TOO BAD THEY'VE BEEN NOTHING BUT A NAMESAKE FOR OVER THIRTY YEARS. THEY SHOULD HAVE CHANGED THEIR NAME TO MICHAEL GIRA'S BAD TIME BAND. ALSO I CAN'T BELIEVE HOW MUCH YOU CAN TALK WITHOUT SAYING ANYTHING.
@@futterluke6875 current acts can last 4 hours including the intro by some solist (at least that's what it lasted las year in Helsinki counting Norman Westberg 50 minute performance and 15 minute break)
I love how you are completely unabashed sharing your heartfelt thoughts and opinions on such elusive works. Your love and enthusiasm for SWANS music, their morphing sound, style and Gira’s and Jarboe’s creative evolution comes across as a very personal and unique appreciation for how these eras impacted you. Really refreshing to hear someone’s honest takes rather than robotic elucidation. Bravo! 👏
3:00 Minor pedantic point from someone who is extremely into this sort of music: No Wave predated the emergence of hardcore punk by several years, with most of the key players having formed between 1975 and 1977; the duo Suicide, who were the scene's godfathers and possibly the first band to self-describe as "punk rock," actually formed in 1970-famously, they often opened for their friends The New York Dolls early in their career-although they were something of an outlier, with the influential but little-documented Jack Ruby in '73 and Mars in '75 really kicking things off. The term itself seems to have been coined by Lydia Lunch of Teenage Jesus and the Jerks around 1978 as a dig at "New Wave," a term increasingly used to describe punk bands in a way which came off as more "respectable" from a marketing standpoint (although the meaning has kind of shifted over time); but while these bands were in conversation with New York punk rock, taking a lot of punk ideas (the rejection of traditional technique, guitars as texture rather than melody or harmony, etc.) to their logical conclusions, they were kind of their own thing. There was also a weird on-and-off feud between the Lower East Side and SoHo factions of the scene, kind of having to do with class stuff, with the LES faction making up most of the No New York comp and the "bougier" SoHo faction being less well-documented but producing a surprising number of avant-garde classical composers, the most famous being Rhys Chatham and Glenn Branca; by the time the second generation of No Wave acts represented by Swans and Sonic Youth came up, however, these beefs had largely been squashed and the lines were a lot blurrier. In particular, members of both groups participated in Branca's "guitar armies" assembled to play compositions such as The Ascension, which both Michael Gira and Lee Ranaldo have cited as formative experiences; Branca would also go on to release Filth and Confusion is Sex on his Neutral Records label. I am by necessity leaving a lot out-Jean-Michel Basquiat and Vincent Gallo were in a No Wave band together at one point and that's not even that important in the greater scheme of things, to give you an idea of how much weird stuff was going on in that part of New York at the time-but I dunno, I thought it was important to mention. Is it too late to mention that Swans and Sonic Youth are two of my favourite bands and this was kind of just an excuse to ramble about trivia disguised as a correction to a minor detail near the beginning of a very long video which I am extremely interested in watching to the end? >_>;
@@DOOMJESUS …of whom? The video is pretty good and I respect the effort put into it but there's a fair amount which I cordially disagree with here. In particular I think Love of Life is, as is all too common in such rankings, direly underrated here. That said, PERHAPS YOU WOULD LIKE ME TO RESPOND TO YOU IN ALL-CAPS, AS YOU SEEM INCAPABLE OF TYPING LIKE A NORMAL PERSON AND SEEM QUITE DESPERATE FOR ATTENTION. RESPONDING TO YOU AT ALL IS PROBABLY A BAD IDEA, HONESTLY, BUT IT'S NO SKIN OFF MY NOSE.
I’ve seen Motörhead, Boris, Sleep, Melvins, and Maiden on multiple occasions. None of those acts came close to how loud and sonically punishing Swans were
I've only had the privilege of seeing Melvins from the above list, but I have to glow about how hard-hitting Buzz's Marshall stack was in a small venue. I wish Swans were anywhere close to my state on their current tour, as I worry I'll miss them like I did Motörhead..
This video made me fully listen to the seer. front to back. when listening to the album i finally realized why sometimes swans clicks for me and doesn't. The mixing is so weird. it sound like they setup three mics in a room , play into them, then left it at that with no post production. It makes the instruments meld together in a interesting way. This is mostly for the better but sometimes can remind me of some flat mixed metal core stuff. It also makes it hard to jive with at first but when you get into it is magical. The first time i listened to helpless child i literal felt my whole body react every time the guitar strummed. Swans is cool and weird and i don't know who to end this.
I loved your video on Ween, so I can’t wait for this one. It took me a long time to get into Swans but now can’t get enough of them. I’ve been going through their whole discography chronologically, and I recently listened to The Glowing Man (it’s amazing). I’m sure I’ll still learn a few new things from this video lol.
