Composer/Musician Reacts to Swans - Blind (REACTION!!!)

Bryan reacts to and talks about his thoughts on Swans - Blind
ORIGINAL VIDEO // • Swans - Blind
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[@dimiko8232]

Holy damn I completely forgot about that it was special selection week! Sooo I’ll try to answer your question in points, cause I’m writing on my phone and I’d get all tangled up otherwise! 1. Michael Gira (the vocalist) was around 40 when recording this song. His vocals weren’t always like this, but throughout the years he developed greatly. You’ve actually made fantastic point about (in short) „vocals leading the song”. I’ve never looked at their discog from that kind of perspective. Throughout the years Swans always had a schtick for repetitiveness, but one thing that changed most prominently was the vocals. Gira started with very shout-like, guttural vocals, not growls mind you! But as you can hear, he developed his skills and on Swans latest album, he truly became of Singer/Songwriter quality! 2. I don’t really know much of musical terminology so please excuse me if I say something nonsensical. Regarding the repetitiveness side of their songs, it has been used for different things throughout their carrier. When they started, they were VERY heavy. People at their shows would literally get sick because their gigs were so noisy. It fit really well with songs themed around misanthropy and nihilism. What you heard on Blind was when they were most mellow at and after that, they really started experimenting. On their 2012-2016 albums, their songs became very drawn out with same chords being played for literal minutes. The songs became mantra-like, as Gira incorporated themes of spirituality/religiousity. 3. It’s really hard to recommend something from a discog that spans 15 LP’s but if I had to choose: White Light From the Mouth of Infinity (their best mellow record), Filth (album that basically pioneered industrial rock/metal) and if you’re really daring - To Be Kind (their recent critically acclaimed record). Man that was hard to write on a phone! Also, I was VERY (pleasantly) surprised when you played bonus songs in the background! Great choices too! Only thing that I would change would be the volume, cause it can sometimes get confusing when you’re explaining something and vocals get in the way.

[@michaelhand4246]

Screenshot was my intro into the group and i love it. Swans are the kings of evoking emotion through dynamics and repetition.

[@RoosterCogburn2112]

"kind of a heavy topic for such a soothing song",,, welcome to Mr. Gira my friend!

[@cbmx1x1]

That second song “Goddamn the Sun” is hands-down one of the most sad and beautiful songs ever written. Gira was so open and honest about his depression and alcoholism.

[@MrRubyscube]

Yeah, read up on Gira. He was only 37 when he wrote this. This isn't music from a guy who writes stories from a distance, nerding out on theory and pretending to be a musician. This is pure art from a deeply troubled and intelligent man who ran away as a child an spent his 16'th birthday in an Israeli jail cell for selling drugs.

[@lethalphenomenon6061]

It's so hard to find people who react to Swans... DO MORE PLEASE and I WILL SUBSCRIBE lol

[@modefathy1205]

Now some of us are weak And some endure And some people live their life In violence that’s pure and clean But I saw a man cry once Down on his knees In the corner of a darkened cell And his pain meant nothing to me [Chorus 1] But I was younger then And young men never die When I walked out in the sun I was strong, clear-minded and blind [Verse 2] I don’t say a prayer for anyone It doesn’t do any good Please don’t ask me questions They’d just be misunderstood And if you could step inside me You'd feel what hatred brings And if you saw with my eyes You'd see what self-deception means [Chorus 2] I was younger once And I created a lie And though my body was strong I was self-deluded, confident and blind [Verse 3] Now show some pity For the weak of will Because when we’re drinking We can never be filled Show some understanding For the lonely fool Because when I’m drinking I’m out of control [Chorus 3] I was never young Nothing has transpired But when I look in the mirror I feel dead, I feel cold, I am blind [Outro] I am blind, mmm I am blind, mmm I am blind, mmm Mmm

[@jonunderland1297]

You said in your reaction to Swans Helpless Child that Gira reminds you of a trippy Johnny Cash. Fun fact here is that Gira submitted Blind (a song that he felt at the time was the best song he'd every written) to Rick Rubin/Johnny Cash to have Cash cover it for his American Recordings series. It wasn't selected, regrettably.

[@thegrimner]

Swans are a very unique and hard to pinpoint musical entity. It might not surprise you ro know they are a huge influence un the post metal crowd, but alsi in doom. The minimalism serves the purpose of story telling, and to me their culmination was soundtracks for the blind, I was a teen when it came out and it was a massive musical influence. The swans are dead is one of tje best live albums ever because of just how they rearrange the songs but also because the first track is literally one chord played for 10 minutes. It somehow works because of all the tenaion building. Not a band i would expect in a more prog oriented channel, as they're as unprog as they come, but they're very interesting compositionally due to how much they do with so little.

