Los Angeles based experimental post punk artist “Crowjane” yesterday released their cover of “Real Life” originally by Tones on Tail.
In recent appearances of Tones on Tail at Cruel world, the interest in Tones on Tail has revamped, as people are seeing them as more than a brief flash in the pan. It is when artists cover their work with such intensity and beauty that you remember how great Tones on Tail really were.
In this version you hear the 12 string guitar which sounds pretty signature for who Crowjane was covering, but even more interesting is how they dance around this fabulous bassline. There are also some innovative string arrangements.
The main vocalist Heather Calipo commented “A reflective song in the Tones on Tail oeuvre, CrowJane injects added meaning to the already loaded track. “The lyrics ‘give me something for nothing / Give me too much too soon / I’m so damn sick of your stupid rules,’ coupled with ‘Give HIM something for nothing / give HIM too much too soon / We’re so damn sick of stupid rules’ resonates enough on its own in so many different ways,’” she explains, adding emphasis specifically to the gendered pronouns.”
Daniel Ash commented “What I like most about this version is the instrumentation, especially the wonderful string arrangements. Great job!”
Crowjane is on the fantastic label “Kitten Robot” who hosts the beloved Josie Cotton, and T.S.O.L. along with Paul and Kira Roessler, and so many other greats.
They are touring starting next month, so catch one of these gigs if you can over the west coast.
Recently I have found myself seeking out music that caused my mind to wander in fantastical textures and elevated thoughts. To listen beyond slamming club hits and bask in something inspirational. So I have chosen to share some intellectual sonic nourishment outside the mainstream. Most of what I have chosen isn’t the darkness Sounds and Shadows is known for. This is music drenched with vibrant colors to inspire and innovate. I hope you find something you love.
Chiasm – Chasing Butterflies – Amazing new remix EP from Emileigh Rohn of Michigan. An electronic producer with an impressive body of work that has honed her emotional electronic style into flashing blades that whirling dervish poetic musings. Compiling an all-star heist team of Beborn Beton, Stabbing Westward, Black Car Burning, Sapphiria Vee, Jean-Marc Lederman, and Steve Anthony to remix three tracks. Each one captures a different aspect of the chaotic manic wandering from the original. Emileigh has a wispy fae delivery in vocals that transports you to a supernatural realm, each canvas shows different hues. With all the legendary names taking on Chasing Butterflies, I found myself drawn in to Black Car Burning‘s version of “Dead Trees” with it’s greyscale contrasts and spoken word delivery. When I was a child I accidently saw Poltergeist staying up past my bedtime one night. The scene with the tree breaking through the window has always haunted me. Something about this remix struck me in the same way. I love a song that crawls under my skin.
released May 3, 2024
All songs written, programmed, performed and produced by Emileigh Rohn.
Recorded in MausHaus Studio 2020-2023. Mastered by Jean-Marc Lederman. Artwork by Christian Petke/DCore.
G.W. Childs IV – Spectrum – Last year I fell in love with the yee haw synth goth sound of G.W. from his EP “You Don’t Know“. I love a lofty concept and here G.W. addresses his childhood synesthesia by composing a sonic representation of each color in the pallet. Opening with Gold and winding a spiritual sidewinder through emotion and imagery to Silver. This album really stretches the human experience and makes sharp cuts for every track. The vocal delivery embraces a deliberate cadence with almost hip-hop aspects. This can’t cover the twang of Texas that makes the whole journey feel the sway of the saddle. Generally to write a review I listen to an album 3 times minimum. After playing this four times, I feel like I am barely scratching the surface. This record has a Tolkienesque feel of epic technicolor journey. A footstep by footstep quest past every pain or triumph that makes us human.
The whole point of this album is to use only sounds that let you close your eyes and see the essence of a color in your imagination. So choosing a favorite tracks is really tough. I suppose some did impact me the most. Maybe they were the tracks that captured my favorite colors. Maybe they reminded me of my favorite Tolkien characters once I made that connection.
