Swans / YMMV - TV Tropes

Archive Panic: Finding what song came from where in what version can be maddening to the dedicated fan.
- Here's◊ a flowchart containing every Gira-related release (sans one recent live album). Have fun.
Awesome Music: Lots of it.
- Some highlights: Their most ambitious (and, probably, best) studio material can be found on Children of God, Soundtracks for the Blind, The Seer, To Be Kind, The Glowing Man, and leaving meaning.. Amongst their live material, Swans Are Dead is two hours and twenty-three minutes and all of it is amazing. The Great Annihilator, Filth and White Light from the Mouth of Infinity are particularly noteworthy works as well.
Broken Base: The albums post-Jarboe's departure, while immensely popular, have a slight bit of contention amongst some older fans. Arguably Jarboe not being involved in the reunion albums (aside from a guest spot on The Seer) didn't help matters, but fans are hoping she returns with Gira's intention to do a rotating line-up as he stated following the release of The Glowing Man.
Catharsis Factor: Pick a song, and four times out of five there's a driving chord you can empty all your frustration through.
Creepy Awesome: One of the standout examples in rock music. The entirety of the albums The Seer, To Be Kind, and especially Soundtracks for the Blind stand out.
Crosses the Line Twice: The ballistic hardcore punk tribute "Freak" on Filth definitely qualifies, as do the monologue on "I Was a Prisoner in Your Skull" and the boisterously gruesome lyrics to "Reeling The Liars In."
Ensemble Dark Horse: Thor Harris is probably the most well known band member after Gira and Jarboe, mainly due to his distinctive appearance, innovative percussion work, and antics outside the band such as making an instructional video on punching Nazis and declaring his intentions to run for governor of Texas.
Epic Riff: Arguably the whole point of the band, as songs are constructed around singular, minimalist tones that subtly change and are designed to be hypnotic without getting tiresome.
- "Raping a Slave" and "The Sound", in completely different ways.
- About half the songs on To Be Kind feature incredibly catchy riffs, including "Screen Shot", "A Little God in My Hands", "She Loves Us", and "Oxygen".
Friendly Fandoms:
- With other experimental rock acts inlcuding Xiu Xiu,^* Sonic Youth,^* Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Nick Cave, J.G. Thirlwell, and Daughters, many of whom have either influenced or been influenced by Swans.
- Also with Carly Rae Jepsen bizarrely enough, to the point where one of the top posts of all time on the swans subreddit is a picture of Carly herself. This is mostly down to both artists being popular on RateYourMusic and /mu/.
Growing the Beard: Many fans consider the Greed - Holy Money period the point where they transitioned into the peak of their sound.
Heartwarming Moments: Surprisingly have their moments. Most notably is "Her" from Love of Life, a beautiful and sincere love song (presumably from Gira to Jarboe) that really stands out among a discography of drones, dark hymns, brutal noise and hardcore rock. The latter half of the song, which samples an old interview with a younger Jarboe talking excitedly about starting a band with her friends, is especially sweet.
He Really Can Act: He Really Can Sing In Audible Octaves: Gira on Children Of God and especially Love Will Tear Us Apart.
Memetic Mutation:
- Michael Gira's cowboy hat.
- The monologue in "I Was A Prisoner In Your Skull".
- "YOUR NAME IS FUCK!" ^noteLyrics from "She Loves Us"
- "FLEX YOUR MUSCLES!"^noteLyrics from "Stay Here"
- "I see it all I see it all I see it all I see it all..."^noteLyrics from "The Seer"
- Michael Gira being obsessed with and/or wanting to kill the sun.
- A picture of a guy posing with Carly Rae Jepsen while wearing a Public Castration is a Good Idea shirt.
Most Wonderful Sound: Michael Gira's singing can really be this when he can pull it off.
- Some melodies within their work as fit, such as the crescendo of "Helpless Child" and the adorable child laughter in "In" from The Great Annihilator.
Narm: There's something weirdly hilarious about that distorted voice in "Stay Here".
FlllEEeeEExx YooUUuuRRRrr mmUSSscllllEEesss...
Nausea Fuel: "Your Game" on Body to Body, Job to Job.
- The lyrics are Gira reciting a short story he wrote, later to be published in his book The Consumer, filled with other equally disgusting and disturbing stories.
Newbie Boom: Experienced a substantial one following the widespread critical success of The Seer. To Be Kind caused an even larger influx of new fans to pour in, especially after The Needle Drop gave it a rare perfect score and introduced the band to a large audience of younger listeners. Amazingly, they've mostly managed to avoid an Old Guard Versus New Blood divide, with most fans appreciating both the pre and post-reformation albums just fine.
Nightmare Fuel: Have their own page, because they oh so deserve it.
No-Hit Wonder: Were this for many years, despite moderate acclaim and a cult following. After their 2010 reunion, this was finally overcome when To Be Kind hit #37 on the Billboard 200 in 2014. Now, with three hugely acclaimed albums and even a hit one, they seem to have hit more Mainstream Obscurity status.