[@mikuchan8798]

thegrimmer I would argue swans is the most prog band of all. If you’re using the actual definition of progressive music.

[@thegrimner]

@@mikuchan8798 I'd say so as well, both in terms of song structure and career. Going from those nihilistic slabs of noise to very long and intricate ambient pieces with a folk phase inbetween is a lot of ground to cover in 16 years (speaking of their first incarnation). That Swans are Dead album really stands out to me as an example of musical evolution within one idea.

[@Jakeyisdead]

To Be Kind is what turned me onto them I heard a music reactor talk about it and it blew me away and now I've got The Begger on repeat what else should I try from them?

[@stevebaughman50]

The first time I heard them was when that EP came out in 1984. It came on my car radio (KALX, UC Berkeley) and I raced back to call them on the phone to find out what the hell it was. The DJ said he'd been flooded with calls, and that I was the first person who'd liked it.

[@thewhorocks515]

Not the Swans song I thought someone would request but still I'm glad they made it on the channel! I've never checked out this particular song or album so that was cool. It's an album I've been meaning to get to. I liked it. It was still the Swans I know, just compressed into a single idea and short song. Swans has a ton of albums and have been through several phases from what I understand. In my opinion their trio of albums The Seer, To Be Kind, and The Glowing Man are all masterpieces. Some of the most exhausting, overwhelming music I've ever heard. It's primal, it's brutal, it's beautiful, it's transcendental stuff. To be fair so I don't sound like a pretentious fool, it is ultimately very simple and repetitive music and lyrics, but they're taken as far as they can go, and it works. It's absolutely not something you can listen to all the time though. Anyway, I'm not doing it justice; read about the albums from reviewers. Or just listen to one of the 30 minute epics on those albums (what I thought someone would request) and you'll see. The songs are The Seer, Bring the Sun/Toussaint L'ouverture, and The Glowing Man. I think The Glowing Man would be my favorite of the 3. But they're intense listens so be prepared for that.

[@melryan9412]

One of my favorite Swans songs from a lyrical perspective. I love the concept of blindness and its one of the things that initially drew me to Swans because Gira loves using it as a theme. This is definitely not one of their most jaw dropping from a musical perspective however. If you plan on reacting to more Swans (which you totally should!) I would recommend something from 2012-2016. Maybe "Frankie M", "A Little God in My Hands", or maybe "Apostate". I don't like saying that this is their best era but it is certainly the most striking from a musicianship and production perspective. And them some day you have to listen to Soundtracks for the Blind all the way through. You must at least once

[@kellyt4786]

This is one of my favorite Swans songs as well. It’s so beautiful and dark and emotional.

[@wolverine669]

They were so called post-punk band and one of the first in No Wave movement. Strong, heavy guitar walls and Gira's dark, violent lyrics made them "famous" back in the day You should also check out Dead Can Dance from Australia. They're about the same aged band as Swans, formed in 1981. Try the song "Children Of The Sun"

[@upexus2076]

They actually came at the tail end of the no wave scene, with it "starting" around 77 and "ending" around the time of Filth (1983) along with the release of Sonic Youths debut ep and lp, though Swans and Sonic Youth are one of the very few groups associated with no wave to have persisted past the 80s. Gira was actually inspired to move to new york and start Swans-like music because of bands like Teenage Jesus And The Jerks, one of the bands on the No New York LP and central to no wave

[@doranbacigalupi1059]

I like the noisier Swans a bit more but this is gorgeous. One of the loudest/best bands to see live out there, believe it or not.

[@eric_wood]

What’s some of their noisier songs that you would recommend?

[@doranbacigalupi1059]

@@eric_wood They were kind of industrial/no wave in the 80's. I think this song was from the 90's period. Noisier might not have been the best word for me to use, maybe more dynamic. I'm most familiar with, and most into, the period of the last decade or so. There's pretty interesting stuff on My Father Will Guide Me Up A Rope to the Sky, The Seer, To Be Kind, The Glowing Man, and Leaving Meaning. This song is almost more like another Michael Gira project to me, Angels of Light, than it is other Swans. Sorry, I know I listed albums but with Swans it's hard for me to pick songs. Cheers!

