Musings on the past and present state of music, film, and pop culture. Get off my lawn.
SWANS ‘The Beggar’ Review: Michael Gira and collaborators return with stirring collection of songs composed during the pandemic. The pandemic affected every working musician. Economically, all artists suffered, and some musicians felt too unsettled to find creative inspiration. For SWANS frontman and founding member Michael Gira, the opposite was true: this was a time to […]
SWANS frontman Michael Gira discusses band’s new album ‘The Beggar’, his creative processes, current tour and much more in new interview. A new SWANS album is always an event. And the band’s new album ‘The Beggar’ (June 23, Young God Records) is no exception (click here for my review). Written during the pandemic, the album […]
Roselit Bone ‘Blister Steel’ Review: contributor David Dierksen dives into Portland group’s Gothic Americana infused sophomore album. [rating=4] By David Dierksen Attempting a simple sonic description of Blister Steel, the newest release from Portland collective Roselit Bone, is almost committing a disservice to the music, akin to describing a piece of abstract art by talking […]
Swans: ‘The Great Annihilator’ (Deluxe Edition) Review: underrated 1995 album gets deluxe remastered double-vinyl reissue. [rating=5] To say NYC noise rock legends SWANS have had a unique career trajectory is an understatement. Whereas most bands that formed in the 80s subsist by playing their back catalogue on the nostalgia circuit, Swans have become more popular than […]
Swans ‘The Glowing Man’ Review: Michael Gira concludes current Swans lineup with hypnotic results. [rating=4] NYC’s noise rock icons Swans have had an impressive career trajectory this decade. For a band that started in the early 80’s, reforming in 2005 after a 15-year hiatus, they sound as hungry, raw and exploratory as ever. Following 2012’s […]
Swans ‘To Be Kind’ Review; post-punk veterans follow-up masterwork ‘The Seer’ with similarly epic ‘To Be Kind’, which is sometimes too much of a good thing. [rating=4] With 2012’s ‘The Seer’, noise-rock pioneers Swans did the unthinkable; they made their breakout album 3 decades into their career. They indulged all aspects of their legacy and […]
30 years in, Swans make their masterpiece with ‘The Seer’. ‘The Seer’ (Young God Records) [rating=6] Rare is the band that’s still at their creative peak 30 years into their career. But Swans new album ‘The Seer’ is their best work to date. Founding member Michael Gira and co. seem brimming with purpose and demonic […]
