(Listened to the streaming version, two extra songs were of similar quality to the rest of the album)
Just euphoric honestly. Rope/Beggar is monolithic (yes I know they’re technically different in this version but same performance so whatever), and Birthing is my favorite Swans song of the last 10 years, rivaled only by maybe Deliquescence glowing man. A bit disappointed by Away honestly because I love the studio version of that song so much and I was underwhelmed by it here. Also I ... read more

None of you know ball and it’s driving me fucking insane. Yeah half of it is really boring but the other half is eargasm and it’s like the best concept for an album ever.
Favorite Track:
4:50 AM

I’m still not sure if shoegaze is really my thing but it’s grown on me a lot. I definitely see why this album is so highly rated but I feel like I’ve bounced off of it somewhat despite post-rock being one of my favorite genres. Rating is definitely subject to change with my opinion but on objective quality it’s excellent. Also pretty backloaded IMO
Favorite Track:
Deep, Deep

Not all of it was for me but the songs that were I really, really enjoyed.
Favorite Track:
Rhinestone Eyes

Rushing back into the burning building to save el computador ❤️💻
Favorite Track:
iPod Touch

Do you think he was very fond of his mother?
Favorite Track:
Celebrity Lifestyle

Swans Trilogy rank: 3/3 (but not by a lot)
Phew, finally got around to this one. Feels like I take quite a while to listen to a Swans album after the last, but I get there eventually! The Seer is humanity at its beginning and all of its most primal instincts and fears. Gira and the rest of the gang waste no time appealing to your most base emotions, a recurring theme on the next two albums. However, just on personal preference, that makes it the weakest for me. I prefer when Gira goes for more ... read more

While maintaining the maximalist production that makes me mag all over myself, it’s definitely the less complete work when put next to Imaginal Disk. Little things, like the key change in Cry for Me and the bass in the final chorus of Image still have their counterparts in Mercurial World, but I suppose they just don’t have the same bite which, if I had to throw a dart at it, comes from the pure, euphoric cohesion of their sophomore album. Significantly better than Emily Montes, ... read more

I was about to listen to Mercurial World for the first time but nooo I just had to listen to Emily Montes
Favorite Track:
Roblox is my life

Something I don’t think GYBE gets enough credit for is the field recordings. I swear they find the most interesting people. Swans, for example, has some great ones, but I really don’t think any band can touch them in this regard. I could just listen to BBF3 talk about whatever and I’d be entertained.
Favorite track:
Moya

This might be an unpopular opinion but Providence is actually my favorite track on this album. Even more unpopular, I love the three minutes of silence on it. Is it the best sonically? No, probably not. But I think it’s the best experience, you know?
Oh, yeah, the album’s great.
Favorite track:
Providence

I still remember the first time I listened to Blackstar, and I can confidently say it’s what got me so into music. The title track did things I didn’t even know you could do in a song, and just gave me this overwhelming sickness in my stomach, this dread. Looking back, it isn’t the most avant-garde thing in the world like I thought it was when I first listened, but it doesn’t need to be. It’s somehow half serial killer music and half the saddest thing you’ve ... read more

Rating based on how funny it was (really funny aside from a couple songs which were a little funny)
Favorite Track
Bobo’s Chicken feat. Fantano

I really enjoyed this album. Sometimes the progression was a bit jerky and it was a little samey but those are my only real complaints- maybe the samey complaint would be different if I knew the lyrics but I can’t find English translations of most of these songs for some reason?
Favorite Track:
Olsen olsen

Irredeemable
Favorite Track:
SpongeBob Theme

While it has the 5 of the very best Swans songs (Blood Promise, Feel Happiness, I Crawled, Helpless Child, The Sound), it is also the worst version of the last 2. Also, a few of the songs just don’t interest me, specifically Blood On Yr Hands. Other than that though, Jarboe locks the fuck in (especially on I Crawled) and the highs of the album are undoubtedly their highest points. Pretty comfortably their best album, despite a few that didn’t really grab me.
Favorite Track:
Blood ... read more

His best work here. Homeless is a cool song but not really for me and Gumboots is kinda just okay. But the rest is 10/10, just a few things that bring it down for me
Favorite Track:
The Boy In The Bubble

Banger. Nice day is a cool outro but unfortunately worst single by default.
Favorite Track
This Is The World (I Made It For You)

What are yall talking about, this is the best one yet. Somehow. What the fuck
Favorite Track:
Black-Eyed Susan Climb

Like other Beatles albums in that half of it is goated and the other half is just okay, but more mixed
Favorite Track:
Tomorrow Never Knows