Orange: This was my Tom Bombadil. Burnt synthesis. Sunsets, that moment of reflection right before a transition. An extra burst of energy before things go dark. Orange is a wild card. Orange is possibility.
Violet: This track is dangerous. This is mystery. A mist that doesn’t let you see to the horizon. Something supernatural made of dreams. Duality of bright and dark. Violet is both at once.
I love when an artist takes chances. This record took all the chances.
Written, programmed, performed and produced by G.W. Childs IV Executive Producer: Christian Petke Mastering by: (Slam) Stephen Lam
Rohn – Lederman – Black And Bleu – A brand new release from frequent collaborators Emileigh Rohn (US/ Chiasm) and Jean-Marc Lederman (Belgium/ The Weathermen, Ghost & Writer) on Jean-Marc’s new label Les Disques de la Pantoufle. A two disc CD with a clear tonal division. As composers Emileigh and Jean-Marc have always impressed me by forging raw emotions into a complex blended human experience. Black and Bleu takes that complete being, deconstructs it into laser thin aspects to categorize by the duality of contrasting colors. I highly recommend a physical copy with the stark contrasting artwork of Erica Hinyot.
The Black CD was more tortured and introspective. Emileigh’s voice went to a more passionate poetic place than their previous collaborations. It had me recalling another favorite electronic poet Susanne Vega and her 99.9 degrees F album. It’s such a powerful combination, the way no sound is wasted. Everything here has a purpose in the swirling black abyss. Each bass note, every synth pad, electronic brushes on electric drums. You never hear a crescendo unless you have to, because when the impact comes it needs to strike hard.
Black Favorite Track – Eggshells – I LOVE when a CD closes with the most powerful and revealing track. This simple piano and reverberating strings paint such a tapestry for a soul shaking poem. I’ve tried to walk forward in life, on what I knew was dangerous ground. I could feel every tentative step and my heart went out. when music is something you don’t just listen to, but feel.
The Bleu CD let’s you see the color, a more hopeful twilight. Overlapping harmonies caught on the wind. Thee tracks make full use of Emiliegh’s styles. Cadenced whispered spoken word, rattling off piercing uplifting choirs. Bleu uses surreal background effects to give the world a sense of whimsy. These tracks all feel like dreams. A movie you watch with your eyes closed.
Bleu Favorite Track – Sliding In Socks – I love the way this song captures a private moment we all have done, but never in front of anyone. There is something beautiful of that idea both secret, and universally relatable. The keyboards have the feel of an 8 bit virtuality game you might get lost in forever. I’ve listened to this 4 times, and each one the words tell me a different story.
Trick Casket – BITCHCRAFT – I remember saying this about the band Haex, this is as much metal in my Industrial as i can handle and still love it. The Toronto band of Connor Grant, Brett Carruthers, Ryan Parker, and Nicolo Cassidy are a heavy breath of stalking invisible hell hounds chasing you down the hall. Frightening electronic horror that walks the sinister pace of inevitability. The chorus roars ferocious intention.
An unfortunate fate to conjure you An unfortunate fate to conjure you All the suffering you wanted me to Fuck that, I hope it happens to you An unfortunate fate to conjure you
Often with Metal music my hangup is the vocals where intention gets lost in the pure aggression. Trick Casket finds a subtitle delivery just on the brink of chaos. If I ever get the chance to demolish concrete walls with a sledgehammer, Trick Casket is the soundtrack to fill my heart with brimstone for the deed.
