See Alan Rider's Sunday Interview with Michael Gira here →
Swans
Birthing
(Young God/Mute)
In my review of Swans last album, 2023's 'The Beggar' I said that it was "...my favourite Swans album so far. Until the next one". Well, here we are and I stand by my words. Their seventeenth album, 'Birthing' is yet another milestone step forward in the seemingly endless journey that is the evolution of Swans. Swans have been on the road since 'The Beggar' came out, playing at ear damaging volumes across the world. However, rather than just play tracks off the album, plus a few old crowd favourites as the majority of their contemporaries do, Gira and his virtuoso collaborators used the experience to develop all but two of the tracks for 'Birthing'. Growing them in the hothouse of a live Swans experience' before taking them into the studio for further cultivation, pruning, and feeding until like a new variety of rare orchids, they burst into flower and then some. Having the experience of hearing these tracks in early pregnancy on his tour, you might think that would spoil the surprise, but no, nothing of the sort. These are all complex, intense works that you can tell have been added to and finessed right up to the last moment. When he tours this album you will probably not recognise them as they will be moved further on for live, plus you are likely to get an advance look at early inceptions of the direction Gira is likely to take Swans in, as he has promised the next incarnation will be simpler and stripped down. 'Birthing' is the right title for the album as each track is born, grows up, and dies right there in front of you. Gira almost sounds like Jim Morrison at times in the opening track 'The Healers', which could very well be their 'The End', so multi faceted is it, with layers upon layers of surprises. And that is just the start.
Gira takes Swans seriously. Very seriously. He always has, and is famously driven to the extent he almost never takes a day off, though in our upcoming interview with him he hints that he may slow down just a tad. He is just fortunate that he has found an audience all these years as he wouldn't be able to do anything else. Luckily for us, he can sustain a career, albeit he has had to fight and struggle since 1982 to maintain that. 'The Tower' holds nothing back. Punches are not pulled and it is as brutal and coruscating as it is comes. Swans don't do 'songs'. Each piece is an epic story, swirling and changing constantly. It must be a nightmare for his collaborators in the studio as everything is intense, tightly regimented, yet fluid and improvisational at the same time. You know Gira will have listened over and over to every note on here until each one is right, even if you have to be there for weeks. Its a distinctive skill like no other. Chants, subtle guitar lines hidden low in the mix, even a dog bark at one point. The devil is in the detail. And we are still only on the second track. Gira is most certainly a tower.
Title track 'Birthing' opens with a skittering, distorted guitar and tingling synths, before rising and welling like a stormy sea, with the eye of the storm halfway through before giving way to the first of the two pieces created entirely in the studio; ‘Red Yellow' . Opening like a cracked nursery rhyme, it builds with chattering chants, fluttering flutes and drones. 'Guardian Spirit’ follows the now established pattern of a light, airy opening (in this case ethereal female vocals) before gradually darkening and becoming heavier and more claustrophobic. Its probably the weakest track on here, lacking the wow factor of the others, but is still a performance many lesser talents would give various parts of their anatomy to be able to emulate. "I love you mummy" says a child before exploding into noise, them morphing again into a Tracey Pew (Birthday Party) style bassline, percussive shots and rolls, and all manner of experimental diversions for 'The Merge'. It's the most adventurous and studio born of all of the tracks on the album, full of tricks, samples, and explorations, ending on an almost acoustic note. 'Rope (Away)' is one track on the download, but two separate tracks on the CD and vinyl versions. Having different track listings on different formats is normal for Swans, but makes for confusion when it comes to a review. I can only assume that the latter third of the track is extended into a full track for vinyl/CD - a reward for those purchasing the physical format I am guessing (although those tracks will appear online within hours of release of course). Regardless, 'Rope' is one of the standout tracks of an album filled with standouts.
To return to my opening statement, 'Birthing' may very well be my favourite Swans album. Until the next one. Read my interview with Michael Gira here.
Essential Information:
'Birthing' is out on triple vinyl, double CD and digital from Young God/Mute on 30th May. Swans start a North American/Canadian Tour on September 4th, followed by European dates from October 24th, in what they promise are their final 'big sound' performances. Details are here.
Michael Gira talked to Outsideleft on Sunday May 24th.
