For many writers (myself included), describing a band as being like "early Swans" is a very easy crutch to use. For those who have at least the most passing familiarity with this era, it calls to mind slow, dissonant guitar riffs, a rhythm section that, at loud enough volumes, feels like getting kicked in the groin repeatedly. And above all, Michael Gira’s growed, hate filled vocals that have been attempted, but never surpassed, by other bands. Quite simply, without this material, it is doubtful that "sludge" or "drone" as we know it would exist. Justin Broadrick may have stuck around in Napalm Death to continue grindcore into stagnancy, Sunn O)))’s members would be in faceless black metal bands, and so forth. Unlike some other works with this sort of legendary status, the LPs and EPs that make up this collection sound just as vital and genre defining as they did some 25 years ago. With word that Gira may be reviving the project, and the consistent influence shown in modern bands, it is a perfect time to revisit this unabashed classic.
Quite simply, without this set of releases, the world would probably not have the likes of Godflesh/Jesu, Nadja, Khanate, Sunn O))), Earth, etc. The original releases on this two disc compilation is ground zero for painfully slow, but undeniably heavy music. Its long title is fully descriptive: the first disc of this set is the Cop LP and Young God EP combined. To be specific, this is what many people think of when they mean "early Swans." The debut EP and the Filth LP came first, but both of them had flirtations with post-punk pacing and other aberrations. The self-titled EP was much faster in tempo, featured saxophone, and owed more to Joy Division than alcohol fueled rage. Filth’s tape experimentations with voice gave it a slightly weird edge, and to be frank, someone could dance to "Big Strong Boss" if they really wanted to. Cop stripped this away to the bare elements of Filth: BPM counts that could barely enter the double digits at times, detuned bass notes that sounded more like the strings were being bashed rather than played, etc.
Through all of this is Michael Gira’s growled and snarled vocals, which end up being a pure indictment of humanity: the disposal of a corpse in "Job," police brutality in "Cop," and the life of Ed Gein in "Young God." It isn’t until this material from the Young God EP that any variation becomes notable: the slightly faster bass/drum rhythm of "Raping a Slave," and the complete dissonance of the title track, and the more varied production throughout. The disc ends with the beginning of the change in the band, "Sealed in Skin" and "Fool" from the singles that would be from Greed and Holy Money. The former maintains the same atmosphere as the prior material, but strips away the guitar and allows in piano, with Gira’s vocals somewhat toned down in comparison.
Hardcore purists often cite this point, which is the same time Jarboe joined the band, as being when Swans began to lose their direction. The simple fact is, would anyone have benefited from an entire career of the same style? I mean, personally, I find it hard to listen to the entire duration of this first disc without any sort of break. Its strength is its repetition and hatred, and, depending on my mood, sometimes it just is too much. In pieces, essentially in the original way the releases were formatted, it’s just fine. I usually play about half of this disc a week just randomly. But to imagine all the subsequent albums sounding like this is a scary thought, and if time had played itself out this way, the respect for the band probably wouldn’t be as great as it is today.
Now, by no means am I a Jarboe apologist, but her appearance on the second disc, the Greed and Holy Money LPs does not hurt the tracks one bit. It is a natural progression in feeling from the prior material, and has some innovations that people often don’t link with the band. Leading off with the "Time is Money (Bastard)" single, one can pretty much hear the creation of big beat industrial. While the song is probably twice the tempo of any other Swans material prior, the thick mechanical rhythm becomes the focus of the song, with just small concessions from guitar and bass quiet in the mix. Gira’s vocals, just as angry as before, bark lines like "you should be violated/you should be raped" with a disgust that one can only be convinced he means them. The similarly up-tempo "A Screw", both in its original and instrumental Holy Money mix, embraces this industrialized vibe as well, a combination of mechanical and organic drums, rhythmic bass and synth horns are far more suited for the dance floor than most Swans fans would like to think.
At other points throughout the slow crawl of Cop appears in different forms, on "Heaven" it is simply added to subtle synth elements and snarling, but minimal guitar lines. The disturbingly tight "Coward" lopes along with the occasional bit of uncomfortable breathing room in the sound. The structure is similar on "A Hanging", but in this case the choir like vocals from Jarboe actually add to the funeral sound more than detract from it. The two tracks she is the lead vocalist on, "Blackmail" and "You Need Me" are actually well done as well: restrained, mournful tones over dramatic, reverbed piano. Unfortunately we all know from here she went onto hysterical vocal histrionics that pushed the band away from this original sound.
From here the band went on to record what is often regarded as their best album, Children of God, which kept some of the violent aggression, but added in more gentle musical elements that eventually pushed them towards the world music edge of The Burning World and into the almost overt goth of Love of Life and White Light from the Mouth of Infinity. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m a fan of pretty much every era of Swans through Gira’s work as the Angels of Light, but I don’t think any of their other releases, save for perhaps Soundtracks for the Blind, that so perfectly encapsulated a sound and a style as this collection of LPs, EPs and singles. While it is a daunting listen, simply because this much hatred and disgust compressed into two and a half hours is tough to endure, it is undoubtedly worth the trauma.
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