The writing and presentation in your videos is actually becoming incredible. Even for gargantuan videos like this. Love the video, really good job boundo
Listening to 22 hours worth of music then getting yelled at by Micheal gira in person is so worth it. I LOVE SWANS 🗣️🗣️‼️‼️⛷️⛷️💯💯🔥💯⛷️⛷️‼️🗣️‼️💯🔥🔥⛷️‼️🗣️🗣️🗣️‼️⛷️💯🔥
It should be noted, that Gira himself said that CHILDREN OF GOD was not mocking religion. He said he was genuinely fascinated by it. So the album should not be listened to as a mockery of religion, but rather an exploration of it.
I've been waiting for a video on the Swans discography by Boundo for so long, mostly because I really want to get into them, but I did it myself by listening to Soundtracks first and then randomly listening through songs from different albums; which made me feel as if I have skipped ahead into their storytelling discography by ignoring the backstory. This video has confirmed that for me, but it also has made me realize that it wasn't a reason to disregard my opinions, but instead to see it as a different interpretation of Swans that I can take forward when listening through their discography.
I’m looking forward to this! I am personally a big fan of Swans’ neofolk and no wave eras, particularly White Light at the Mouth of Infinity and Filth.
I really enjoy Swans' music, Filth is my fav album! I think Animal Collective would be a pretty good video idea if you havent done them already, very diverse and crazy sound
This is a great gift from you! Thank you. I once wanted to listen to them all from start to finish and started with Filth. The most Brutal and deadinside feeling there has ever been recorded, i gave up on that project after one listen. I have listened to other records like the Trilogy that anybody was raving about when it came out and others. Watched that fantastic documentary that came out a few years ago that could also be a starting point because SWANS is so much more than a band or an art collective. Watching it could give the rookie the patience needed to appreciate and get into it. It gave me that.
Best band on Earth. Saw them live in Niceto, Buenos Aires, in 2016. The orgasmic, soul-crunching sonic tidal waves nearly blew my eardrums. I took the partial hearing loss as a worthy sacrifice on the altar of experience. I grinned from ear to ear throughout, flabbergasted. It seemed like, for once, somebody could turn the pain and ecstasy of existence into a sound that felt beamed straight from my soul. I could not even think straight. It was also a tortuous, brutal pummeling. By the final seconds of the last song, I was reaching for my (complimentary) earplugs, beaten. Never got to open them, though, as suddenly, total silence filled the venue. It was done. My friend and I sat in silence for an hour after, our previous selves a broken collage that took an additional hour to imperfectly reassemble itself. 10/10 would totally see them again.
Exciting! This will take me a while to march through because I want to listen to their featured albums as I do. My introduction was a live Swans concert but I have not yet gone into their catalog to get a panorama. Thanks for being my guide.
I definitely want to, they've got EVEN MORE material to talk about, though. It'll be some time in the far future but I will definitely do it eventually.
your content is always exceptional, and i've been meaning to get into swans! your ween video completely changed my music taste (in a good way), can't wait for this one!
I'm already a massive swans fan, but this video reignited my love for them. The way you wholeheartedly describe their works gets me wanting to relisten to them a lot more. This was an amazing video and I enjoyed it thouroughly
I did the chronological challenge about a year ago, usually listening to an album per day (sometimes 2) during my work commute. I made it until a little more than halfway through To Be Kind before I just felt over it, and gave up. Recently, I've gone back and listened to a few of my favorite albums (White Light and Great Annihilator) and have started the whole "trilogy" over with The Seer yesterday, and am gonna give To Be Kind a shot again tomorrow. Oh also I saw them for like 2 minutes at 11pm while I was walking to the bathroom at Sick New World earlier this year. I had to get back to my friends at Sleep Token, but it was cool to see them for a minute at least lol
a let’s get you into sonic youth would be incredible!! i’ve listened to their more popular records (daydream nation, goo, dirty, rather ripped) but i really don’t know where to go from there!!
My path into Swans so far has been: Children of God, While Light From the Mouth of Infinity, and The Glowing Man. I am going to start the Trilogy tomorrow, despite already having deep appreciation for The Glowing Man.
Like The Residents, Laurie Anderson ... Swans, is a one of a kind band, looking forward to watching this video. I love every era of Swans, I've seen them twice.
Good lord this was a satisfying watch. Swans is a band that means a lot to me and you gave them more justice than I could have ever hoped, especially impressive considering the length. Bravo 👏
Phenomenal work as always! As a note on music's subjectivity, isn't it fascinating that The Glowing Man was actually the most immediately gratifying record for me!
The first Swans I ever heard was White Light From The Mouth of Infinity, and then I got my hands on Children of God. Bit of a tonal shift there. Then I just kept listening to those two albums until they released The Seer, which gave me the opportunity to go see Swans live despite thinking I’d missed them just by virtue of being born in the 90’s so far too young to go to any concert. The Swans concert promoting The Seer was one of the most incredible experiences I’ve ever had, I was literally stunned for words afterwards and found myself unable to speak until the following day. I just stumbled upon this video, but if you feel like it, how about an introduction to the music of J.G. Thirlwell (Foetus, Wiseblood, the guy has a new name each album)? He’s old friends with Swans members and I think they hung out in the same circles in New York back in the day. He’s very influential yet very unknown, and he deserves better.