released April 2, 2024 Written and performed by: Trick Casket Music produced by: Trick Casket and Brett Carruthers Mixed & Mastered by: Brett Carruthers
“The Black Maria: a menacing 19th Century figure who would come to take away our outcasts and miscreants… later used as the slang term For UK police vans… Nothing much has change”
ATTRITION – The Black Maria – Electronic music legend Martin Bowes put out the single The Great Derailer some time ago. An instant classic utilizing vocal talents Emke of Black Nail Cabaret to paint a striking portrait of 19th century baron’s holding a mirror to modern day post capitalism. In March the full album was released from Cage Studios in his home in Coventry. There is a focus in music these days to release a constant stream of content to maintain relevance. I love the patient unraveling of this records story, as well as the controlled narrative style of it’s creation. Additional collaborators Yvette from Vaselyne, Joanne Wolf and most notably the return of original ATTRITION vocalist Julia, to create an album varying in style from industrial to gothic to dark ambient soundscapes. These drum compositions and sound effect craft create a subversive world of flickering amber lights and combustion machinery. Martin adds his own slow whiskey gravel vocals, building and chanting intensity.
Using a menagerie of symphonic sound from special guest appearances by Alia Miroshichenko (Subterranea) Annie Hogan (Marc and the Mambas etc) on Grand Piano, Vancorvid and Marietta Fox on Violins, Ian Arkley (My Silent Wake, Guillotine Dream) on Guitar, Steve Clarke (Futumche/Octogoth) on additional guitar/bass, and Kris Force on Cello. Every aspect of this album feels large and significant.
Favorite Track: The Great Derailer is the easy answer. I have reviewed the single before though. So I will talk about The Alibi – This terrifying Bioshock lullaby with tension lashing violins, and gorgeous operettic harmonies. A chaotic fever dream held together by the tempo of the rolling tracks. A wonderous example of songcraft.
This entire album is a wonderous experience that paints images and inspires higher thought. Something we are sorely in need of in the modern world. What if Tom Waits crooned and industrial record on the downfall of mankind in 2024? You don’t have to dream anymore.
Red Lokust – Hope is the Last Refuge of the Dying – Latest release from Pittsburgh’s Distortion Records guru Jim Semonik one of the truly good dudes in this scene. Things I appreciate from the starting gun “Sunfall Down” bouncy clubdustrial beats with sunken distorted vocals, in which I can hear every word ring out. Sometimes genre gets in the way of intent. Not here, lots of classic 90’s industrial homage elements but never at the expense of the lyrics and delivery. This album is bright and crackling with an explorers sci fi hope. It’s dark and snarling, but always charging forward and this underlying live wire is what makes the tracks sizzle. I didn’t link an interview to this review because somehow I have never had Jim on the show, I really need to remedy that. I kept waiting to hit my high speed industrial limit break but it never came. With breakdown tracks like Crestfallen to lay tempo change and curve to the laser car extravaganza.
SU – Amanita ocreata – So last year I fell in love with the bizarre Quebec duo that did the most amazing cover of Skinny Puppy “Smothered Hope” on the Retronomicon album to help Charles Levi. I suppose when I spooled up this new EP, I expected something vaguely in the vein of that. I LOVE being this level of delighted and surprised. To start with, the cover art is magnificent. Before I hit play I was transported to a secret Jules Verne cavern of wonder. The opening track is an operatic chorus of deep sea majesty. Then track two (The title track) completely flipped the script on everything I thought I knew about SU. A sleek alien submarine QLazzarus meets Miranda’s Sex Garden adventure soundtrack in French where I understood nothing but heard all. Song after song I felt so transported by the creativity and execution I was convinced Jean-Marc Lederman was involved somehow.
Paroles et musique par SU Enregistré et mixé par SU Pochette par Raphaëlle Lavoie
Favorite track: La fête des spores – Closing out with these toms and fairy fire vocals was captivating like the first time I heard the Sugar Cubes. Chanting underdark magic rising from spore laced smoke. The whole time I listened I felt myself lured to a cold fate, and kept following the beauty of the song.
What bands were instrumental in your “Coming of age”? I can watch a movie like “The Perks of Being A Wallflower” and I can hone in on specific moments that I shared with my friends, in similar experiences when I was young, figuring out what the universe was about. I even drove in the back of an old Ford Pickup blasting David Bowie’s “Heroes”, or jumped off the ledge at Faultline Park in Salt Lake City Utah, at 2 am after having been the MC at the Rocky Horror Picture Show at the local art house movie theater. So many of those moments are like ones that I am sure every one of you has experienced.
