Swans - The Glowing Man

Young God/Mute Records

On this day in 2016 the finale of a contemporary three-part Swans series came to a compelling end. The three album run began in 2012 with 'The Seer', continued in 2014 with 'To Be Kind' and culminated with 'The Glowing Man'.

Otherworldly experiences are hard to come-by. Only a few have mastered the ability of creating sonic worlds unto themselves. Miles Davis, King Crimson, Pink Floyd and a select few others, including Swans, belong on said list. Larger than life and grandiose beyond belief The Glowing Man breathes brooding soundscapes and overbearing dread into the present moment. At 2+ hours in length it's a commitment. But like anything worth the eventual payback it must be undertaken.

Gira and his maniacal mantras lead the way, though they're few and far between. Tribal and spiritual, in a sense, he seems to be interested in the ethos of 'less is more'. Swans have the capacity to bring the house down at any given moment but a feeling of crushing restraint persists over The Glowing Man.

A fitting end to the trilogy. The Glowing Man is more spacious and centered around atmosphere in contrast to To Be Kind's balls to the wall pace and prowess. That's not to say that The Glowing Man doesn't slowly spring to life on occasion however. You'll notice when things start to stir, ground will start to move so to speak. An unnerving tangible feeling of tenseness hovers over this album like miasmic clouds. Dense and sprawling, the material builds around itself. Frankie M. for example trudges its way to its endpoint. Absorbing all energy from its surrounding environment and working said energy into the final finished piece. The tracks work in a self aware kind of way. They have a very life-like, almost uncanny valley quality to them. The thought that a human being constructed each and every sound and nuance of said sound is a pretty life affirming thing. Works of great magnitude are possible, but beautifully rare. Like all of great art it feels like it comes from another place. Through us rather then out of us.

Functioning like the end credits or the final farewell to a specific place and time, never to be seen or heard from again, The Glowing Man is a world unto itself closing the door from spectators and passers by.

I am the glowing man, I am.

June 17th, 2016.