Just saw them live a few days ago. There really is nothing else like receiving it straight from the source ✌️ near spiritual experience, brought me to tears!
The first album I bought by Swans was The Burning World, in 1989 because Bill Laswell produced it and played on it, along with L. Shankar and Zakir Hussein. Everybody I played that cassette for loved the album. Next I bought Children of God and my compatriots and I soon realized what Swans were-we went out over the next few weeks and bought the whole catalogue. I also enjoy the new stuff but the aesthetic has obviously changed a lot.
Swans might be actually my favourite band ever because no other music made me feel the same as them. I have gone through so many bands in my life but Swans is the one that will stay with me until I die. Got into Swans through Neurosis collab with Jarboe btw.
Great vid. Ive only been listening to swans for about 2 years and this was still very informative and put some of their stuff into a new light. Personally I think glowing man is better than to be kind but that’s just my taste
absolutely amazing video. i'd love to see you do a take on Brave Little Abacus' discography. I swear to god something about Just Got Back From The Discomfort inspires some of the most passionate reviews ever, which would be great to see with your narrating style.
Great video on my favourite band. Your starting options were good btw, I think the trilogy is the best place to start but Children of God and the Great Annihilator are great too
I watched a couple of you videos and have listend to some of the musik you discussed in them. I really liked some of it. So lets try this! I will check out Children of God and come back after. BRB :D Edit: The video has been great so far
great video! i've never gotten much of a biblical feeling from Children of God but i suppose i've never looked at it through such a narrative lens. now i have to relisten to it with this newfound perspective :D funnily enough i've been slowly inching my way through The Knot (the book) in hopes of getting a deeper glimpse into Micheal's worldview at the time each album was made and finding a deeper understanding/mental experience in the lyrics to enjoy the music better. and i'll be honest, circus mort, self titled, and Filth are starting to click a lot more. maybe that'll happen with other albums as well
Love this video, also just saying, no wave wasn’t just hardcore punk, it was an entire scene, with art and movies and stuff. Also there’s artists who played jazz.
No Wave didn’t have shit to do with Hardcore Punk, a ‘genre’ that came years after. Swans, or Sonic Youth fot that matter, was never ‘no wave’ bands. The whole term was only a sarcastic PR schtick used for colorful language, just as ‘grunge’. Timelines, places and facts are clearly not important here. It’s incredible how much shit one can get away with as long as it’s suggestive.
Cop and Young God are my favorite records. Its truly terrifying on a real level, whereas even the most sludgiest brutal death metal is more like halloween music
Long time Swans fan who owns everything they ever put out on CD. It was the track Failure and then the album White Light from the Mouth of Infinity that got me into them. it's very hard to say which albums will suck a new fan in, as the band is so excessive, but I think knowing what someone likes and playing them individual tracks can work well, since they have a tack that sounds like almost every genre.
I listened to The Glowing Man for the first time yesterday and it immediately hit like a truck after the other two projects in the trilogy. Something about it was just perfect immediately, I dunno. Never really have gotten the criticism that it isn't as good as The Seer or To Be Kind, whereas to me it feels as though its the best out of those records.
Soundtracks for the Blind is an album that pretty much forever changed my perspective of what music could possibly do. It’s an album that really could’ve been a huge failure due to how disjointed it is But it all somehow makes sense in all the madness. It definitely isn’t the album I’d recommend to Swans beginners due to how it lacks Cohesion. However, No other Swans album is like it. To me it’s a Masterpiece and possibly my favorite Swans album along with the Seer and the Great Annihilator.
Hey boundo, I love your Stuff!!! Could you do Boris, next in this series (they are one of my favorite bands and I think they have a really interesting discography)
Yooo this is awesome boundo. I had to miss school today due to a sickness but it’s cool to see you do a retrospective on one of my favorite bands so I can have something to chill out while I recover!
I always find it interesting that people don't recommend Filth as an entry point. It might be a me problem but because of how actually catchy that album can be, I think it can be a great start. It's harsh yeah but honestly there is an inherent wild harshness to the entire discog, it just comes in different forms throughout. Great vid!
I was very surprised anyone would even try explaining the magic of the Swans. I definitely didnt envy your task because I gave up a long time ago trying to get some of my normie friends into the Swans. I've been a monster fan of theirs since the mid to late 80s and will die loving the Swans. I must give props to my current girlfriend as she's learn my eccentric taste in music to the point she no longer conplains. I'd love to see you touch on some of these bands. Einsturzende Neubauten, Throbbing Gristle, Nurse With A Wound, and The Body just to name a few...I'm curious how anyone might approach sharing bands such as these with their "normie" friends. Great job either way...