So, the first concert that I ever saw was a life-changing moment. It was September 9, 1987, in order of Gene Loves Jezebel, Echo & The Bunnymen, and New Order. With two of my fave bands on the bill that night, (I always liked The Bunnymen just a hair more than New Order) at 13 years old, I had no idea how much this night was going to mean to me. They played “The Killing Moon” under a full moon, at an outdoor venue, the stars, and moon aligned that night, to change my life.
It was the first time I had ever heard the music played by the band that I loved, and it wasn’t through stereo speakers, from a cassette tape, or a vinyl record, THIS WAS THE REAL EXPERIENCE. From the moment Mac walked on stage and said “Hello Utah”, I was sharing space with a musician that was becoming so important to me. By the time I was screaming at the top of my lungs, out of key with 7 thousand other people, just as out of key “Lips Like Sugar!!!! SUGAR KISSES!!!” along with the guys playing it, I felt some sort of supercharged “Space cadet glow”. I was hooked on live music, and the music of Los Bunnymenos was instrumental in my coming of age, and steering what I did in my life. These guys made me understand my feelings, and these guys had the answers.
Since then I have followed Mac and Will and crew across continents on various tours. Backstage in Paris in 1998 I ended up being given the name “Huston Jones” and that was my name at will call for the rest of the European tour for tickets and backstage passes. I got a laminate on the 2001 tour and spent the rest of that year going to shows and helping record for a DVD that was in the works.
I have seen and shot so many gigs over the years, one of the most memorable was the “Crocodile/Heaven Up Here” show in 2011, with everyone in camouflage, and the stage decked out with it too. That was so cool to relive that with them.
So, if a band that means so much to YOU comes through town, of course, you are going to be as thrilled as you were in 1987 when their live performance got you hooked. The Bunnymen are on the “40 Years of Songs To Learn and Sing” tour, quite the history for a collection of singles meant to sample a greater catalog of 4 albums, that really can’t be placed as one better than the other, they just “ARE”…
I arrived at the venue, and there was nothing for me in the box office, which was going to be a problem, and a random guy handed me an extra ticket, and the security guys all knew me at this venue, so I got in with all my gear. I simply walked over to the sound booth asked for the tour manager, and showed the lighting guy my confirmation Email. He took me backstage to meet with the tour manager, and he was surprised that the venue had not looked at the band’s list, only the promoter’s list. He apologized and cleared me to shoot the gig. So, to the tour manager, the short bloke in the New York Dolls t-shirt sorted it out on the spot. (Not gonna mention any names, but thanks for sorting it out on the spot for me, it all was fine after that).
The lighting guy told me that they were going old school, and no direct lights would be on Mac, and this was going to be like the “Shine So Hard” gigs, (minus the camouflage).
The mystique of The Bunnymen, the silhouettes are a trademark
As the 7 guys populated the stage, and the Gregorian chant intro, I was surprised to see the cellist join the band, now this is where you know it’s going to be amazing, for anything of “Ocean Rain” or “Evergreen”.
“Hello Salt Lake City, It’s good to be back,” said Mac, and we were off to the races with “Going Up”, one of those songs that are perfect to start a show, but it’s over almost as fast as it started, just gets you going. Before we were even halfway through applauding that opening song, we heard the bass thumping and drums and “Where hell have you been, we’ve been waiting with our best suits on, hair slicked back and all that jazz”. They were hitting us with the early gems already, and the punters were thrilled to be hearing them live.
Switching over to “Flowers” from some of the early 2000s right after the first singles, they were picking songs from the decades, with plenty to choose from.