[@eric_wood]

@@doranbacigalupi1059 I just finished listening to The Seer album and I hear what you meant by “noisier Swans” I enjoyed the listen! I can totally imagine how they could be VERY loud live. The repetitious crushing part in the song The Seer is probably wild to hear live as well as the the last song on the album, Apostate. Definitely going to be checking out more Swans!

[@z0z0bra]

Swans' The Great Annihilator is one of my favorite albums. its just full of masterpieces like the one you picked for background music ;)

[@iggypopdrop3509]

Dude, this is one of the best reaction analysis I’ve seen on KZbin. Great insights.

[@tuinhoofd1923]

God damn the sun playing when you were talking made what you were saying feel super deep and emotional haha

[@jmbrow772]

One of my favorite and most polarizing SWANS tracks. Doesn't sound like anything else they've done, might be the most soothing track they've produced. I would highly recommend something from the newer ('10-now) era so you can know where they've gone since.

[@bulletfastspeed]

Wow, I've never heard this song before. I love Swans, but I've known them for their really heavy and loud songs. This is great too

[@jonathanhenderson9422]

I've been meaning to check out Swans for ages and just haven't got to them yet. Based on what I've heard about them they'd probably be right up my alley, and I did dig this. It reminds me a lot (especially vocally) of 80s post-punk, with the closest comparison probably being Echo and the Bunnymen. I think most of their later stuff has been categorized as post-rock, and if they could combine post-rock and post-punk that would be really cool.

[@TokyoBalletReprise]

Listen to Blood Promise (live) from the Swans Are Dead album, fantastic live rendition of a short song that was made long in the live rendition.

[@Brian-sh5ne]

Swans is my favorite band! I’d definitely recommend you check out some songs from their last 4 albums. Also, Dogs by Sun Kil Moon is another song that sort of remains the same musically throughout, although they use a somewhat different approach by adding layers with each verse and progressing steadily towards a climax.

[@aramchek]

Swans are dreamy. The band has covered so much ground, I see everyone else suggesting their newer material, but I'd recommend going back to the start and listening to the album "Filth" or "Cop".

[@Br0k3nS41nt]

Hey! Just found your channel. I don't know how much more swans you've listened to since you made this video but they are incredibly diverse and unique in terms of styles they used over their career. They started in the 80s with noisy rough, sparsely composed (loosely punk maybe?) music and experimented with a lot of different influences after including folk, industrial, metal, rock, classical, blues, gospel, etc., etc, since then. The stuff they put out in the last decade is different still entirely, I would say more akin to sonic cinema than what we would consider songs on an album. Tracks frequently go over 30 mins, but don't ever stagnate (although repetition in riffs are kind of essential to the piece and how it transforms). All in all there isn't anything really like them. They exist on their own plateau.

[@CriticalReactions]

Unfortunately I haven't. I listen to a lot of stuff here and take note of songs/bands that get my attention but time is a fleeting resource and I can't always get back to the stuff I'd like to dig into. There are quite a few Swans fans in the community though so it wouldn't surprise me to see them back on the channel eventually, probably with one of their longer epics.

[@st6ph6n28]

2:35 Welcome, to Swans. Great review.

[@moccles]

Beautiful song.

[@CJLindermanDragonBugg]

As always, love the videos! Keep up the good work my dude. But hey, it's my birthday on November 8th, and if the country isn't burned down by then I would really appreciate (if it fits in somehow) if you checked out another Neurosis song... This time "Under the Surface" or "The Doorway." Probably the former if I HAD to pick, but flip a coin! They're a lot heavier, very percussive, and you'll get to hear the wall of guitar I love so much, it's so deep and gritty that it almost sounds like a viking war horn going off or something. If not that soon, anytime you can get back to Neurosis! Give them one more shot, and if that still doesn't hit the spot just go listen to an album from start to finish on your own time if you want to really experience them. But hey, either way, that one song would be awesome to see you check out and break down like you do. Take it easy man, thanks for the daily content!

[@ernestgarduno1492]

Hey Bryan! I’d love to see you do Rosetta Stoned by TOOL or Lateralus. Both are amazing and I think you’ll enjoy them 10x more than you did with Pneuma.

