THE SWANS

The Swans are a unique down-tempo, brooding art rock band that peaked in the late'80's & early '90's. Their two best works are "The Burning World"(1987), and "White Light From the Mouth of Infinity"(1991).

"The Burning World" is a dark, quite, brooding record with Michael Gira's deep, gloomy voice and Jarbo's beautiful yet haunting background vocals creating a soothing, pitch as black soundscape. The vibe from this album is somewhat akin to The Doors on downers, played at a slower speed.

Their follow up album, "White Light From the Mouth of Infinity" is more of an uplifting effort. Instead of the soft, acoustic sounds of "The Burning World", you are greeted with walls of guitars, keyboards, and an almost spiritual background chorus. M. Gira's vocals are depressive and cynical as ever, and they offer a stark contrast to the music....lifting you up and bringing you down at the same time.

I highly recommend both of these albums, and if you like what you hear, venture out and get some of their later stuff. You can also check out THE WORLD OF SKIN, a side project that Jarbo and Gira did between Swans albums.

Anyway, here's "Power and Sacrifice", from "White Light From the Mouth of Infinity", and "God Damn the Sun", from "The Burning World". Enjoy!