Oh hey, Nurse With Wound fan! :3 I got into them around the same time I got into Swans, back when I was in middle school in the early/mid '00s. (This video being made by someone who seems to have gotten into them during the reformation period and realising that's been well over a decade makes me feel so, *so* old…)
I have some of their old records and Skin too. Haven't heard any of their new work after the last Skin album. I will check out the new stuff in the recommended order. (Yes, I'm old and I consider music after 1990 "new")
2 hours? Did no one ever tell you that Time Is Money (Bastard) Although it you are going to verbally felate any band for 2 hours, Swans and Gira deserve it. I do hate that in any of this type of review/overview that Angels of Light doesn't get more discussion and fawning praise. I could probably talk about New Mother for 2 hours and still have things left to say. Angels of Light albums feel like sitting and reflecting while clinically depressed somewhere in the hills of Appalachia. Angels records sound akin to being drunk off Moonshine flavored nostalgia while reflecting on just how soon all this will be over, all while the ghosts of the people you hurt along the way lead you towards the end of your thread. Those releases are real magic and could probably turn lead into gold if played both loud and long enough. If you are somehow reading this and haven't listened to Angels of Light just stop and go do that right now, this instant. You won't regret it.
The first three Angels of Light LPs are arguably better than most of Swans' discography, and I say this as someone who fucking adores Swans. The fact that they're so often ignored by fans of the band is honestly tragic. Same goes for the way people gloss over Jarboe's solo work, by the way. Anhedoniac is absolutely killer.
I think we need a lets get you into sonic youth. Also a lets get you into mike patton (there is so much patton stuff it is ridiculous). Edit: Also GY!BE
A bit of context about the Children of God album: there’s a real, extremely evil cult called Children of God (I think it’s changed its name now but as far as I know, it’s still around). It was basically just an excuse for the cult leader to hurt women and children in the cult. Some women of the cult were made to basically use s*x to get people to join the cult, by order of the leader. While I can’t prove it, I’m pretty sure the Children of God album name is a reference to this cult, as it was around when both Gira and Jarboe were young, and it’s not unlikely that they’d heard of it or known someone who’d encountered it.
There’s a bootleg album that’s a collection of live performances that’s got the best version of Black Eyed Dog on it. It’s Jarboe at her best, and the only flaw with that version of the song is that it could have been this hypnotic, endless groove. If you didn’t like Black Eyed Dog off of Various Failures, try this one, it’s so much better and just blows me away every time I listen to it.
TOO BAD THEY'VE BEEN NOTHING BUT A NAMESAKE FOR OVER THIRTY YEARS. THEY SHOULD HAVE CHANGED THEIR NAME TO MICHAEL GIRA'S BAD TIME BAND. ALSO I CAN'T BELIEVE HOW MUCH YOU CAN TALK WITHOUT SAYING ANYTHING.
pin of shame
Your all cap existence is a namesake
Michael Gira's Bad Time Band is insane
@@timesn3wroman STAR STRUCK E FANS RUSH TO THE RESCUE OF THEIR FAVORITE E PANHANDLER
@@DOOMJESUS😂😂😂😂😂
The video cracking the 2 hour mark itself feels like a reference lol
It's a test. If you can't watch this entire video, you probably aren't going to like Swans
It is meta-programming.
love how the video has the length of a Swans live performance.
in which they could theoretically play 4 songs and fill the whole 2 hours..
this is like half of a swans concert
@@fedoraguy7781
Nah, they don’t play 4 hours, mate
@@futterluke6875 current acts can last 4 hours including the intro by some solist (at least that's what it lasted las year in Helsinki counting Norman Westberg 50 minute performance and 15 minute break)
Whoever you are.
I like you.
Could we get a Let's Get You Into Xiu Xiu in the future?
That would be nearly as difficult as doing Swans, honestly. Would be interesting.
