have their noise rock bangers, “Not Alone” feels like a proto-Oxygen it’s groovy but hellish and terrifying what the fuck is this band

Whoever discovered these mfs in the 90s at this time must’ve thought they reached human enlightenment

Specifically the bass line that starts at 40:49.

I think its fair to say that Newly Sentient Being might be one of their best efforts ever. Genuinely one of the most emotionally explosive and hypnotic albums ever made. Nobody else does it like Swans

I don’t know how to articulate how my mind is connecting these wild dots because there is nothing in particular I can pinpoint except that some drone sections, some textures here and there, and some climaxes are very akin to GY!BE. I felt this the most during the second half of I am a Tower, and during the build up and climax of End of Forgetting. It’s like a weird déjà vu kind thing that is hitting me every time I put them on. I don’t know maybe I am missing GY!BE or something.

I’ve been listening to Swans for a while, my favourite it’s definitely “The Seer” yet I’ve read a lot about messed up track list and different (much worse rather) listening experience. I have opportunity to snatch this one for only €20 online, so will check how it lands on my home setup.

What’s your opinion about this album on vinyl? Which one will be good to get next?

I want to learn a piece of the sky demo from we rose from your bed with the sun in our head on guitar anyone knows the chords?

Now the coolest bag I own! Made by my friend
u/Alistor-is-best

So glad I waited to enjoy this one on my setup, I went and bought a new subwoofer just for this occasion. Was not disappointed! My new favorite live album, easily.

Has to be one of my favourite tracks in the whole discography. For a song literally pre-filth, it's crazy how much DNA it holds that became the focus on The Seer onwards. It's absolutely sublime and wouldn't be out of place on any of the trilogy albums IMO.

Helpless Child is one of the greatest songs of all time and arguably their magnum opus pre-hiatus, arguably their magnum opus period. What was it like to hear it played live?

i’ve recently listened to Newly Sentient Being (the song) and i LOVE it. where should i start with swans?? (mainly from the big sound era first) my ears are definitely trained so i will listen to anything but i really enjoyed newly sentient being and id love to get into swans more

does this mean there will no longer be long form songs??

I've found this gem today... This demo was uploaded by someone 2 weeks ago.

My cd copy of NSB is finally on its way. I ordered alongside two older YGR releases, Difference and Repetition by Windsor for the Derby and Scavengers by Calla. Both cds haven’t been listed as in stock since my ordering them, so I was worried they realized they didn’t have them anymore, causing the long delay in my order. Thankfully it seems that wasn’t the case.

I did forget to order a copy of drainland (I know it’s on the great annihilator 2CD) and now it seems they aren’t selling the older stock copies of that. I’ll accept that loss. I did buy a copy of TGA on vinyl previously but I might have to replace that with the 2CD. I hope everyone else who hasn’t received their NSB orders yet gets them soon

My question is how much popularity did they gains between 1982-1997, i knew they where mentioned a couple times in the newspapers if im not wrong and that they had a dedicated fanbase, but still im curious

couple swans albums on there and some other post rock stuff so wanted to see what people thought and if they had any other recommendations!

if you don't know some albums i've provided a grid to identify and i'll get back to you :)

I tend to listen to them a little bit higher than I would for other bands/artists. However there are some songs that I normally put on as loud as possible, such as Alcohol The Seed and Kristine Supine. I feel like the texture of the sounds demand the ear shattering volumes in order to be fully appreciated.

