TO BE KIND

This is the first album I've heard from Swans, and it certainly won't be the last. What makes it so fantastic is not just the content but the consistency- for me, a long album is a dicy prospect- but the way in which Swans manages to make these two hours so continually intense and captivating, with not a single dip in quality, is frankly incredible and something very, very few other bands could do.

Swans are listed under Post Rock, which is fair, but this isn't your grandma's post rock- it's raw, aggressive, primal, from the quiet delicate sections of the first half of 'Kirsten Supine' to the roaring, abrasive 'Oxygen'. The mix is clear, but raw and punchy, and balances the soundscapes with the attacks of the band. The rhythm section is incredibly motoric and driving, the guitars loud, and Michael Gira delivers real guts to the varying emotions of the vocals. The centrepiece, of course, is the the half-hour long, 'Bring the Sun/Toussaint L'Ouverture', a stunning crescendo and instant post rock classic.

This astonishing album cements Swans' deserved place here at PA, and really is a modern masterpiece.