They played Rescue with a newer sound to it, with a bit more distortion than you have heard on other tours, then “All My Colours” (Or ZIMBO). During “Villiers Terrace” true to form, they seemed like they were going into improv while Mac on the same metre started singing his own version of “Roadhouse Blues” by The Doors, and then the band kind of just flowed into it with him, they ended it with Bowie’s “Jean Genie”, being one of those songs that have the space in it to morph into a tribute of whoever Mac wants to sing that night.
I knew we were going to get all the songs off “Songs to Learn and Sing” but in what order? Well, the cellist started strumming fast and hard, the most impossible-to-miss opening “String Arrangement” of “Never Stop” as if he was a madman trying to kill something, it was AWESOME to see this. A single that became a staple for so long, the chorus “Measure by measure!!! Drop by Drop, And Pound for Pound we’re taking stock”, it was the entire venue participating in a singalong to a fantastic song of dissenting atheistic views, using 16th century English metaphors.
They finished this first part of the set off with “Bring on The Dancing Horses”, from the soundtrack of the film “Pretty in Pink”. The cellist was giving us such low tones, the kind you just feel lower than a bass guitar, you can close your eyes and sway to these notes. The guitar lines were all familiar and with the sound of a harp (Will has a trick on his guitar, you should see him do it, it’s a beauty) the whole song was a symphony, and Mac’s vocals were as smooth and haunting as ever for this one. We all grew up knowing this song, maybe more than others, and it made all the difference in the world on this tour.
The band finished and Mac said, “That was the first set, we’ll be back in a few minutes”. That was fine, we all needed an intermission after that first set of total bangers.
After 20 minutes and the merch table getting sacked, the band took the stage again with “Show of Strength” the opening track from the sophomore album “Heaven Up Here”. On a night like this, with such a vast catalog, these guys can pull album cuts, that never were singles or even got radio play, and they still are just wonderful to listen to, this was followed by “Over The Wall”, sounding as intense as it did on “Shine So Hard”, though it wasn’t on this “Singles collection” it belonged perfectly in this set.
From the middle of the 80s, as Mac puts it “The greatest album ever” they gave us “Seven Seas”, and the crowd singing the chorus had as much volume to it as Mac over the PA system, and he wasn’t complaining about being outdone. Moving forward 14 years to 1997 they played “Nothing Lasts Forever” from the “Evergreen” album, where Mac decided to let us all know how much he loves Lou Reed and did a meddle of “Walk on The Wild Side,” “A hustle here and a hustle there, Salt Lake City is the place where”, then “Don’t let me down” and Coney Island Baby”. I have said that Lou Reed is the God of Rock & Roll, and so many of the bands we love point back to Lou and the Velvets. Mac on stage is like that, somehow he is channeling Uncle Lou, and Jim Morrison on stage, sometimes even David Bowie. For a frontman, he is enigmatic and mysterious, and he just gives you some of the best music you will ever hear in your life. These are the moments why we go to live shows.
Pulling more album cuts, a song that was never a single but always a favorite “Heads Will Roll”, which was the kind of song that showcases the versatility of Will Sargeant’s guitar, and Mac’s voice. Mac can be smooth, intense, dark, and brooding, and then burst into powerful heights in a chorus. This kind of song shows how Will single-handedly pulled the psychedelic guitar riffs from The Velvet Underground and incorporated it all into New Wave, all while supporting one of the most powerful voices in music.
By the time we get to “The Killing Moon” that brought everyone to silence while Will played the opening notes, then Mac came in singing one of the finest songs he’s ever written. Songs like this are what give Mac the kind of title of a “songwriter equal to Shakespeare”, very few songwriters could ever write lyrics so haunting, and beautiful, and then sing them the way he does. If you have not heard this one performed live, you will be moved once you get the chance.
With “The Cutter” then the crowd sang their favorite “Lips Like Sugar”, (which has recently become a fave of David Hasselhoff, I am not kidding, just look it up), they took the stage one last time, as Adam the cellist began the somber minor notes, opening up the sailor’s ballad “Ocean Rain”. Countless umbrellas opened for this song, and everyone was entranced by the music that sinks your soul as if you would drown in the sadness of this song. As Mac sings it, you can feel yourself on the soaking wet wooden framed wind-driven ship, as the warm rain pours down, and you rock along on the waves, letting the mood take you where the sea wants. That is what you felt as Echo & The Bunnymen played the final notes to, “Screaming from beneath the waves”.
