katsumashi
originally this was my least favourite swans album but eventually its become my absolute favourite by them. yeah half of the title track is boring and nothing happens but I don't mind because the rest of the album MORE than makes up for it. song for a warrior > avatar > a piece of the sky is one of the best 3 track runs in any album
addendum: song for a warrior is my other favourite track but I couldn't decide so I picked avatar. a piece of the sky is definitely #3 though
Favorite track: Avatar.
“The Seer took 30 years to make. It’s the culmination of every previous Swans album as well as any other music I’ve ever made, been involved in or imagined. But it’s unfinished, like the songs themselves. It’s one frame in a reel. The frames blur, blend and will eventually fade.
The songs began on an acoustic guitar, then were fleshed out with (invaluable) help from my friends, then were further tortured and seduced in rehearsals, live and in the studio, and now they await further cannibalism and force-feeding as we prepare to perform some of them live, at which point they’ll mutate further, endlessly, or perhaps be discarded for a while.
Despite what you might have heard or presumed, my quest is to spread light and joy through the world. My friends in Swans are all stellar men. Without them I’m a kitten, an infant. Our goal is the same: ecstasy!"
HOW THE SONGS CAME TO BE
The songs The Seer, Ave. B Blues, Avatar, and The Apostate were developed organically as a group in rehearsals and on tour. They morphed constantly throughout the last series of Swans tours, and were captured and lovingly adorned in the studio. The remaining songs on the album were developed from the ground up in the studio with the participation and input of all the contributing musicians, guided by an invisible hand...
Recorded at Studio P4 and Andere Baustelle in Berlin, by Kevin McMahon and at Marcata Studio, Gardiner, NY, by Kevin McMahon. Additional recording at Trout Recording, Brooklyn, NY, engineer: Bryce Goggin. Mixed by Kevin McMahon at Marcata. Produced by Michael Gira.
FULL CREDITS
SWANS
Michael Gira
voice, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, harmonica, casio, sounds
Norman Westberg
electric guitar, voice
Christoph Hahn
lap steel guitars; electric guitar, voice
Phil Puleo
drums, percussion, hammer dulcimer, voice
Christopher Pravdica
bass guitar, voice, incredible handshake
Honorary Swan: Bill Rieflin
piano, organ, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, drums, percussion, casio, synthesizer, bass guitar, voice, bird idea
SPECIAL GUESTS
Karen O
lead vocal on Song for a Warrior (Karen appears courtesy Interscope Records)
Al and Mimi of Low
co-vocals on Lunacy
Jarboe
backing vocals and voice collage on Piece of the Sky and backing vocals on The Seer Returns
Seth Olinsky, Miles Seaton, Dana Janssen (Akron/Family)
backing vocals on Piece of the Sky
Caleb Mulkerin and Colleen Kinsella of Big Blood
accordion, vocals, dulcimer, guitar, piano and assorted other instruments on the Seer Returns
Sean Mackowiak (the grasshopper)
acoustic and electric mandolins, clarinet, various songs
Ben Frost
fire sounds (acoustic and synthetic) on Piece of the Sky
Iain Graham
bagpipes on The Seer
Bruce Lamont
horns on The Seer
Bob Rutman
steel cello on The Seer
Cassis Staudt
accordion various songs
Eszter Balint
violin, various songs
Jane Scarpatoni
cello various songs
Kevin McMahon
additional drums on the Seer Returns, electric guitar, sounds on various songs
Bryce Goggin
piano on Song for a Warrior
Stefan Rocke
contra bassoon on the Seer
Produced by Michael Gira. Recorded at Studio P4 and Andere Baustelle in Berlin, by Kevin McMahon, assistants Marco and Boris, and at Marcata Studio, Gardiner, NY, by Kevin McMahon. Additional recording at Trout Recording, Brooklyn, NY, engineer: Bryce Goggin, assistant: Adam Sachs. Mixed by Kevin McMahon at Marcata. Mastered by Doug Henderson at Micro-Moose Berlin. Pre-mastering by Jamal Ruhe at West Westside Music.
Artwork: Paintings and Swans photo portraits by Simon Henwood.
Swans are an experimental rock band formed in 1982 by Michael Gira. Initially part of the no wave scene, Swans have, through various iterations, contributed to the development of noise rock, post-punk, industrial, post-rock and more.
The Philadelphia group sharpen their hooks and internal dyanmics for a fun and non-dorky take on power pop anyone can get behind. Bandcamp New & Notable Mar 26, 2024