The "To be Kind" first approach works for me. Thanks 🎶🖖
I love how you are completely unabashed sharing your heartfelt thoughts and opinions on such elusive works. Your love and enthusiasm for SWANS music, their morphing sound, style and Gira’s and Jarboe’s creative evolution comes across as a very personal and unique appreciation for how these eras impacted you. Really refreshing to hear someone’s honest takes rather than robotic elucidation. Bravo! 👏
3:00 Minor pedantic point from someone who is extremely into this sort of music: No Wave predated the emergence of hardcore punk by several years, with most of the key players having formed between 1975 and 1977; the duo Suicide, who were the scene's godfathers and possibly the first band to self-describe as "punk rock," actually formed in 1970-famously, they often opened for their friends The New York Dolls early in their career-although they were something of an outlier, with the influential but little-documented Jack Ruby in '73 and Mars in '75 really kicking things off. The term itself seems to have been coined by Lydia Lunch of Teenage Jesus and the Jerks around 1978 as a dig at "New Wave," a term increasingly used to describe punk bands in a way which came off as more "respectable" from a marketing standpoint (although the meaning has kind of shifted over time); but while these bands were in conversation with New York punk rock, taking a lot of punk ideas (the rejection of traditional technique, guitars as texture rather than melody or harmony, etc.) to their logical conclusions, they were kind of their own thing. There was also a weird on-and-off feud between the Lower East Side and SoHo factions of the scene, kind of having to do with class stuff, with the LES faction making up most of the No New York comp and the "bougier" SoHo faction being less well-documented but producing a surprising number of avant-garde classical composers, the most famous being Rhys Chatham and Glenn Branca; by the time the second generation of No Wave acts represented by Swans and Sonic Youth came up, however, these beefs had largely been squashed and the lines were a lot blurrier. In particular, members of both groups participated in Branca's "guitar armies" assembled to play compositions such as The Ascension, which both Michael Gira and Lee Ranaldo have cited as formative experiences; Branca would also go on to release Filth and Confusion is Sex on his Neutral Records label. I am by necessity leaving a lot out-Jean-Michel Basquiat and Vincent Gallo were in a No Wave band together at one point and that's not even that important in the greater scheme of things, to give you an idea of how much weird stuff was going on in that part of New York at the time-but I dunno, I thought it was important to mention.
Is it too late to mention that Swans and Sonic Youth are two of my favourite bands and this was kind of just an excuse to ramble about trivia disguised as a correction to a minor detail near the beginning of a very long video which I am extremely interested in watching to the end? >_>;
God damn you encyclopedic commenter, thank you so much
Top 10 comments of all time anywhere
“Minor” pedantic point
You wrote an essay and I love it
SOCK PUPPET
@@DOOMJESUS …of whom? The video is pretty good and I respect the effort put into it but there's a fair amount which I cordially disagree with here. In particular I think Love of Life is, as is all too common in such rankings, direly underrated here.
That said, PERHAPS YOU WOULD LIKE ME TO RESPOND TO YOU IN ALL-CAPS, AS YOU SEEM INCAPABLE OF TYPING LIKE A NORMAL PERSON AND SEEM QUITE DESPERATE FOR ATTENTION. RESPONDING TO YOU AT ALL IS PROBABLY A BAD IDEA, HONESTLY, BUT IT'S NO SKIN OFF MY NOSE.
I’ve seen Motörhead, Boris, Sleep, Melvins, and Maiden on multiple occasions. None of those acts came close to how loud and sonically punishing Swans were
I've only had the privilege of seeing Melvins from the above list, but I have to glow about how hard-hitting Buzz's Marshall stack was in a small venue. I wish Swans were anywhere close to my state on their current tour, as I worry I'll miss them like I did Motörhead..
This whole video felt like a Swans album
Linking The Seer to Bloodborne (my favouite game as well) was incredible, really exceptional video! Well done!
Thats kind of blowing my mind. I played so much Bloodborne while listening to The Seer. Just made sense to me
This video made me fully listen to the seer. front to back. when listening to the album i finally realized why sometimes swans clicks for me and doesn't. The mixing is so weird. it sound like they setup three mics in a room , play into them, then left it at that with no post production. It makes the instruments meld together in a interesting way. This is mostly for the better but sometimes can remind me of some flat mixed metal core stuff. It also makes it hard to jive with at first but when you get into it is magical. The first time i listened to helpless child i literal felt my whole body react every time the guitar strummed. Swans is cool and weird and i don't know who to end this.
I loved your video on Ween, so I can’t wait for this one.
It took me a long time to get into Swans but now can’t get enough of them. I’ve been going through their whole discography chronologically, and I recently listened to The Glowing Man (it’s amazing). I’m sure I’ll still learn a few new things from this video lol.
The writing and presentation in your videos is actually becoming incredible. Even for gargantuan videos like this. Love the video, really good job boundo
Listening to 22 hours worth of music then getting yelled at by Micheal gira in person is so worth it. I LOVE SWANS 🗣️🗣️‼️‼️⛷️⛷️💯💯🔥💯⛷️⛷️‼️🗣️‼️💯🔥🔥⛷️‼️🗣️🗣️🗣️‼️⛷️💯🔥
It should be noted, that Gira himself said that CHILDREN OF GOD was not mocking religion. He said he was genuinely fascinated by it. So the album should not be listened to as a mockery of religion, but rather an exploration of it.
I've been waiting for a video on the Swans discography by Boundo for so long, mostly because I really want to get into them, but I did it myself by listening to Soundtracks first and then randomly listening through songs from different albums; which made me feel as if I have skipped ahead into their storytelling discography by ignoring the backstory. This video has confirmed that for me, but it also has made me realize that it wasn't a reason to disregard my opinions, but instead to see it as a different interpretation of Swans that I can take forward when listening through their discography.
I’m looking forward to this! I am personally a big fan of Swans’ neofolk and no wave eras, particularly White Light at the Mouth of Infinity and Filth.
