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In the 30+ years since the band formed, they have undergone major lineup changes, evolved a lot sonically, and never stopped experimenting along the way. Not a single one of their albums has sounded the same as its predecessors, but each takes something from previous records and incorporates it in interesting ways. "To Be Kind" is the culmination of 30 years of brutal beats, intricately constructed epics, and sonic experimentation.
The album is incredibly cohesive; though each track is spectacular and engaging in its own right, the very particular order in which they are placed points to the beauty of the whole, a beautiful, brutal, twisted and wonderful tapestry of sound.
The range of experiences offered by this album is impressive. The song "Screen Shot", which is the album's opener, is a very groove oriented track that builds slowly across its relatively short 7 minute life-span towards an inevitably colossal crescendo, all the while adding to the ominous little opening rift with drums and cymbals, first tapping and slowly getting louder and more demanding, all the while adding different instruments as Gira (the lead singer and main brain behind Swans) chants rhythmically, propulsing this goreous and intimidating track to its climax.
Other songs rely on establishing a soundscape which enfolds the listener so completely that it is entirely possible to lose oneself in its hypnotic folds. "Bring the Sun / Touissaint L'overture" is one such, a hulking, massive song weighing in at 34:05. Shimmering, lovely, and mysterious, this track includes so many elements that many relistens are required to even begin to understand its enormity. Beginning with (and maintained throughout) are shimmering synthesized flutes(? It is rather difficult to determine exactly what instrument is used to establish this lovely effect), which create a strange, wavy sort of atmosphere that keeps you in its thrall for the entirety of the song. Soon after, brutal, pulsing guitar riffs rage through and in and around the flutes, simultaneously bombarding and lulling you into a trance. The track continues to shimmer along at it's own pace, with many instruments dipping in and out of the haze to shine briefly, sometimes glaringly, and then disappear again.
This review would be too long if I went over every song in detail; suffice it to say that the album is brutal and intimidating, but also beautiful, incredibly intricate and well thought out, and musically dazzling. Not for the weak of heart, but for those seeking musical adventure. If you feel content with your musical conceptions and don't need to be challenged, maybe just listen to "Screen Shot" and see if you like it.
Try it! 9/10, best album of 2014.
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Reviews with images
Damaged Product
Love this album, but it came hella damaged. Corners are bumped at almost every corner and on the opening of the vinyl, it splits open at where it should be glued together to form a seal. Reference attached pictures.
Top reviews from other countries
Residents
Il capolavoro degli Swans. La band piu' disperata dell'universo.
Reviewed in Italy on January 28, 2022
Rodrigo Frias
Um dos melhores álbuns da história
Reviewed in Brazil on October 2, 2020