We all finished the show, as a combined effort, led by Liverpool’s finest, everyone had this wonderful buzz that you can only get from an emotionally charged show, and no one was disappointed with what the Bunnymen delivered.
After the show, I ended up with several members of the band at a bar just around the corner. Will and I talked about past tours, mutual friends, and back to our original conversation that started in Paris in 1998, “I want to see those gold plates, that is such a fantastic story”. But that is another story, within a story, within another story.
Echo & The Bunnymen is one of the greatest live bands to grace the stage in the last 40-plus years. If you have seen any of their shows you will know how historically significant they are. If you have not seen them yet, (and I met several people that night who hadn’t who were as old as I am) you still have some dates to catch them on.
Ashes Fallen celebrate their fifth anniversary as a band with a clever sort-of reinvention of themselves in V, a trio of “what ifs”. By that, it’s meant that the band has issued this three-song EP of remixes to explore established songs with a fresh twist. The EP also shows the band’s altruistic side, as all proceeds will be donated to Doctors Without Borders.
The tracks are given a treatment which reimagines them as techno-pop jams instead of the more rock-oriented sound the band is more known for.
We Belong Nowhere (Diaspora Mix) immediately creates images of early-80s nostalgia, with its crunchy guitar riff and synth drum rhythm. Vocalist James Perry digs into the deeper end of his vocal range to give the track a moody sense of foreboding. Think of Rage In Eden-era Ultravox with a little Sisters of Mercy from the same time period thrown in and you get the idea.
Continuing on the same vibe, there’s Unrequited (Come Undone Mix). Perry explores a different vocal range from the previous track and shows his skill as a saxophonist as well. One doesn’t typically think of the sax as an instrument widely used in goth rock, but this is nothing short of a perfect fit to explore the moodier aspects of the track.
Damn Me (Ninth Circle Mix) is the heaviest track of the three, dipping into industrial territory with its layered, hard-edge drumbeat and an angry aggression to the guitar riff. Again, the sax is present, which lolls the listener in a false sense of comfort before jarring the listener with an abrupt transition which keeps the listening ear engaged. Damn Me is biting in its presentation and delightfully unpredictable in its delivery.
Ashes Fallen is James Perry, Michelle Perry, and Jason Shaw
Engineered, mixed, and mastered by James Perry Cover photo by Michelle Perry, design by James and Michelle Perry
All in all, this is quite the refresher for Ashes Fallen fans as well as a delectable taste of what could have been with the original release of these songs.
Certain bands in history will go down as having delivered epic legendary live performances. I have seen several that lived up to their reputation. For one of the most enigmatic bands ever live, there is SWANS. Carrying the idea of something so beautiful and so violent at the same time is what you can expect from this band.
I have seen SWANS several times since I first got into them in 1989, through many iterations, Micheal Gira the singer and mastermind of the “family” that SWANS has become. They are legendary for their loud and intense shows, and you would be hard-pressed to hear a band so loud, and so “Tight” in their sound, maybe you will hear someone as loud, only trying to shock you with volume, but I can’t imagine anyone sounding as good as SWANS live at that kind of volume. I have described their live shows in the past as “having your brains smashed out of your head with sounds from an acoustic guitar”.
I had enjoyed the dark, and beautiful sounds from “Children of God” as my first foray into their music as I was sifting through the visible failures of religions, now here it is 35 years, and several concerts later, I get to see them on tour supporting the album “The Beggar”.
I was in the venue with people my age, and kids as young as I was the first time I saw them. That was reassuring that such a band has maintained longevity to be pulling fans from across the generations.
