Music / The Seer (Album)

"I see it all..."

The Seer is the twelfth studio album by experimental rock band Swans. Released on August 28, 2012, this album is part 1 of an informal trilogy of 2-hour albums that utilize various genres of music such as Post-Rock, Noise Rock, and whatever else. This is also known was one of the band's darkest releases to date; while not as long or all over the place as Soundtracks for the Blind, this album (and the rest of the trilogy) is noted for taking the sounds that were played with on the 10-minute tracks of the aforementioned album and expanding upon them even further, stretching the music to over 30 minutes in some cases.

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Tracklist:

Disc 1:

1. "Lunacy" (featuring Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker) (6:09)
2. "Mother of the World" (9:57)
3. "The Wolf" (1:35)
4. "The Seer" (32:14)
5. "The Seer Returns" (featuring Jarboe) (6:17)
6. "93 Ave. B Blues" ^note usually listed as "93 Ave. Blues" (5:21)
7. "The Daughter Brings the Water" (2:40)

Disc 2:

1. "Song for a Warrior" (featuring Karen O) (3:58)
2. "Avatar" (8:51)
3. "A Piece of the Sky" (19:10)
4. "Apostate" ^note sometimes listed as "The Apostate" (23:01)

I trope it all, I trope it all...

• Boléro Effect: "Avatar" and the first half of the title track.
• Breather Episode: All of disc 2 except for "Apostate" is noticeably more upbeat and empowering than disc 1.
  • "Song for a Warrior" is an average-length country-folk ballad with Karen O on lead vocals.
  • "Avatar" contains a triumphant buildup throughout the entire song.
  • "The Wolf", while still brooding lyrically, is much quieter, more sparse instrumentally and shorter than the rest of the album.
  • "A Piece of the Sky", despite its massive length, is very cheerful and optimistic, especially when Gira's vocals kick in.
• Cluster F-Bomb: "Apostate".
• Darker and Edgier: Than their previous album, arguably than the rest of their output.
• Downer Ending: After the three most uplifting songs on the album, "Apostate" hits like a double decker bus and ends the album as brutally as possible.
• Epic Instrumental Opener: It's easier to count the songs here that avert this trope, but the most notable example is "A Piece of the Sky" which contains no vocals until 15 and a half minutes in.
• Epic Rocking: "The Seer" (32:14), "Apostate" (23:01) and "A Piece of the Sky" (19:10) are the most notable examples.
  • "Mother of the World" (9:57), "Avatar" (8:51), "The Seer Returns" (6:17) and "Lunacy" (6:09) qualify too.
• Madness Mantra: Frequent.
  • "Lunacy": The title is repeated ad nauseum.
  • "The Seer": "I see it all"
  • "The Seer Returns": "Put your light into my mouth"
  • "Apostate": Every line.
• Miniscule Rocking: "The Wolf" (1:35).
• Nightmare Face: The creature on the album cover.
• Sanity Slippage Song: The title track and "Apostate".
• Siamese Twin Songs: "The Seer" and "The Seer Returns", obviously.
• Song Style Shift: "A Piece of the Sky" starts with ambient noises and chanting, then delves into more of the Post-Rock that's been present throughout this album before settling on a folk instrumental accompanied by Gira singing some rather positive and reassuring lyrics.
• Surprisingly Gentle Song: "Song for a Warrior" is a 4-minute country-folk ballad in the middle of a sprawling, oppressive 2-hour experimental rock album.

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