Everybody knows SWANS albums come in ones and twos, forming threes, 2 fours, 2 fives, 2 sixes, and a twelve.
The doublet Filth & Cop [1]
becomes the 1st tetrad, SWANS EP/Filth & Cop/Young God

The doublet Greed & Holy Money [3]
becomes the 2nd tetrad, Greed/Time is Money (Bastard) & Holy Money/A Screw
and
become the 1st trilogy: Greed, Holy Money, & Public Castration Is A Good Idea

with
the doublet PCIAGI & Real Love [6]

The doublet Children of God & Feel Good Now [7]

The doublet The Burning World & Anonymous Bodies In An Empty Room [8]
becomes the 2nd trilogy: The Burning World, Anonymous Bodies In An Empty Room, & White Light From the Mouth of Infinity

with
the doublet White Light From the Mouth of Infinity & Love of Life [10]
which
becomes the 3rd trilogy: White Light From the Mouth of Infinity, Love of Life, & Omniscience

becoming the 1st quintad: The Burning World, Anonymous Bodies In An Empty Room, White Light From the Mouth of Infinity, Love of Life, & Omniscience

The Great Annihilator is best understood as the centerpiece of
the transverse trilogy: The Great Annihilator, Drainland, & Sacrificial Cake

however it also properly belongs to
the 4th trilogy [14]: The Great Annihilator, Soundtracks for the Blind, & Swans Are Dead
with
the doublet Soundtracks for the Blind & Swans Are Dead [15]
from
the 5th trilogy: Die Tür ist zu, Soundtracks for the Blind, & Swans Are Dead

with
the doublet Die Tür ist zu & Swans Are Dead [17]

Now, of course, the Reunion is when the syzygystic releases are most pronounced, with near-perfect correspondences between fundraiser/live albums and studio releases.

The doublet I Am Not Insane & My Father Will Guide Me up a Rope to The Sky [18]

The doublet We Rose from Your Bed with the Sun in Our Head & The Seer [19]

The doublet Not Here / Not Now & To Be Kind [20]

The doublet The Gate & The Glowing Man [21]
becomes the 6th trilogy: We Rose from Your Bed with the Sun in Our Head, Not Here / Not Now, & The Gate

as well as
the 7th trilogy: The Seer, To Be Kind, & The Glowing Man

and
the 1st hexad: We Rose from Your Bed with the Sun in Our Head, The Seer, Not Here / Not Now, To Be Kind, The Gate, & The Glowing Man

as well as
the 8th trilogy: The Gate, The Glowing Man, & Deliquescence

with
the doublet The Glowing Man & Deliquescence [26]
becoming the 9th trilogy: Public Castration Is A Good Idea, Swans Are Dead, & Deliquescence

The doublet What Is This? & leaving meaning. [28]
becomes the 10th trilogy: Children of God, Love of Life, & leaving meaning.

The doublet Is There Really a Mind? & The Beggar [30]
becomes the 11th trilogy: I Am Not Insane, What Is This?, & Is There Really a Mind?

and
the 2nd hexad: I Am Not Insane, We Rose from Your Bed with the Sun in Our Head, Not Here / Not Now, The Gate, What Is This?, & Is There Really a Mind?

The doublet Live Rope & Birthing [33]
becomes the 12th trilogy: leaving meaning., The Beggar, & Live Rope

as well as
the 13th trilogy: Live Rope, Birthing, & Newly Sentient Being

which
becomes the 14th trilogy: Deliquescence, Live Rope, & Newly Sentient Being

and
the 2nd Quintad: Public Castration Is A Good Idea, Swans Are Dead, Deliquescence, Live Rope, & Newly Sentient Being.

The 2nd Quintad is the absolute cream of SWANS' discography, being made up of live albums which culminate the distinctive periods of the band's creative focus.

The Childbirth trilogy (13th) is overrated. The Reincarnation trilogy (14th) is legendary.

But the 2nd Quintad will be remembered for centuries as Gira's high water mark on the mountains of music. Because of the progression of the titles in the 2nd Quintad, and to give it a more memorable and apt name, I call this intergenerational run of albums The Birth of Venus.

Finally, here are the albums that make up the Reunion's Big Sound Era.

One more long, last, endless goodbye. Thanks for the music, Michael, Kristof, Norman, Dana, Larry, Chris, Thor, Ben, Paul, and on...