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$15.99 CDx2
$20.99 CDx2+DVD
Special Edition
$15.99 MP3
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SWANS
Seer
(Young God)
 "The Seer Returns"
"The Apostate"
In a word: WOW. The twelfth studio album by Swans, and second since reconvening activity after a fourteen-year hiatus, comes forth as a stunning, brutal epic that combines elements of all the band's work that has come before it, but pushes their sound forward into a product that could only have taken thirty years of living to the extreme to craft. To put it bluntly, if this proved to be their swansong, they'd perhaps be delivering the finest album of their career, and one that acknowledges all that came before it with a tribute suited for kings. Group mastermind Michael Gira has explicitly stated that the record will not be their last, though, so let's just take a look at the dark prism of harrowing delight he has delivered to us.
The pummeling rhythmic hypnotism, complex instrumental interplay, and ragged yet commanding vocals that are Swans' trademarks are all here, all clothed in stunning arrangements that blanket these songs in black drones, spaghetti western ragas, and dirty, lumbering grooves. This is a dense record that still pummels with the force of old Swans, yet provides pockets of oxygen in the arid, humid landscapes, much like two lovers gasping for ragged, cold breaths during fierce passion. The album charts territory similar to the nightmarish landscapes of Scott Walker's The Drift and Tilt, but with more light let in and less determination to fragment and reassemble structure. Instead, it is simply ambitious, complex, and demanding of your full attention; comprised of two CDs clocking in at two hours of listening, it's not an album that you can casually eavesdrop upon. That's not to say it's impenetrable, though; on the contrary, these are some of Gira's most uplifting songs, playing like a rallying call to arms for those who want to listen, and demanding the attention and respect of those who attempt to play deaf toward it.
There's maturity and confidence displayed throughout that comes from experience, as the entire band locks together like a well-oiled machine with the telekinetic interplay that only develops through trust. Kudos also go to the numerous guests who lend their talents across this opus without conspicuity, with contributions from Ben Frost, Karen O, Mimi and Alan from Low, members of Akron/Family, and even former Swans member Jarboe, not to mention an extended lineup of string sections, accordion, woodwinds, and horns. Gira's vocals have never sounded stronger and more assured of their powers either, and the final product gels together into one of the year's most astonishing achievements that may sound intense upon first listen, yet is actually more accessible on the whole than one would reasonably expect. If you're a fan, you've most likely already scored a copy, but those bold souls as yet unconverted should plunge in without fear. [IQ]
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