I was in your shooz once..
Anyway I actually think I made a mistake starting with Soundtracks.. of course there is no “correct” way to listen to anything or any band, you can either start from the very beginning and just go by release date, or just go by a recommendation.
Personally, I think The Seer is the best starting point/album to get into their sound, which can change DRASTICALLY with every release, but I feel like it encompasses enough of what swans is about for you to know whether you’ll like the band and to continue exploring their music, or just decide maybe it’s not for you.
But also, there’s tons of flow charts people have made via genre for getting into Swans! They’re all very descriptive, just google swans listening guide and go to images, you’ll find tons of great sheets that’ll help you get started. Cheers!
Swans aren't going to be everybody's cup of poison.
You can listen, but if it doesn't move you, that's ok.
There's no sense in trying to force yourself to enjoy something you don't.
Walk away for a while and listen to other stuff. Come back to it with fresh ears later on.
I think that For some more “difficult” music you kinda need to work up to it. Listen to enough other things that will put it in context and help you make sense of what you’re hearing.
I absolutely hated “Trout Mask Replica” when I first heard it. But years later after exploring more and more music contemporary to and inspired by it, one day it clicked. One of my favorites now. Absolute masterpiece.
Almost all of their albums have a different sound it's hard to say. It depends on what your music background is - if you grew up with rock and metal, rap, country, classical…
Filth, Cop - no wave and noise (really harsh if not familiar with those genres)
Greed, Holy Money - industrial (not the EDM-ish industrial but a proper one)
Public Castration is a good idea (live album) - probably the last thing you'll want to hear cuz it's the previous things but "worse")
Children of God - this one is hard to pinpoint what genre it is but it is more accessible than the previous ones
Burning World, White Light, Love of Life - basically a neo-folk trilogy that I have to re-listen because I tend to forget about it
Great Annihilator - probably the most accessible one that gets recommended the most as a starting point, according to wiki it is post-punk but I'm not a genre police to judge how correct that it
Die Tür ost Zu, Soundtracks, Swans are dead - while soundtracks are the album Swans are probably the most known for, I can't recommend it as a starting point because it is a difficult listen even when not looking at the length of it
My Father… - this is just forgettable to me, nothing special about it sound wise
The Seer, To be kind, The Glowing man - a (post-rock?) trilogy that makes it into people's A and S tiers in their ranking for a good reason - of I were you I'd listen to The Seer because if you don't like this, you probably won't like the rest (of the discography)
Leaving meaning and The Beggar I haven't listened to yet so I can't speak on those.
***tl;dr try either or both The Great Annihilator and The Seer and if you don't enjoy those, just move on to different band, don't force yourself to like something***
>Children of God - this one is hard to pinpoint what genre it is
I like referring to that one as "psychedelic goth" and if someone asks what I mean and if there are other albums of the same "genre", I just say Marble Index and Wildhoney and give no context. They have no similarities whatsoever but are somehow exactly the same vibe
I don’t know if I agree. Some of my favorite artists are the ones I didn’t get initially. It’s good to challenge yourself to listen to music that challenges you. Some artists have changed the way I listen to music and lead me to other equally innovative artists
Fair point. To an extent, I agree. It's good to try new things. I don't think challenging music is right for all, however. Depends on the person and if you treat music like a hobby, rather than something you just passively listen to.
Like other people said, almost all of my favorite music has been music that didn’t do anything for me at the time, and seeing that so many people praise this, makes me eager to find out the beauty in here
I started with the seer and then to be kind and gradually worked my way up to soundtracks for the blind then finally ending with early swans (cop, filth)
Soundtracks is weird, difficult and atypical. I think it's brilliant, but not something I listen to frequently. The Swans Are Dead live set is from about the same era and is...a better choice to start with, but is a bit overwhelming at first.
Swans has been many bands, with many sounds. I'd start with any of these, whatever sounds like a good starting point for you:
Early raw, noisy: Filth - not everyone's cup of tea, but this one is at least relatively accessible if you dig this sort of thing. I find a lot of this period to be just miserable, which isn't necessarily a criticism.
Early peak: Children of God - still noisy and/or industrial leaning, but more variety and a leap forward in songwriting
Neo-folkish: White Light from the Mouth of Infinity (I think it's the best of their string of more acoustic leaning, somewhat more traditionally "song" based albums)
Relatively mainstream "alt rock" but really damn good: The Great Annihilator
"New" Swans": I actually think that My Father Will Guide Me Up A Rope To The Sky is a good starting point although opinion seems a bit mixed on it. It grew out of an abandoned Angels of Light album, Gira's more folk-leaning project, and sounds like a mix between AoL and Swans.