I really enjoy Swans' music, Filth is my fav album! I think Animal Collective would be a pretty good video idea if you havent done them already, very diverse and crazy sound
This is a great gift from you! Thank you. I once wanted to listen to them all from start to finish and started with Filth. The most Brutal and deadinside feeling there has ever been recorded, i gave up on that project after one listen. I have listened to other records like the Trilogy that anybody was raving about when it came out and others. Watched that fantastic documentary that came out a few years ago that could also be a starting point because SWANS is so much more than a band or an art collective. Watching it could give the rookie the patience needed to appreciate and get into it. It gave me that.
Best band on Earth. Saw them live in Niceto, Buenos Aires, in 2016. The orgasmic, soul-crunching sonic tidal waves nearly blew my eardrums. I took the partial hearing loss as a worthy sacrifice on the altar of experience.
I grinned from ear to ear throughout, flabbergasted. It seemed like, for once, somebody could turn the pain and ecstasy of existence into a sound that felt beamed straight from my soul. I could not even think straight.
It was also a tortuous, brutal pummeling. By the final seconds of the last song, I was reaching for my (complimentary) earplugs, beaten. Never got to open them, though, as suddenly, total silence filled the venue. It was done.
My friend and I sat in silence for an hour after, our previous selves a broken collage that took an additional hour to imperfectly reassemble itself.
10/10 would totally see them again.
Exciting! This will take me a while to march through because I want to listen to their featured albums as I do. My introduction was a live Swans concert but I have not yet gone into their catalog to get a panorama. Thanks for being my guide.
Good video. Honestly you should do one of these videos about the band Coil
I definitely want to, they've got EVEN MORE material to talk about, though. It'll be some time in the far future but I will definitely do it eventually.
your content is always exceptional, and i've been meaning to get into swans! your ween video completely changed my music taste (in a good way), can't wait for this one!
A two-hour long video about one of my favourites bands, that is also the best video about Swans i've seen in youtube!
it's always a great day when Boundo posts a video. Great to see you back! :)
I'm already a massive swans fan, but this video reignited my love for them. The way you wholeheartedly describe their works gets me wanting to relisten to them a lot more. This was an amazing video and I enjoyed it thouroughly
your analysis of one of the most daunting catalogues in modern music is spot on, really enjoyed your video, thank you!
I did the chronological challenge about a year ago, usually listening to an album per day (sometimes 2) during my work commute. I made it until a little more than halfway through To Be Kind before I just felt over it, and gave up. Recently, I've gone back and listened to a few of my favorite albums (White Light and Great Annihilator) and have started the whole "trilogy" over with The Seer yesterday, and am gonna give To Be Kind a shot again tomorrow.
Oh also I saw them for like 2 minutes at 11pm while I was walking to the bathroom at Sick New World earlier this year. I had to get back to my friends at Sleep Token, but it was cool to see them for a minute at least lol
a let’s get you into sonic youth would be incredible!! i’ve listened to their more popular records (daydream nation, goo, dirty, rather ripped) but i really don’t know where to go from there!!
My path into Swans so far has been: Children of God, While Light From the Mouth of Infinity, and The Glowing Man.
I am going to start the Trilogy tomorrow, despite already having deep appreciation for The Glowing Man.
Like The Residents, Laurie Anderson ... Swans, is a one of a kind band, looking forward to watching this video. I love every era of Swans, I've seen them twice.
Good lord this was a satisfying watch. Swans is a band that means a lot to me and you gave them more justice than I could have ever hoped, especially impressive considering the length. Bravo 👏
Thank you for this! I love you're vids and have always struggled with swans. This really put them into perspective.
Phenomenal work as always! As a note on music's subjectivity, isn't it fascinating that The Glowing Man was actually the most immediately gratifying record for me!
The first Swans I ever heard was White Light From The Mouth of Infinity, and then I got my hands on Children of God. Bit of a tonal shift there. Then I just kept listening to those two albums until they released The Seer, which gave me the opportunity to go see Swans live despite thinking I’d missed them just by virtue of being born in the 90’s so far too young to go to any concert. The Swans concert promoting The Seer was one of the most incredible experiences I’ve ever had, I was literally stunned for words afterwards and found myself unable to speak until the following day.
I just stumbled upon this video, but if you feel like it, how about an introduction to the music of J.G. Thirlwell (Foetus, Wiseblood, the guy has a new name each album)? He’s old friends with Swans members and I think they hung out in the same circles in New York back in the day. He’s very influential yet very unknown, and he deserves better.
Just saw them live a few days ago. There really is nothing else like receiving it straight from the source ✌️ near spiritual experience, brought me to tears!
yooooo! i didnt know you liked swans they are my all time favorite im stoked for this!
my personal favorite is COP. appreciate the hard work you put into this
The first album I bought by Swans was The Burning World, in 1989 because Bill Laswell produced it and played on it, along with L. Shankar and Zakir Hussein. Everybody I played that cassette for loved the album. Next I bought Children of God and my compatriots and I soon realized what Swans were-we went out over the next few weeks and bought the whole catalogue. I also enjoy the new stuff but the aesthetic has obviously changed a lot.
hell yeah, i can already tell this video is going to be good, i LOVE swans.
in advance, "thank you!"