Paranoia Fuel: "Not Alone" from Swans Are Dead, most of Soundtracks for the Blind, the interludes from Love of Life, "Look at Me Go"..."She Lives!" just might be the worst.
Signature Song: "Cop", "I Crawled", "Children of God", and "Blind" all held this distinction, but as of 2014, "A Little God in my Hands" has a slight edge in this race thanks to being the first and most promoted song off of To Be Kind. "The Sound", "Lunacy", and "The Seer" are also contenders for the title.
Sweet Dreams Fuel: Yes, believe it or not. Swans' music will pummel you senseless with harsh, droning chords and flat singing about all sorts of human cruelty, but when all is said and done there's a constant message of endurance and clinging to life. It's brutal, but only so all the imperfections and cynicism can be smashed to bits, leaving agony and the love to heal it.
Tear Jerker: Often, the most famous being "God Damn the Sun."
- The final chorus to "Blind:"
  No, I was never young,
  and nothing has transpired,
  and when I look in the mirror,
  I feel dead,
  I feel cold,
  I am blind.
- There's also "Helpless Child," which is a grim and emotionally overwhelming song. The triumphant, roaring ending crescendo of the song can either make it even more depressing or uplifting, depending on your point of view.
- In the same vein as "Helpless Child" is "The Sound". The lyrics alone are worthy of this, but when combined with the way the song slowly builds in intensity, the whole thing is just an emotional roller coaster.
- "Song for a Warrior," a Surprisingly Gentle Song that offers a moment of relief in the middle of The Seer.
- "When Will I Return?" is already an emotionally intense song, but then you discover the story behind it. It's sung by Michael Gira's wife Jennifer, who was sexually assaulted in a parking lot prior to their marriage. The lyrics are based on that experience, and the song was written to help her cope with the trauma of the event.
- "Failure" is essentially a declaration of despair, during which Gira repeatedly states his belief that everything in his life is going to end in failure. Even disregarding the unabashed hopelessness of the lyrics, Gira just sounds so defeated. You can tell that this is genuinely how he felt about being alive at this point in his life. There's a certainty in his voice that shows this isn't from a fictional character's perspective. His alcoholism was very severe at the time, so it isn't surprising he was feeling so depressed.
  - Truly, all of White Light from the Mouth of Infinity qualifies as this. All of the instrumentations on each song sound so defeated and melancholy, and the lyrics, especially the ones written by Gira, are absolutely depressing. "Love Will Save You", for example:
    Love will save you from the evil and the greed of ignorant men
    And love will save you from the guilt you feel when you betray your only friend
    Love will save you from yourself when you lose control
    And love will save you from all the lies your lover ever told you
    But it won't save me
- Unlike the many ominous rock tracks that make up The Great Annihilator, "Blood Promise" is a gentle and ethereal neofolk song. The lyrics are reminiscent of "God Damn the Sun," in that Gira is singing about how a dead loved one still looms large in his memory. From the way he waxes poetic about missing this person and feeling guilty over not having been there for them in their hour of need, it's clear this is something that weighs heavily on his shoulders. As with the other songs on this list, the sorrow and regret in his voice are heartbreakingly authentic.
  And every breath
  I stole from you...
  But I never will see
  Your broken body;
  And you never have spoken
  An unclear word,
  And I'll never betray
  Your blood promise.
- The 15 minute live version of "Blood Promise" on Swans Are Dead, which somehow also manages to be Sweet Dreams Fuel.
Tough Act to Follow: Soundtracks for the Blind was regarded as their greatest album for years, helped as it was the band's last official release before they went on hiatus. For some this is still the case, but The Seer and To Be Kind are starting to edge it out.
Vindicated by History: The Burning World is looked upon by fans these days as a fairly decent record that despite it's more "commercial" sound, still retains the usual lyricism of a Swans release, a sentiment not shared by Gira who, aside from "God Damn the Sun", is not proud of it.
Win Back the Crowd: After more than a decade's absence, many critics were wondering if Swans had it in them to make a comeback. While My Father Will Guide Me Up A Rope to the Sky was received well enough, there were better albums one could listen to. Gira seems to regard The Seer as a return to form, and sizeable portions of both rock critics and the fanbase seem to agree. The fact that it got 9.0 and Best New Music on Pitchfork has probably helped expose the band to a lot of new listeners. To Be Kind is thought of as an Even Better Sequel, or at least just as good as The Seer and Soundtracks for the Blind.

YMMV / Swans

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