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.
volcano
Swans Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Now toss your hair in dirty grace.
Pink leather strap on your guitar,
Now spread your legs - how bright you are.
Mmmmmm,
They all know your name, Collie,
Claw your way to fame...
There's a star in her eyes and she knows it,
There's a star in her eyes and she knows it,
A star in her mind yeah she grows it...
And every evening the sun comes up when she goes down,
And every evening the mud fills up her bridal gown.
The little girl inside of you,
Has made her dreams come true.
And tonight you take the stage.
You wear a dress of blood and lace.
You left a stain where you have kneeled
But Collie, you're still invisible...
Your lipstick smear across your face,
Now toss your hair in dirty grace.
Pink leather strap on your guitar,
Now spread your legs just like a star...
And I'd like to eat her breasts and know God,
And I'd like to taste her flesh and grow hard,
And I'd like to eat her breasts and grow God,
And I'd like to suck her breath and blow hot...
The lyrics of Swans's song "Volcano" are somewhat provocative, charged with sexual imagery and a sense of rockstar glamour. The song appears to tell the story of Collie, a musician who is determined to claw her way to fame and achieve her dreams - even if it means getting her hands dirty. Throughout the lyrics, there are repeated references to lipstick and other symbols of femininity, as well as a repeated refrain about there being a "star" in Collie's eyes and mind.
The chorus of "Volcano" is perhaps the most memorable part of the song, with its catchy melody and repeated insistence that there is a star within Collie that she is determined to grow and cultivate. However, the lyrics of the verses are also worth examining closely. They describe Collie's appearance and actions in very specific terms, suggesting a certain voyeuristic fascination on the part of the singer. The repeated references to lipstick, hair-tossing, and spreading legs all seem to be designed to create a sense of sexualized power and danger.
Line by Line Meaning
Your lipstick smear across your face,
You wear your makeup sloppily and carelessly, appearing to be a bit of a mess.
Now toss your hair in dirty grace.
You shake your hair, making it look a bit untidy, but with an air of self-assuredness.
Pink leather strap on your guitar,
You have adorned your guitar with a bright pink leather strap, showing off a sense of style.
Now spread your legs - how bright you are.
You have spread your legs, making a bold and visually striking statement about your power and confidence.
Mmmmmm,
Hmm...
They all know your name, Collie,
Everybody knows who you are, Collie.
Claw your way to fame...
You have fought and worked hard to become famous.
There's a star in her eyes and she knows it,
You feel like a star and are aware of your own beauty.
There's a star in her mind year she shows it,
You have always known that you are destined for greatness and have demonstrated this in your actions and mindset.
There's a star in her eyes and she knows it,
You feel like a star and are aware of your own beauty.
A star in her mind yeah she grows it...
Your sense of being a star is something that you maintain and cultivate in your own mind, constantly growing and flourishing.
And every evening the sun comes up when she goes down,
You work hard throughout each day, making the most of the time before the sun sets, continually seeking the limelight.
And every evening the mud fills up her bridal gown.
At the end of each day, you may find yourself dirty or tired, but you continue to strive and push through to achieve your goals.
The little girl inside of you,
There is a childlike sense of wonder and dreaming that still exists within you.
Has made her dreams come true.
This inner sense of dreaming has helped you to realize your aspirations and achieve your goals.
And tonight you take the stage.
Tonight is your opportunity to shine and show off your talent.
You wear a dress of blood and lace.
Your dress is both alluring and a bit macabre, showing off your unique style and persona.
You left a stain where you have kneeled
Your actions have left a lasting impact or impression.
But Collie, you're still invisible...
Despite your fame and success, you may still feel a sense of unacknowledgment or invisibility at times.
Your lipstick smear across your face,
You wear your makeup sloppily and carelessly, appearing to be a bit of a mess.
Now toss your hair in dirty grace.
You shake your hair, making it look a bit untidy, but with an air of self-assuredness.
Pink leather strap on your guitar,
You have adorned your guitar with a bright pink leather strap, showing off a sense of style.
Now spread your legs just like a star...
You have spread your legs, making a bold and visually striking statement about your power and confidence.
And I'd like to eat her breasts and know God,
The artist expresses a desire for sensual and divine experiences with you.
And I'd like to taste her flesh and grow hard,
The singer craves physical intimacy with you and is aroused by the thought of it.
And I'd like to eat her breasts and grow God,
The singer desires to have a transcendent experience with you, with your body representing a pathway to spiritual awakening.
And I'd like to suck her breath and blow hot...
The singer yearns to share a passionate connection with you, with deep and intense breathing being the culmination of this connection.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Kalitayy
This song's lyrics never fail to ruin my whole day. A masterpiece
@user-ex7yq6xq9s
yo i thought i was the only one listening this
@bilmiyorumabi
We aren't alone
@gm9729
This is probably the most unsettling song on the whole album. And that’s saying something
@yourdadsbbqbrisket8526
mmmmm i don't know... at least you can kind of bob your head and dance along with this track. i think tracks like i love you this much, her mouth is filled with honey, and the beautiful days are a lot more unsettling.
@erictrommer
drifting to sleep to this is fucking terrifying
@Arceus5555
I agree hard. It's so different from everything else that it REALLY stands out as discomforting. The production on everything but the drums sounds like it's much older than the rest of it, and the industrial sounds and glitches cause massive contrasts in so many directions. That's not even mentioning the soul-crushing lyrics.
@_Wakaz_
But it sounds amazing.
@Ernie_HSR_Taka
If Jarboe made a techno/breakbeat solo album, I would 100% listen to it. This shit is fire.
@str00p
The music itself sounds like it's holding back vomit. And I adore it.