Review - Swans

SwansTo Be Kind

I only got into Swans recently, but they've fast become one of my favourite bands. Not only do they make some of the heaviest and simultanaeously the most sublime music I've ever heard, they've managed to stay together and keep their standards up for three decades. When I first started listening to To Be Kind, though, I was worried they'd started to slip. It sounds like a poor imitation of Tinariwen, and Michael Gira's vocals are extremely obnoxious - not in the good, aggressive way, but in a way that sounds like someone trying to do a Swans song and failing. Fortunately, things quickly pick up from there. That Tinariwen sound permeates the album - songs like "Just A Little Boy" have that strange desert drone that seems almost stereotypically "exotic" - but on most of the songs, it's done right, and mixed with that Swans mixture of vitriol and profundity, it works pretty damn well. "Toussaint L'Overture" is the stand-ou track, a half-hour epic that starts out with a relentless yet uplifting barrage of guitar, before simmering down to the same desert drone we've been hearing throughout the album, complemented with strange, otherworldly chanting from Gira. It gradually builds to a crescendo and then holds it - just holds onto the momentum, riding the riff, as if Gira is seeing how far he can ramp up the tension before the listener's brain explodes. Then, it drops off, and you're left with skittering rhythm lines and harsh, distorted guitar chords. From there on in, I won't ruin it for you, but it kicks some major fucking arse.

The downside of having such an amazing centrepeice is that it kind of overshadows the rest of the album. It's still a great record, but the gap in quality between "Toussaint L'Overture" and the other songs makes them seem lacklustre by comparison. Still, when listened to on their own, rather than as part of an album, songs like "Oxygen" and "A Little God In My Hands" are fantastic. If you've listened to Swans before, you know what to expect - jarring rhythms, sneering vocals, and a heavinness that seems almost meditative, as if the band are trying to induce a spiritual experience in the listener through sheer force of sound. It's great, basically - buy it.

Rating: 8/10

Also, this will be my last post for a while, as I'm going to be extremely busy with various things for the next month or so.