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Originally Posted by guest
skuj go listen to those early records. just do it, come back here, read what you've written and then punch yrself in the balls.
as a few of us have said (I think...), the vitriolic element of swans wasn't so much an element per se as it was the very essence of swans itself. regardless of the form the music took it remained intact, through grinding no wave, neofolk, dark rock, whatever the fuck you want to call post-children of god; gira retained in all his music a fury, an unbridled hatred for mankind and the world with no inkling of hope, no light to offset the crushing blackness. the new records temper it with a sense of optimism, a sort of "hey the world suxxxx bad but we can overcome it together hippy dippy suck me off", itself a decidedly modern (and depressing) school of thought, representing a mentality that is totally at odds with the initial incarnation of the band. in that, in my mind and indeed those of a lot of people with whom I've spoken, it negates the foundational qualities of the band and thereby means it's NOT SWANS, it's angels of light + drone rock.
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Actually, I'm pretty sure it's whatever Michael Gira wants it to be, and I'm also pretty sure he's grown up.
Being a "fan" doesn't give you any special insight on what a band should sound like.
You either like it, or you don't.