DAMN. Two hours. Fuck yeah.
Swans might be actually my favourite band ever because no other music made me feel the same as them. I have gone through so many bands in my life but Swans is the one that will stay with me until I die.
Got into Swans through Neurosis collab with Jarboe btw.
Great vid. Ive only been listening to swans for about 2 years and this was still very informative and put some of their stuff into a new light. Personally I think glowing man is better than to be kind but that’s just my taste
Waiting for the 4 hour King Gizzard video
I would be genuinely surprised if Gira ever had more than one musical idea that he didn’t proceed to beat to death for over thirty years.
Thank you for this video. I just got into swans through 'The Seer'. This is perfect for me!
absolutely amazing video. i'd love to see you do a take on Brave Little Abacus' discography. I swear to god something about Just Got Back From The Discomfort inspires some of the most passionate reviews ever, which would be great to see with your narrating style.
If my math is correct I was literally listening to their first album when you posted this comment. You make a compelling argument...
amazing video. thanksss
Great video on my favourite band. Your starting options were good btw, I think the trilogy is the best place to start but Children of God and the Great Annihilator are great too
Oh hell ya keep bringing these
New Mind and Killing For Company are probably their most accessible songs
I watched a couple of you videos and have listend to some of the musik you discussed in them. I really liked some of it. So lets try this! I will check out Children of God and come back after. BRB :D
Edit: The video has been great so far
I can't decide if I really hate or really love Swans
great video! i've never gotten much of a biblical feeling from Children of God but i suppose i've never looked at it through such a narrative lens. now i have to relisten to it with this newfound perspective :D
funnily enough i've been slowly inching my way through The Knot (the book) in hopes of getting a deeper glimpse into Micheal's worldview at the time each album was made and finding a deeper understanding/mental experience in the lyrics to enjoy the music better. and i'll be honest, circus mort, self titled, and Filth are starting to click a lot more. maybe that'll happen with other albums as well
A very interesting band. Not easy to get into by any means, but a great band nonetheless. Thanks for this.
Listen buddy, I'm already deep into it and its NOT GOING GOOD
Thanks. Amazing journey.
great work, thank you.
The Seer is their best album.
Take a deep breath and hold it in
Love this video, also just saying, no wave wasn’t just hardcore punk, it was an entire scene, with art and movies and stuff. Also there’s artists who played jazz.
No Wave didn’t have shit to do with Hardcore Punk, a ‘genre’ that came years after. Swans, or Sonic Youth fot that matter, was never ‘no wave’ bands. The whole term was only a sarcastic PR schtick used for colorful language, just as ‘grunge’. Timelines, places and facts are clearly not important here. It’s incredible how much shit one can get away with as long as it’s suggestive.
Cop and Young God are my favorite records. Its truly terrifying on a real level, whereas even the most sludgiest brutal death metal is more like halloween music
I STEAL AAALLLLLL THE OXYGENNNNN
Great video mate keep it up 👏👍
2 hour video essay on swans.
hell yea brother 🗣️
Long time Swans fan who owns everything they ever put out on CD. It was the track Failure and then the album White Light from the Mouth of Infinity that got me into them.
it's very hard to say which albums will suck a new fan in, as the band is so excessive, but I think knowing what someone likes and playing them individual tracks can work well, since they have a tack that sounds like almost every genre.
Was in Atlanta shortly after White Light and met Jarboe. We had coffees. Spoke to Michael on the phone never got to meet him
Why because I was a budding music journalist. I am no longer that
Why couldn't meet him, he was just too "busy"
Swans was life. I love anyone who loved and loves Swans.
But oh boy did I meet Jarboe.
I cheered when you started off with Children of God. Still a top five record of all time for me. Absolute perfection.
I listened to The Glowing Man for the first time yesterday and it immediately hit like a truck after the other two projects in the trilogy. Something about it was just perfect immediately, I dunno. Never really have gotten the criticism that it isn't as good as The Seer or To Be Kind, whereas to me it feels as though its the best out of those records.
Here we fuckin gooooooooo
My first exposure to Swans was The Seer, and I really liked it
Soundtracks for the Blind is an album that pretty much forever changed my perspective of what music could possibly do. It’s an album that really could’ve been a huge failure due to how disjointed it is But it all somehow makes sense in all the madness. It definitely isn’t the album I’d recommend to Swans beginners due to how it lacks Cohesion. However, No other Swans album is like it. To me it’s a Masterpiece and possibly my favorite Swans album along with the Seer and the Great Annihilator.
