The music of Swans remains uncompromising, but would it surprise you if I said that the new stuff from these NYC legends felt lighter? The Beggar is an epic, difficul listen, yes, but there are flashes of light here that suggest a lessening of the burden, and a re-emergence into the sun following a planet-wide lockdown. Michael Gira and crew are venturing out of their hole, making their glorious noise again, and heading out on tour.
"Paradise is Mine" features natural, intimate vocals from Gira, backing vocals from Jennifer Gira, Lucy Kruger, and Laura Carbone, and a lightly-roiling musical structure that's down to work from Kristof Hahn, Dana Schechter, and other members of the band. Those two, from Gira's own Angels of Light, help give these simple compositions heft and weight. "Unforming" and "Michael is Done" are barebones, stark ruminations on the big questions, I think. Gira's voice is a thing of wonder still, capable of putting the fear of God in a listener, or gently assuring that things have some kind of meaning.
There's an inherent drama in the material from Swans, a forceful insistence that music be paid attention to, and respected. And The Beggar is sort of accessbile. By Swans standards, that means that it's still utterly unlike anything else you're going to hear in 2023, and not the sort of thing that you will put on when driving around in the summer with the windows down. Still, "No More of This", an elegiac gem here, is beautiful, and harshly simplistic. For a musician who once bludgeoned with sound those within earshot, it's a sign that Gira can retain the force of old by using new, more varied methods. And that makes the music sort of moving too.
The Beggar is out on Friday from Young God Records, on various formats, including a 2-CD set which features a second disc with one 44-minute composition that will rock your world.
[Photo: Nriko.com]