Swans
Early Swans shows in New York were so loud that police sometimes stopped them, and some audience members reportedly vomited. Michael Gira's band played brutally slow, pounding repetitions on Filth and Cop, a sound closer to a hammer than a song.
With Jarboe's voice and keyboards, Children of God and The Burning World let in beauty, gospel and folk, and Soundtracks for the Blind sprawled into tape collage and ambience before Gira ended the group in 1997.
Revived in 2010, Swans became bigger than ever. The Seer, To Be Kind and The Glowing Man built two-hour epics of crescendo and catharsis, and Birthing followed in 2025.
If you like Swans you should check out: The Angels Of Light, Glenn Branca, Sonic Youth, Einstürzende Neubauten, Throbbing Gristle, Current 93, Nick Cave, The Birthday Party, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Chelsea Wolfe