Absolutely incredible video, hats off to you
have you ever thought about making a "let's get you into NEGATIVLAND" video before?
that'd be a really fascinating watch for outsiders to the band
can't believe they made a guy commit a murder😔
Finally, I’ve found someone who loves COP as much as I do!
Hey boundo, I love your Stuff!!! Could you do Boris, next in this series (they are one of my favorite bands and I think they have a really interesting discography)
That would take like, 6 or 7 hours for just a selection off their discography
Yooo this is awesome boundo. I had to miss school today due to a sickness but it’s cool to see you do a retrospective on one of my favorite bands so I can have something to chill out while I recover!
Holy money is my underrated obscure gem
I always find it interesting that people don't recommend Filth as an entry point.
It might be a me problem but because of how actually catchy that album can be, I think it can be a great start. It's harsh yeah but honestly there is an inherent wild harshness to the entire discog, it just comes in different forms throughout.
Great vid!
As a Swans megafan, I am VERY exicted
Branca pfp 😻
@@damando6631 He was the greatest
amazing work as always! i dont know if you are familiar with stereolabs discography, but i think it would be a perfect candidate for this series.
I was very surprised anyone would even try explaining the magic of the Swans. I definitely didnt envy your task because I gave up a long time ago trying to get some of my normie friends into the Swans. I've been a monster fan of theirs since the mid to late 80s and will die loving the Swans. I must give props to my current girlfriend as she's learn my eccentric taste in music to the point she no longer conplains. I'd love to see you touch on some of these bands. Einsturzende Neubauten, Throbbing Gristle, Nurse With A Wound, and The Body just to name a few...I'm curious how anyone might approach sharing bands such as these with their "normie" friends. Great job either way...
Oh hey, Nurse With Wound fan! :3 I got into them around the same time I got into Swans, back when I was in middle school in the early/mid '00s. (This video being made by someone who seems to have gotten into them during the reformation period and realising that's been well over a decade makes me feel so, *so* old…)
I have some of their old records and Skin too. Haven't heard any of their new work after the last Skin album. I will check out the new stuff in the recommended order. (Yes, I'm old and I consider music after 1990 "new")
Lets fuckin' goooo
2 hours? Did no one ever tell you that Time Is Money (Bastard)
Although it you are going to verbally felate any band for 2 hours, Swans and Gira deserve it.
I do hate that in any of this type of review/overview that Angels of Light doesn't get more discussion and fawning praise.
I could probably talk about New Mother for 2 hours and still have things left to say.
Angels of Light albums feel like sitting and reflecting while clinically depressed somewhere in the hills of Appalachia. Angels records sound akin to being drunk off Moonshine flavored nostalgia while reflecting on just how soon all this will be over, all while the ghosts of the people you hurt along the way lead you towards the end of your thread.
Those releases are real magic and could probably turn lead into gold if played both loud and long enough. If you are somehow reading this and haven't listened to Angels of Light just stop and go do that right now, this instant. You won't regret it.
The first three Angels of Light LPs are arguably better than most of Swans' discography, and I say this as someone who fucking adores Swans. The fact that they're so often ignored by fans of the band is honestly tragic. Same goes for the way people gloss over Jarboe's solo work, by the way. Anhedoniac is absolutely killer.
I already am
31:19 I can confirm this, I listened to To be Kind for the first time yesterday and it happened on A Little God in My Hands
I gotta say, I prefer the abrasive No Wave era stuff.
Oh my God YES!!! The Seer is sooooo bloodbornish, I guess that's why I love this album. (besides it being really good)
20 hours of lets get you into James Ferraro
Butthole surfers, sonic youth, and Daniel Johnston next.
Melvins would also be nice
This video is shorter than a swans record
Converge next please
i video i don't need to watch but watched anyways cause i have to watch anything swans related
I think we need a lets get you into sonic youth. Also a lets get you into mike patton (there is so much patton stuff it is ridiculous).
Edit: Also GY!BE
A bit of context about the Children of God album: there’s a real, extremely evil cult called Children of God (I think it’s changed its name now but as far as I know, it’s still around). It was basically just an excuse for the cult leader to hurt women and children in the cult. Some women of the cult were made to basically use s*x to get people to join the cult, by order of the leader. While I can’t prove it, I’m pretty sure the Children of God album name is a reference to this cult, as it was around when both Gira and Jarboe were young, and it’s not unlikely that they’d heard of it or known someone who’d encountered it.
it's in the news right now again fwiw
There’s a bootleg album that’s a collection of live performances that’s got the best version of Black Eyed Dog on it. It’s Jarboe at her best, and the only flaw with that version of the song is that it could have been this hypnotic, endless groove. If you didn’t like Black Eyed Dog off of Various Failures, try this one, it’s so much better and just blows me away every time I listen to it.
I love how this video is shorter than most swans albums
thats hilarious in a way that the plebians will never understand. thanks
I was about to get into them, and then your video showed up, so excited!
Swanye West
I can't wait!