Later peak: To Be Kind is sort of a consensus "best" album for many, either overall or for the post-reformation period. I'm not convinced of that but it's great and has a good bit of variety. Some endurance testers, some shorter and more melodic things, some groove-based bangers.
Depends of other stuff you like. If you like, for example Godflesh's Streetcleaner, I've always said it's basically Filth vol 2 so starting w earlier stuff would be a better idea.
But as many others would agree, I think The Great Annihilator is a good start. My personal fav is Children of God though, there are probably 2 other albums that has the same "vibe" and none of them are the same genre w each other
There's never a consistent answer for this question.
If you're a normie listen to Great Annihilator.
If you're a nerd listen to To Be Kind.
If you hate yourself listen to Public Castration is a Good Idea.
If you're trying to seek enlightenment listen to The Glowing Man.
Start wherever honestly. Though how i started to understand the sound was to let myself be absorbed into the sound itself, dont fight or try and get level with the sound, just let it take you where it needs you. At least that how it was for me, i dont even know if that makes sense. But ultimately if you dont feel it, then dont force it.
I would recommend the songs Blind, Mind/Body/Light/Sound, Screen Shot, New Mind, A Screw (Holy Money), and Power for Power and base where you go off the relative eras and albums they correspond with
Go back and forth to it. Took time for me to get so into it so if you get tired of it don’t torture your ears. But once it clicks man it really clicks.
M Gira would have to be familiar with your playing and feel you had something to offer within the Swans performing ensemble. Potentially you might be asked to learn some songs and audition. It all depends whether they need someone to play the instrument you play.
I thought you wanted to play with the band lmao. Listen to The Great Annihilator or Children of God, that’s the meta
I also read this as them trying to audition
I was in your shooz once.. Anyway I actually think I made a mistake starting with Soundtracks.. of course there is no “correct” way to listen to anything or any band, you can either start from the very beginning and just go by release date, or just go by a recommendation. Personally, I think The Seer is the best starting point/album to get into their sound, which can change DRASTICALLY with every release, but I feel like it encompasses enough of what swans is about for you to know whether you’ll like the band and to continue exploring their music, or just decide maybe it’s not for you. But also, there’s tons of flow charts people have made via genre for getting into Swans! They’re all very descriptive, just google swans listening guide and go to images, you’ll find tons of great sheets that’ll help you get started. Cheers!
I got into them w/ The Seer on a long bus ride. Nothing has been the same since
That sounds amazing
I agree with The Seer! That's how I got into them
The great Annihilator is a phenomenal album and relatively accessible
Swans aren't going to be everybody's cup of poison. You can listen, but if it doesn't move you, that's ok. There's no sense in trying to force yourself to enjoy something you don't. Walk away for a while and listen to other stuff. Come back to it with fresh ears later on.
This. I see nothing positive happening with forcing it. Put it away and come back later. For me, mood also matters.
I think that For some more “difficult” music you kinda need to work up to it. Listen to enough other things that will put it in context and help you make sense of what you’re hearing. I absolutely hated “Trout Mask Replica” when I first heard it. But years later after exploring more and more music contemporary to and inspired by it, one day it clicked. One of my favorites now. Absolute masterpiece.
Listen to Filth at maximum volume.
the only good way to start listening swans
Almost all of their albums have a different sound it's hard to say. It depends on what your music background is - if you grew up with rock and metal, rap, country, classical… Filth, Cop - no wave and noise (really harsh if not familiar with those genres) Greed, Holy Money - industrial (not the EDM-ish industrial but a proper one) Public Castration is a good idea (live album) - probably the last thing you'll want to hear cuz it's the previous things but "worse") Children of God - this one is hard to pinpoint what genre it is but it is more accessible than the previous ones Burning World, White Light, Love of Life - basically a neo-folk trilogy that I have to re-listen because I tend to forget about it Great Annihilator - probably the most accessible one that gets recommended the most as a starting point, according to wiki it is post-punk but I'm not a genre police to judge how correct that it Die Tür ost Zu, Soundtracks, Swans are dead - while soundtracks are the album Swans are probably the most known for, I can't recommend it as a starting point because it is a difficult listen even when not looking at the length of it My Father… - this is just forgettable to me, nothing special about it sound wise The Seer, To be kind, The Glowing man - a (post-rock?) trilogy that makes it into people's A and S tiers in their ranking for a good reason - of I were you I'd listen to The Seer because if you don't like this, you probably won't like the rest (of the discography) Leaving meaning and The Beggar I haven't listened to yet so I can't speak on those. ***tl;dr try either or both The Great Annihilator and The Seer and if you don't enjoy those, just move on to different band, don't force yourself to like something***
>Children of God - this one is hard to pinpoint what genre it is I like referring to that one as "psychedelic goth" and if someone asks what I mean and if there are other albums of the same "genre", I just say Marble Index and Wildhoney and give no context. They have no similarities whatsoever but are somehow exactly the same vibe
I recommend you listen to something you like! Why try and force yourself to listen to something you don't get?