KRISTOF HAHN
Berlin native Kristof Hahn came out to the stage, sat down on a stool, and started playing his lap guitar, with an array of pedals, he was able to sound like a hard metal orchestra with swaying sounds, reminiscent of “Godspeed You! Black Emperor”. I noticed he was recording his songs with his phone, and after the first song announced that he had just made that one up on the spot. It was 23 minutes long, and just a great “jam” with his instruments. He asked us if we had brought our earplugs because we were all going to need them. He played a set of about 45 minutes, and I spoke to him in German, I asked if he knew Alexander Hacke from Einzurstehende Neubauten, and it turns out we have a mutual friend in the Berlin noise movement scene. (He also happens to be a full-time member of SWANS)
SWANS took the stage, and in a strange formation, they had 2 bassists, who came out and played and tuned, while Chris the principal bassist was tuned in with his bass, and he started playing his lap steel guitar, much like Kristof had done just a few minutes earlier. Dana tuned her bass, then started playing her steel lap guitar off of Kristof. Larry Mullins sat down at his Moog keyboard and began tuning to what the others were playing. With his old-school cowboy jacket, long thinning hair comb-over, and sideburns, he looked like he was just cut and pasted right out of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds (Well, he probably was). While Phil started playing the cymbals as almost waves of the sea building under the guitars, Michael Gira came out, sat down on his stool, and began tuning the strings on his acoustic guitar. While Gira was “picking” the individual notes on the strings, playing out like a folk musician, or bluegrass, were pounding across the venue from the PA system.
They played into the title track from the current album “The Beggar”, though it didn’t really start that way, it was more or less a jam of each musician until they got in tune with each other and then the different lines flowed into the song after a few minutes. Michael Gira led the band through the song, as Dana focused on Chris, and Chris focused on Michael and his lead and directions, this was very much the old “Jam” style performance, that allowed for each member to play fluidly around what they were following. Michael would sort of hum and chant while strumming into the mic, and everyone played off that with the lap steel guitars having the most volume to them. For 28 or so minutes it was absolutely beautiful. The title track had in many ways encapsulated the “Zeitgeist” of the album, and I have to say I did love listening to the album before release. It was during this one that I can honestly say, I felt the “burning heat” again, in the sound they were playing. It was the strangest sensation to say it, though some describe it as “synesthesia” a phenomenon where certain stimuli can cause sensations with other senses, like “Hearing” the color black, or certain sounds make a person smell something. Listening to “The Beggar” I felt an actual scorching dry heat, and not necessarily from the words. It was an overwhelming sensation to have this happening while trying to concentrate and take photos.
While Gira was waving a hand around, astute to everyone in the bands’ eye, it was almost as if by the twitch of a finger they knew which sounds to make, chords to play, and at what volume. I had been dying to hear the music from “The Beggar” live, and the feelings it brought out were so intense. “Without your eyes upon my weakness, Will I forget where I begin?” I got lost in the music and was pretty deep in a trance at this point. I just remember having to put my camera down and listen to the song to finish. This was not a song I could concentrate on anything else while listening to. So I just enjoyed the single strumming on the acoustic guitar, and ride on top of the bass lines hypnotically thumping from Chris, and though it seemed like it was improvised, it was just flowing together too tightly off Michael singing. It finished close to an hour into the set, and we all “felt” like we had survived something with the band.
That was just the intro and the first song.
Larry stepped away from the keyboards and with a set of drumsticks started playing drums off the snare, while Chris started thumping out the notoriously AWESOME bass riff “The Hanging Man” leading the rest of the band for several measures. The bass was louder than Gira’s vocals which seemed the point, as I could hear the “Chanting” going on behind, “I steel the space between the filthy and the clean” pulling the imagery from Isaiah. Something that I loved about SWANS is their use of religious imagery, while I used to be a religious person, it was cool to hear musicians pulling from the Bible. Though I am no longer a believer, last year during our interview, Michael said that he does still love the idea of someone believing in things beautiful, if it gives them purpose.