[@leonardsimonis2376]

Actually, I think the singer is so so great, and Swans are as well. I mean, none of their albums sounds like the previous one. From Filth they came to this beautifulness in just 6 years. This song is (for me) as good as a Leonard Cohen song or a Bob Dylan song - Michael Gira can be one of the best writers when he wants to. On the other hand, they are so dark and experimental, especially since 2010, that they became one if not the best post - rock band there is. And they also had Filth and Cop, albums that were heavier than every doom metal album. All this combined in one single band! That's great!

[@DrAutisto]

You should try something more out there from this band i.e. She Loves Us. Perfectly fit track to demonstrate why Swans are masters at build-up.

[@DatSpaiinGuy]

Please do "Your Property" by Swans.

[@j.prt.979]

Swans music has very much always been an “audio floor” for Gira’s lyrics. They have lots of very different sounding music, though. They also have quite a few exceptions to that general rule.

[@progperljungman8218]

Bonus songs again?... 😁

[@progperljungman8218]

I liked the third one the most...

[@vainojari]

You need to check out Fleshgod Apocalypse The Forsaking it's such a good song

[@llRoBoBinHoll]

The alternating sections do have different chords and are in different keys, though🤔

[@CharlesEMurphy]

The album kept playing so we got extra Swan, which is nice because the songs were short. It was very cool. Sounded like late Johnny Cash. This might fit in Doom, but not metal.

[@modefathy1205]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/jXmngH98ndOimLM this is the swans era man the glowing man album its a masterpiece

[@CriticalReactions]

Yeah I wasn't aware that KZbin had autoplay enabled😅

[@Swanicyouth]

I love your videos, esp Swans related, but they are very difficult to browse in You Tube app on iPhone because you need to click each video to see what band or song is being talked about, or maybe try and see in your background & figure it out. Keep up the great videos & maybe consider placing the band / song first in the tittle so you can easily see what you are reviewing for those browsing your channel. Thanks.

[@ProgPro96]

I hope one day you'll check out one of the big Swans epics like Frankie M or The Seer

[@MichaelAbramo]

Or Glowing Man or "The Knot". The latter is maybe the best thing Swans has ever recorded imo.

[@cubs87]

You really should check out Kingston Wall, Shine on me is probaly their most well known song. A prog band from 1990 combiding eastern themes, mysticism and vivid psychedelia with acid rock. Unfortunately the singer/songwriter jumped off a church ending his life :(

[@kylek4202]

Away from you by Boris and Merzbow

[@Lebowski55]

Not to be confused with Billy Corgan’s Zwan

[@pascalg16]

Pink Floyd - Time. A prog masterpiece that discusses how fast time passes, from the album Dark Side of the moon.

[@MountainMetal]

Surprised that anyone is doing this troubled, hauntingly beautiful and brutal soul Gira. Encouraging people to go deeper. Some of the best music is from some genuinely tortured places.

[@deminybs]

Is it just me or does dudes vocals sound very close to Johnny Cash??

[@Guswal03]

This is Michael Gira you cant compare them

[@aramchek]

A friend of mine borrowed my car once, and I had this album in the cd player..when he gave the car back he said "The guy singing sounds like he's dead".

[@shadez123]

On this one sure, but it depends on the song

[@jonunderland1297]

coincidentally, Gira (singer) subbed this song for Cash to cover for his American Recordings series, but it wasn't selected

[@CloneCommandos101]

Good video, but could you please not have the music playing so loudly whenever you’re speaking? It was really hard for me to concentrate on what you were saying at certain points, especially towards the end with the song Killing For Company. Which is one of my all time favorite songs from the band so maybe that’s why I got distracted! Lolz

[@CriticalReactions]

That was actually a mistake 😅. I had no idea that KZbin's autoplay had continued to play more Swans' music behind my analysis. If you watch other videos you'll see that usually it's just me after the "reaction" segment, no background music.

[@ilyas_elouchihi]

Actually, SWANS is one of the heaviest bands on earth

[@sanchzilla477]

I know it's a tall order, but it would be awesome if you reacted to the song Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence (Dream Theater) in its entirety. It would probably be an hour long video but I think it would be well worth it! 🤘

[@modefathy1205]

finally you reach to swans but why you choose blind !! they have to eras in they work i hope you check something from they latest work Swans- clouds of unknown or the seer man now im really sad because we miss our chance with Swans :/, For god-sake react on another track man PLEASE Swans - the seer i requested long long time ago your patroons taste so bad

[@vargagrav.sweden]

This is not a song by Swans right? I´ve learned it´s from Gira`s first soloalbum. The project was called Drainland. This song was included on one of Swans best of-compilations. Still, absolutely awesome..