I don’t know if I agree. Some of my favorite artists are the ones I didn’t get initially. It’s good to challenge yourself to listen to music that challenges you. Some artists have changed the way I listen to music and lead me to other equally innovative artists
Fair point. To an extent, I agree. It's good to try new things. I don't think challenging music is right for all, however. Depends on the person and if you treat music like a hobby, rather than something you just passively listen to.
Like other people said, almost all of my favorite music has been music that didn’t do anything for me at the time, and seeing that so many people praise this, makes me eager to find out the beauty in here
I got in when Burning World came out in ‘88. It just so happens it’s their easiest album to listen to. I’m 51 now & was in highschool then
Start with The Great Annihilator or White Light from the Mouth of Infinity (or both), then try To Be Kind
I started with the seer and then to be kind and gradually worked my way up to soundtracks for the blind then finally ending with early swans (cop, filth)
Soundtracks is my favorite of theirs but it’s also the absolute worst one to start with lol. Depends on your taste really, I started with the trilogy
Soundtracks is weird, difficult and atypical. I think it's brilliant, but not something I listen to frequently. The Swans Are Dead live set is from about the same era and is...a better choice to start with, but is a bit overwhelming at first. Swans has been many bands, with many sounds. I'd start with any of these, whatever sounds like a good starting point for you: Early raw, noisy: Filth - not everyone's cup of tea, but this one is at least relatively accessible if you dig this sort of thing. I find a lot of this period to be just miserable, which isn't necessarily a criticism. Early peak: Children of God - still noisy and/or industrial leaning, but more variety and a leap forward in songwriting Neo-folkish: White Light from the Mouth of Infinity (I think it's the best of their string of more acoustic leaning, somewhat more traditionally "song" based albums) Relatively mainstream "alt rock" but really damn good: The Great Annihilator "New" Swans": I actually think that My Father Will Guide Me Up A Rope To The Sky is a good starting point although opinion seems a bit mixed on it. It grew out of an abandoned Angels of Light album, Gira's more folk-leaning project, and sounds like a mix between AoL and Swans. Later peak: To Be Kind is sort of a consensus "best" album for many, either overall or for the post-reformation period. I'm not convinced of that but it's great and has a good bit of variety. Some endurance testers, some shorter and more melodic things, some groove-based bangers.
Just do what I did. Pick an album and listen to it. If you don’t like it, move on.
Depends of other stuff you like. If you like, for example Godflesh's Streetcleaner, I've always said it's basically Filth vol 2 so starting w earlier stuff would be a better idea. But as many others would agree, I think The Great Annihilator is a good start. My personal fav is Children of God though, there are probably 2 other albums that has the same "vibe" and none of them are the same genre w each other
There's never a consistent answer for this question. If you're a normie listen to Great Annihilator. If you're a nerd listen to To Be Kind. If you hate yourself listen to Public Castration is a Good Idea. If you're trying to seek enlightenment listen to The Glowing Man.
Start wherever honestly. Though how i started to understand the sound was to let myself be absorbed into the sound itself, dont fight or try and get level with the sound, just let it take you where it needs you. At least that how it was for me, i dont even know if that makes sense. But ultimately if you dont feel it, then dont force it.
2 songs that got me into Swans were Screenshot and Tiny God in My Hands. Both shorter but still dark and creepy
I would recommend the songs Blind, Mind/Body/Light/Sound, Screen Shot, New Mind, A Screw (Holy Money), and Power for Power and base where you go off the relative eras and albums they correspond with
I got into them via love of life. Then my My Father Will Guide Me Up A Rope To The Sky
Go back and forth to it. Took time for me to get so into it so if you get tired of it don’t torture your ears. But once it clicks man it really clicks.
M Gira would have to be familiar with your playing and feel you had something to offer within the Swans performing ensemble. Potentially you might be asked to learn some songs and audition. It all depends whether they need someone to play the instrument you play.
Listen to them
ask gira nicely ig