Listening to “The Hanging Man” live, as I have heard it so many times before, I found myself not trying to make sense of the lyrics this time. Even If I knew what they meant, I just “Felt” the power of the song.
This was also one of those moments, where I noticed the pure musicianship of the band. Several gigs ago, they had a set of tubular bells on stage, and they were playing them with everything else. What SWANS can do, is play all of these instruments in ways that they were never meant to be played, an acoustic guitar, lap steel guitar, bass, and tubular bells, all at incredible decibel levels, in perfect tune. There was a sense of euphoria I got when I was hearing the bells, and acoustic guitars playing like that, while my entire frame was shaking to pounding drums and bass. That was so magnificent back then, and I began to see it as their trademark, not just that they were loud, but that it was in perfect tune. At this point, Michael stood up, had his back to the audience, and was conducting the band by waving his hands everywhere, bending down to the floor, standing up, and waving one side to another, in some way that the band knew what he wanted from them. The band was playing to Gira’s directions, as he “Felt” he wanted it played. I have heard this song so many times, but tonight, the song was a living breathing experience almost like it had never been played this way before. I felt like it was “Here is the basic frame of it, let’s fly with this on how it feels”. This was an exceptional band performing this work tonight.
Photo Credit: Jeremy Hinks
Phil began playing the cymbals and then Kristof and Larry came in while Michael Gira sat down and with his eyes closed, and hands up, just a slight wave here, or nod there, we enjoyed a few minutes of pulsating orchestral musings, and Gira would pop a “Fishermens Friend”, then look over at someone in the band with an intense face, then a slight smile. They played a song “I am A Tower” that was not on the album, but showed up recently in the sets. Apparently, it was a B-side. About halfway through it, the music became very melodic, and it sounded much like the other songs on “The Beggar” album.
I think the words were “I alone will fix it” that Gira began singing almost like a chorus. I was thinking this was going to flow into “Ebbing” from the new album because it sounded so much like the new album. Something I love about SWANS Live is that you will go through so much strength anxiety, intensity, pain, and beauty with a graceful ride through the music. Now playing in a major key, the song felt uplifting, almost like a fun epilogue to end a heavy film. The end of it somehow reminded me of Heroes by David Bowie, listen to it for yourself to see if you hear it.
With a song ending on such an intense and positive vibe, Michael Gira has proven to have quite a sense of humor over the years, and it pops out during interviews, but this time, he let it fly when introducing the members of the band. A theme running through what each member does in the band, around changing diapers, I am NOT making this up, it caught everyone totally off guard, and was pretty funny. (recorded it on my phone and have gone back for the laughs a few times).
I had honestly been hoping to see a set of tubular bells or chimes on stage because of how they had been used in past live performances and the album, but there were none on this stage. They seemed to be making up for it with the other instruments to give the layered melodies. When we got to “Away” the music was just beautiful. This was the shortest song on the set, and changed the feeling completely, in a strange way I felt like I was in a parallel universe and if YES had been SWANS instead.
To close out with “Birthing” which has been a staple since they started playing last year *(post covid) seemed perfect. The song has this thread of so much old classic SWANS music but only really seems to fit with the new work. The bassline somewhere in the middle of it has remnants of some wonderful Peter Hook. I found myself sort of actually dancing, not just swaying to the music.
In the end, this was, believe it or not, the least loudest show I had ever seen of SWANS, it was plenty loud, and intense, but it didn’t have to be overpowering with sound to be wonderful. They had no “Lights” to say, just a red one on them at all times. No gimmicks or tricks, just music that you will only hear live, and I would venture to say, very different from one night to the other. I was expecting to hear more from “The Beggar” as it is such a fantastic album, but the setlist of “in-between” songs was incredible, I was satiated by the end, who wouldn’t have been?
Photo Credit: JEREMY CLOWARD
This was indeed, the BEST SWANS show I have ever seen.
Did you catch one on this tour? If not, look forward to the next one, SWANS live is not just a concert, they are an experience.
