From 68a5e1e27830dd9fbda5e3daf72bf9a0822211fa Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: "C. McEnroe" Date: Wed, 5 May 2021 22:54:13 -0400 Subject: Publish "Swans Are Dead" --- www/text.causal.agency/022-swans-are-dead.7 | 164 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ www/text.causal.agency/Makefile | 1 + 2 files changed, 165 insertions(+) create mode 100644 www/text.causal.agency/022-swans-are-dead.7 (limited to 'www') diff --git a/www/text.causal.agency/022-swans-are-dead.7 b/www/text.causal.agency/022-swans-are-dead.7 new file mode 100644 index 00000000..8664e886 --- /dev/null +++ b/www/text.causal.agency/022-swans-are-dead.7 @@ -0,0 +1,164 @@ +.Dd May 5, 2021 +.Dt SWANS-ARE-DEAD 7 +.Os "Causal Agency" +. +.Sh NAME +.Nm Swans Are Dead +.Nd album by Swans +. +.Sh DESCRIPTION +Swans Are Dead +is the best Swans album. +Among my favourites are +Soundtracks for the Blind, +To Be Kind +and Love of Life, +but Swans Are Dead +is the one I come back to +most consistently. +I'm always in the mood +to listen to these tunes. +. +.Pp +It's interesting to me +that I enjoy it so much, +I think because I had the expectation +that live albums +are not of the same quality +as studio albums, +but that's just completely untrue +in the case of Swans. +The performances are excellent +and the recording is +for the most part perfect. +The album feels live, +without any distracting deficiencies +of live recording +that would take you out +of just enjoying the music. +. +.Bl -ohang +.It Dq Feel Happiness +This track feels kind of special +since it's the only song on the album +that was never released +as part of another project. +I absolutely love this format of song. +It's like 10 minutes of build +before any lyrics happen, +which you only get after +the wave of the first part +of the song collapses. +It bookends the first disc nicely with +.Dq Blood Promise, +I think, +which is sort of the reverse. +. +.It Dq Blood On Yr Hands +This is such a great start +to the Jarboe-focused +section of the black disc. +A cappella apart from the hum +of the equipment on stage, +I love this vocal performance. +I sing this song, +terribly, +in the shower. +The lack of instrumental +seems to make it stick in my mind even more. +. +.It Dq I Crawled +This is another great vocal performance +by Jarboe. +It's so much more dynamic and intense +than the version of this song +released much earlier on Young God +with Gira's vocals. +I remember seeing a bad comment +somewhere online +from someone who couldn't stand +any Swans song Jarboe sang on. +They must have never heard +this version of +.Dq I Crawled. +Incredible. +. +.It Dq Blood Promise +My favourite track on +Swans Are Dead, +by far. +I had actually never heard of +.Dq The Whiffenpoof Song +until I looked up +the recording they use +to introduce this song +and indicate it's the last of the show. +Anyway, +this track highlights +what makes Swans live albums +so interesting. +This performance of the song +has evolved so much +from the studio recording on +The Great Annihilator. +They share the same lyrics, +but the earlier version is only 4:15, +to the live version's fifteen and a half minutes! +And it sucks me in the whole time. +As the song winds down +you can hear an audience member yell, +.Dq Don't stop! +and I agree. +. +.It Dq The Sound +One of my all-time favourite songs. +It's the one that got me to listen to +Soundtracks for the Blind, +and might've gotten me into Swans altogether. +I don't quite remember +what order I started listening to things in. +This version of it is great. +I don't think I could choose +between this and the studio recording. +There are just +two ways to enjoy it. +I love how frantic the guitars get +at the height of this track. +. +.It Dq I See Them All Lined Up +This version of the song +is way more harsh +than the version on Soundtracks. +It loses some contrast +between the verses +and the explosions of sound +punctuating them, +it just hits hard +the whole time. +. +.It Dq Yum Yab +An absolute banger. +The drums sound so good on this +and they really get me moving. +The whole thing is delightfully nasty and fun. +.El +. +.Pp +Everything else on the album +is good too, +of course, +I just don't have as much to say. +There's almost two and a half hours of music +on this thing! +. +.Sh AUTHORS +.An june Aq Mt june@causal.agency +.Pp +I want to try writing +about different kinds of things here, +and this is my first attempt +at doing so. +There's more music +I want to write about, +and maybe some other +non-computer topics. diff --git a/www/text.causal.agency/Makefile b/www/text.causal.agency/Makefile index d6a590c6..192bb272 100644 --- a/www/text.causal.agency/Makefile +++ b/www/text.causal.agency/Makefile @@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ TXTS += 018-operating-systems.txt TXTS += 019-mailing-list.txt TXTS += 020-c-style.txt TXTS += 021-time-machine.txt +TXTS += 022-swans-are-dead.txt all: ${TXTS} -- cgit 1.4.1