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Swans, "The Seer"
There was always the fear that the reformed Swans might have been a one-shot moment of greatness but The Seer counters any argument that My Father Will Guide Me Up a Rope to the Sky was an aberration. Across the two hours, the group cover more ground here than most bands cover in a career. This is visionary, powerful statement that manages to be both visceral and transcendental, something more akin to a birth than rock music.
What strikes me first about The Seer is the brightness that permeates the music. Mandolins, strings and piano dotted throughout the album bring a lightness of sound not heard since The Burning World though here they are used far more effectively. Despite its slightly depressing topic, "Lunacy" has the same ebullient feeling that The Angels of Light did during their Akron/Family incarnation. Almost ecstatic chanting (backed by Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker of Low) and a driving rhythm catapult the song into a searing locked groove before suddenly opening up into the desert blues developed on the last Swans studio album. It therefore comes as a surprise when the next piece seems to jump back to the kind of style that I would have expected from Swans in the mid-80s; "Mother of the Love" is taut and powerful yet it does not sound as thuggish or malevolent as the old Swans. Here, Swans are more like dancers than fighters.
The album’s title track was originally developed during the tour supporting My Father… and a work-in-progress of the piece can be heard on the live album, We Rose from Your Bed with the Sun in Our Head. Those lucky enough to nab the limited edition version of that release will have also heard a very different acoustic demo of the piece. Here, Gira and his group have succeeded in combining the two sides of "The Seer" into a two-piece masterpiece. Starting with a glorious bagpipe drone that would put Yoshi Wada to shame before Thor Harris and Phil Puleo’s dulcimers and percussion appear, adding definition and color to the work. When Puleo hits the bass drum, it feels like the world’s heartbeat is joining in with Swans. It is still possible to hear the ghost of "I Crawled" in the bass line (the piece began as a jammed out intro to "I Crawled" during their last tour) but once the hammered-on guitar joins in, the character of "The Seer" changes completely. It is like they are showing us what Swans used to deliver and where they are heading towards now.
The second part, "The Seer Returns," picks up on the lyrical ideas explored in the acoustic demo but sounds like Swans playing funk (a lot better than expected). Usually, Gira’s demo versions sound close to the "finished" piece but here the band have annihilated the original sketch. Jarboe provides backing vocals, an almost angelic choir taking the place of the bagpipes and the result is something close to a religious experience. Honestly, these two tracks could have made a great album on their own and I have been finding it tough to continue on with the rest of The Seer without a break. It is overwhelming but not difficult, the fatigue is that of paying so much attention that it wears me out rather than The Seer suffering from a case of double album bloated-ness syndrome.
Something that has polarized pre-release discussions of the album has been Gira’s announcement that Karen O would be singing on the album. "Song for a Warrior" had been included in Gira’s recent solo sets and although I do not agree with him that his voice does not suit the song, Karen O’s vocals do work particularly well here in the full band arrangement. If this was some unknown vocalist, I expect there would not be so much undeserved derision. This is a sweet song and all the sweeter and stronger for Karen O’s inclusion.
Naysayers do not have to wait long for Swans to bring things back up to the boil with "Avatar," which has the same apocalyptic glory of Johnny Cash’s "Ghost Riders in the Sky." Here Christoph Hahn’s slide guitar subtly follows Gira’s lyrics as the rest of the band gallop alongside them. The song’s climax explodes in a rain of fire, guitar, and joy before dissipating into the night, replaced by the sound of the real flames that summon in "A Piece of the Sky." Again, Swans engage in a slowly evolving build up before releasing the pent up energy in a cathartic and utterly satisfying way. Unlike similar explorations during the '90s, the aforementioned brightness and ecstasy reigns supreme over the darker moods and vibes of older Swans. This is more like classic Neil Young recordings (before he started losing close friends to heroin) in that it rocks hard without sacrificing the bliss at its core.
This is an incredible continuation of Swans’ legacy. The Seer has all the hallmarks that have made Gira’s music so essential and compelling yet it also pushes the idea of what Swans can be even further than before, which is saying something considering the breadth of styles that Gira has incorporated into his music over the years. Bearing in mind that Gira has mentioned that this year’s touring will already include new songs, it would appear that there is still at least another album left in Swans. Based on where they are at now, I cannot wait to hear where they go next.
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