An album that leaves you exhausted and bathed in sweat when you listen to it and emotionally and physically turned inside out.
The Glowing Man is not just the most impressive album of this particular self-proclaimed “iteration” of Swans, but can easily lay claim to being their best to date.
The album is monumental in every sense of the word, a visceral testament to the abilities of an incredible group of musicians, each member contributing equally to its breathtaking chiaroscuro.
Legendary experimental rock outfit Swans returns with one of the most transcendental releases in their discography: The Glowing Man.
If The Glowing Man and its recent expansive—and invitingly difficult—predecessors have proven anything, it’s that Gira’s mission is to be boundary-less.
In all of that lies the brilliance of Swans. No experimental group has been able to so perfectly reflect the psychological turmoil of existence and the heavy burden of our pains and regrets.
Swans close their current chapter on a subdued but powerful note.
This is altogether a gentler Swans than existed even on the occasionally blissful To Be Kind.
It has a slightly transitory feel; a half-step back from those monolithic builds and whiplash grooves, gesturing towards something more contemplative and… well, “softer” feels the wrong word, but certainly weathered by the journey.
With a running time of just under two hours, ‘The Glowing Man’ may prove too punishing for some but those willing to invest time in its fiery depths will discover yet another remarkable Swans album.
A defiantly draining listen that's also weirdly uplifting in its ruthless pursuit of a singular vision, The Glowing Man confirms that Gira is an unparalleled artist operating at a strange experimental nexus, somewhere outside the defined borders of folk, metal, classical, and drone.
The Glowing Man is, according to Michael Gira, a record in which the Swans leader – 62 years old, 14 LPs in – stares into the face of mortality, infinity, God. It sounds like it, too; such lofty thematic ambition matched across a two-hour triple-album striving for the firmament, the transcendent.
We’re left with yet another cathartic artefact that, whilst perhaps shrinking in the shadow of what came before, bookends the latest metamorphosis of a band whose next form is anyone’s guess.
The Glowing Man ... finds Swans ever so slightly more playful, and on the cusp of a new era.
Unsettling as it may be, this conflict is a testament to Swans’ unparalleled ability to translate the absurd violence of the human condition into music that’s as intoxicating as it is intense.
At times Swans sound like they’ve harnessed the unstoppable swell of the great oceans, most powerfully on the 29-minute title track, which veers from euphoric mantra to pulverising Krautrock with mesmerising effect.
Read as something of a restatement of ideals The Glowing Man is impressive, if perhaps unessential.
Fans of the band will enjoy the mature and practiced sound of this very good album, but the unconvinced might remain so, as the band don't exactly reinvent the wheel on The Glowing Man.
A record that’s as uncompromising as Swans’ best work from this era, but hardly as essential.
Whereas The Seer and To Be Kind defied boredom and logic with two-hour runtimes, The Glowing Man wears its 118 minutes less gracefully.
While their long, drawn-out, circling dark clouds remain potent, ultimately The Glowing Man is the weakest of the three powerful epics they've released since 2012.
This failure to consistently engage will perhaps be as much a block on its reception, appreciation, and interpretation as any uncertain allegation bearing on its author’s private life.
Erasing my old review to talk about this album, that has grown to be one of the most hypnotic listens I’ve ever heard. It’s no surprise that I have enjoyed Swans work. To Be Kind is a behemoth of an album that feels larger than life. Soundtracks for the Blind is an album that is shocking and challenging, but satisfying every step of its insanely long journey. With The Glowing Man, we get something completely different.
I ran across this album after hearing TBK expecting something ... read more
A dreadful exploration of mortality.
Here we are again, another Swans album. Since I've heard To Be Kind a couple of months ago Swans turned out to be one of my favorite bands quickly, and I've been extremely intrigued with this album for a while now, but haven't quite found the time to sit through it. Now that I have, it blew my already high expectations out of the water.
The Glowing Man is the third and final installment in the band's 3 album trilogy since 2012's The Seer, right after ... read more
Swans Discography Deep Dive #14: My Favorite Hobby Is (The) Blowing Men
How does one end a trilogy (I know, not a real trilogy, don't @ me, I will cry and feel hurt)? Well, my idea would be to end it with a bang. You know, you build up the foundations with the first one, you expand on the themes and concepts with the second one and then you punch the audience in the stomach and curb stomp their ass with the third one. Interestingly, Swans didn't do that. This a fairly somber and laid-back ... read more
Second album I've heard from swans and this one feels even better than the other one. I'm just lost for words with this one from the first track to the last one. But i did kinda fall asleep at The World Looks Red / The World Looks Black i still remember the track but i just forgot that i was there but when i got up the next song started i really liked but The Glowing Man just takes the cake i was in a hypnosis i was mashing my hands to the drums i was swinging from left to right and i just ... read more
1 | Cloud of Forgetting 12:43 | 95 |
2 | Cloud of Unknowing 25:12 | 97 |
3 | The World Looks Red / The World Looks Black 14:27 | 94 |
4 | People Like Us 4:32 | 91 |
1 | Frankie M 20:58 | 97 |
2 | When Will I Return? 5:26 | 94 |
3 | The Glowing Man 28:50 | 98 |
4 | Finally, Peace 6:15 | 96 |
#4 | / | The Needle Drop |
#17 | / | Louder Than War |
#20 | / | Earbuddy |
#28 | / | Pretty Much Amazing |
#32 | / | Treble |
#35 | / | No Ripcord |
#38 | / | Sputnikmusic |
#46 | / | Uncut |
#62 | / | Rough Trade |
#71 | / | Fopp |