Swans Are Dead

by Swans

* Swans are Dead is a mega live album composing of 16 tracks equally split between two tours: The 1997 "final" tour and the 1995 tour. The 1995 tour previewed many tracks from the then upcoming Soundtracks For the Blind, while the 1997 tour includes many songs which never jumped into the studio, or repurposed tracks from The Great Annilahtor and even from their No-Wave stuff way back.

* One thing I had to quickly realize is that this isn't really trying to be an album, in the same way a "best hits" isn't an album in the traditional set. This means track sequencing goes completely out the window; the tracks are ordered just as they were in the tours. Ultimately pacing is still kept—long songs are intermediated by short ones—but it does leave me disappointed with the penultimate masterpiece of Helpless Child being followed by the frankly terrible M/F to close this whole experience out.

* The sound is super Swans. Tirelessly repeating lines of soundscapes overflowing with lushness as well as the abrasive, all being built up for minutes upon minutes with booming percussion. Beautiful and subtle little ambiences like the fading guitar feedback or a colourful chord of an organ. Absolutely unsettling instrumentals fitting their song's subject matter, ripe with tension and dissonance. It's a vast portal this album is, you could find yourself crying, ascending, or horrified just by an excellent use of composition and technique.

* The live format lends well to the vocal performances. They are allowed the rawness, messiness and imperfectness in a one-take settjng, allowing for intimacy to be felt between the reader and the singers. They are both incredible on this album. The inflection and range of Jarboe is the reason for her sheer versatility, able to sound desperate and deranged or soothing with the flick of a switch. Michael Gira's range is admittedly more limited, but he gets far with varying levels of soft or hardness, and he has the ability for his voice to get LOUD; Michael Gira's screams inflict the exact amount of terror you want. Ultimately, I have to say I have some disdain for Jarboe on this album ultimately, for she is attached to the worst tracks on the album.

* Lyrically, it is again of Swans fashion. Mortifying. I distinctly remember 'I Crawled' leaving my face scrunched up in an almost disgust, disturbed at the long descriptions of degradation. If they do move away from the disturbing, they go onto the gut-wrenching. Songs such as Helpless Child and The Sound particularly incite streams of tears, with glimpses into a neglected and uncared for child. Lyrics are never quite normal, but Swans hate to be normal.

* Most tracks I love—some I even think to be of their best material to this day—but there's a few stinkers. You'd think it hurt the album, but with an album with tracks in the double digit lengths, combined with the poor tracks being gracefully short, it is easily forgiven. Still, it does lead to an overall less consistent album than desirable.

* The 2 and a half hour collection of two livesets somehow maintains a great pacing. It sports a harsh and transcendent sound matching perfectly with the vocals and their lyrics. While it may struggle from sequencing issues and some poor songs, if you are able to get past some of its mishaps, you will embellish in grippingly creepy, unexpectedly tender, and whole experience—thus I recommend this highly to anyone already in love with their past work.