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| Today we discuss Swans - The Burning World. |
{Let it be noted that I wrote this while half asleep and edited it before coffee.}
I have been listening to Swans for years. Not as many as some of my friends, but enough. They are one of my favorite groups and I love every phase of their existence.
The Burning World though has somehow bypassed me. Nobody talks about it, Nobody plays material from it, it's just kinda swept under the rug. I'm notorious for falling in love with albums that are decried by fans and artists alike, therefore this ought to have been a long-time favorite of mine because Michael Gira himself claims to "abhor" the album.
My love and his hate for it are probably almost completely due to Bill Laswell's production. I was listening to it with my Dad lastnight and discussing Laswell's influence because while I enjoy all the Laswell I've encountered (mainly via The Golden Palominos), my dad knows more about him while I know all about Swans. I looked it up after we were done spinning and it turns out that Gira was actually so intimidated by Laswell that he was unable to perform to his personal standard (which is funny because I think his vocals on this album compliment it quite well) and that the album actually got them dropped from their label due to poor sales. AH! Dear god!One of the things I find intriguing about this album is how far it departs from Swans' usual style. Even their most acousticy material is still dirgey and terrorizing on some level. This album is just wistful and sad, but with a lot of forward motion and hopeful feeling chords. The lyrical content is astounding to me. It's like listening to Flannery O'Connor or Cormac McCarthy in song form. It's so cinematic. My favorite track, Jane Mary Cry One Tear is like the male counterpart to Miss Havisham.
There's a gorgeous cover of Blind Faith's Can't Find My Way Home, voiced by Jarboe. Jarboe is... well... I have trouble with her. I love her within the confines of Swans but her solo work and collaborations with other artists, I cannot deal. I have an irrational phobia with female vocalists. The ones I do like are the ones who sing with a great deal of power like PJ Harvey or Marianne Faithful. Therefore Jarboe ought to be high on my list, but alas, no. She's just too out there I guess. I'm not too cool to cop to that. "Shut up, Jarboe" has become something of an inside joke between my friends and I. It will be engraved on my figurative tombstone.
I should not need to write extensively about a band like Swans. This album though is terribly overlooked and I think regardless of the band's view of it, it's well worth our attention and love. I started out with Swans on Cop and Filth back when I was getting into stuff like Big Black and had already been into Cop Shoot Cop for years. It was difficult for me to digest their later output because I was so entrenched in the avant-garde experimental noise rock scene, but as I've said before, I love artists that take a long time to get into because they tend to offer the most reward and it helps to build a lasting relationship between the music and the listener.
That said, this album is the final hurdle I've cleared with this band and I find it to be a fitting end to my journey with discovering Swans.
Check out this super cool 90's style video for one of my favorite songs from this album. It's beyond me how this album has been so passed over.
http://www.swans.pair.com/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Swans/13879391977
