My Father Will Guide Me Up A Rope to The Sky
by Swans
LABEL: Young God Records
There’s no ‘summing up’ with Swans. The creative collective that has made up the group since 1982, steered by Michael Gira, has simply traversed too much territory, beget too many children (bands and genres alike), and defied every convention and easy buck offered through the official channels of music. Gira’s retirement of the band in 1997 during, arguably, their finest form set their integrity in stone while their leader pushed into other musical boundaries with Drainland and The Angels of Light. This September will see the group returning with their first offering in thirteen years, and while a writer may be unable to sum up the elusive essence of Swans, the band has done it for us: push the foundation until it collapses into a new, oceanic frontier. That’s Swans.
“The album fuses all the greatest elements of Swans, from their early atonal aggression, mid-point dirgy darkness, and late pounding folk-rock into one relentless package.”
Reunions typically sound self-conscious, and My Father Will Guide Me Up A Rope to The Sky avoids this cliche as if it wasn’t even a blip on the map. The album fuses all the greatest elements of Swans, from their early atonal aggression, mid-point dirgy darkness, and late pounding folk-rock into one relentless package. All the while, there is an undercurrent of fresh energy, the overwhelming passion that always molded the group. With plenty of older avant-rock veterans trying to find their youth again, it’s splendid to see such a seminal band still demonstrating unquestionable relevance.
As always, Swans sound like little else out there. Bob Dylan goes electric with Cormac McCarthy and Tom Waits calling the shots. The arrangements are still predicated upon an almost Chester Burnett-ish repetitive power, a little disjointed, and produced without gloss or finesse; raw viscera. Gira has pushed all of these elements into a slightly groovier direction on the new record, feeling very close to blues and early rock. Gira has wisely constructed the new music to accommodate his voice, an ever changing instrument with age, and his consistently subtle baritone fits perfectly into the ensemble.
“In so doing, the band has created probably their best record for new listeners to start with.”
Lamentably, Jarboe, Gira’s longtime collaborator in Swans, is not rejoining for the new output, though it oddly only adds to the integrity of both to avoid the obvious.
My Father Will Guide Me… may prove to be Swans’ most focused, tightest record to date, touching on familiar themes from their catalog while hurling them all headlong into the future (and adding a few new ones). In so doing, the band has created probably their best record for new listeners to start with. Gira’s work with Angels of Light has generously expanded his skill as a songwriter and producer, and the dynamic of the new music will likely impress the ever-skeptic old guard.
Genreless, ageless, relentless, endless. This will be one of the year’s sweeping events in music.
REVIEWED BY NEIL LEVENS
NEIL’S FAVORITE TRACKS: “Jim” • “My Birth” • “Inside Madeline”
