Marginally associated with the no wave scene at first, their original sound was slow and extremely heavy, with live performances that were often so brutal and physical that in a number of instances certain audience members were made ill, police were called and venues were shut down. This early physical sound is possibly best heard on the live album Public Castration Is A Good idea.
Their initial style shifted a little by the time Swans released seminal twin albums Greed and Holy Money. The music had sped up, at times being even more punishing than their earlier output. Drum machines and samples were slightly more prominent. Michael Gira was joined vocally by Jarboe which gave the band a broader sonic range. Tracks featuring Jarboe were often quieter, even pretty, acting as counterpoint to the more harrowing themes on the albums. Over time, this style would come to dominate Swans' output, although they somehow seem to have been able to make a strummed acoustic guitar seem as brutal as their earlier amped-up assaults. The lush instrumentation of their albums from the late 1980s and the 1990's anticipated the birth of post-rock.
Swans eventually broke up in 1997; Gira went on to release some solo work, later forming the band The Angels Of Light, who continue many of the themes and styles found in (later) Swans. Jarboe releases solo work and frequently works with other bands and artists; recently she released an album with Neurosis, a group clearly heavily influenced by Swans.
The influence of Swans upon the music world is profound. Across their 15 years of existence, the various styles they explored gave birth to grindcore (Napalm Death, Nasum) modern "cinematic" post-rock (Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Mono), and atmospheric sludge metal (Isis, Neurosis).
In January 2010, Michael Gira reactivated Swans and released a new album, My Father Will Guide Me Up a Rope to the Sky on September 2010, and the band simultaneously embarked on a world tour scheduled to last eighteen months. The band had been chosen by Portishead to perform at the ATP I'll Be Your Mirror festivals that they curated in July 2011 at London's Alexandra Palace and in September 2011 in Asbury Park, New Jersey.
On August 28, 2012, Swans released The Seer, a double-album running almost 2 hours in length. Frontman Michael Gira described the album as taking "30 years to make. It's the culmination of every previous Swans album as well as any other music I've ever made, been involved in or imagined. But it's unfinished, like the songs themselves. It's one frame in a reel. The frames blur, blend and will eventually fade." Describing the songwriting process, Gira said, "The songs began on an acoustic guitar, then were fleshed out with (invaluable) help from my friends, then were further tortured and seduced in the studio, and now they await further cannibalism and force-feeding as we prepare to perform some of them live, at which point they'll mutate further, endlessly, or perhaps be discarded for a while."
On May 12, 2014, Swans released their thirteenth LP, To Be Kind. Produced by Michael Gira and recorded by John Congleton. It received positive reception from critics which made the group continue to make more albums that have also have received positive reviews.
It was announced on July 22, 2015, that the band was releasing their fourteenth studio album, titled The Glowing Man. The album was released on June 17, 2016.
After The Glowing Man released, the band took a hiatus lasting nearly a year in 2017 and ending in 2018. The band released their fifteenth studio LP Leaving Meaning the next year. The same year, a documentary about Swans was released titled “Where Does A Body End?”.
In March 2021, Michael Gira released a tracklist of an upcoming Swans album, titled The Beggar. It was released on June 23, 2023.
Freak
Swans Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I saw you crawling last night
Big erection in your hand
You rule the world
You're gonna murder somebody weak
Strong men win at violence and abuse
I'm not scared
I'll take what I want
I want what you've got
The lyrics of Swans' "Freak" paint a disturbing picture of a violent, abusive individual who takes pleasure in overpowering those whom they view as weaker than themselves. The opening line, "Come here you freak," is a taunt directed at someone who is seen as different or other. This person is then described as crawling, which could be a literal or metaphorical reference to their position of weakness.
The next line, "Big erection in your hand," is a graphic and unsettling image that implies sexual aggression or dominance. The following lines reinforce the idea that the person being addressed is a predator who seeks out those who are easy targets. The lyric, "You rule the world, you're gonna murder somebody weak," further emphasizes this point.
The chorus of the song appears to be the singer's response to this aggressor. They claim not to be scared and express a desire to take what they want. This could be interpreted as a defiant attitude, a refusal to be victimized by someone like the individual described in the verses.
Overall, "Freak" is a bleak and confrontational song that explores themes of power, violence, and abuse. It paints a harsh picture of a world where the strong prey on the weak, and where those who are different or marginalized are viewed as fair game.
Line by Line Meaning
Come here you freak
I acknowledge your presence, even if you may not conform to societal norms.
I saw you crawling last night
I observed your actions and behavior, perhaps not always visible to the rest of society.
Big erection in your hand
You possess a symbol of power and dominance, often associated with masculinity.
You rule the world
Despite society's attempts to suppress you, you still possess the ability to exert control and influence over others.
You're gonna murder somebody weak
You may resort to violence to assert your dominance over those who are vulnerable or oppressed.
Strong men win at violence and abuse
Society has conditioned us to believe that aggression and domination are essential traits for success and power.
I'm not scared
I refuse to be intimidated or controlled by these societal expectations and norms.
I'll take what I want
I believe that I deserve to have what I desire, and will not be held back by anyone or anything.
Something for nothing
I seek to obtain material gains without expending any effort or earning them through legitimate means.
I want what you've got
I covet and desire the possessions or attributes that you possess, even if they may be associated with negative behaviors or attitudes.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Wally P Doyle
IT IS A DAMN NEAR PERFECT SONG. FUCK. YES.
a a
a 5 minute track of 00:54 would have also been acceptable Gira
Information overload unit
@Someone Caustic and Ignorant what a glorious set of stairs we make
Someone Caustic and Ignorant
@Patrick Lauer Mom's spaghetti
Patrick Lauer
Austin Huskey vomit on his sweater already
Phosphorus
This album raises my blood pressure real good.
David OBrien
Saw a very beautiful woman wearing the 'jaws' t-shirt at Radiohead in Chicago over the weekend; had to come back here and listen in honor of that...
Henrik Will
Hearing Right Wrong right after this is just so perfect. Great album
ArchEnema 67
When I get home from a hard days work, I expect the wife to have my slippers at the foot of my favorite chair, a martini and full pipe on the end table next to it, and this record on the stereo.
Ahhhh......domestic tranquility.
Aristotelis Theocharis
Fun for the whole family