Swans have supposedly reached the end. Six years ago Michael Gira reformed the mythical band which under the same moniker became one of darkwave's darkest and top class acts and gave it a new life with the excellent My Father Will Guide Me Up A Rope To The Sky, followed by the globally approved The Seer. The new version of Swans drew attention, topped lists and entered places you would never imagine them entering before. Their next one, To Be Kind, sealed the deal. For the first time in the 30 plus year total of the bands existence Swans were hip.
The Glowing Man is a two hour record which does not break any new grounds, however it is equivalent and a logical successor to the band's last three albums. There are only three songs that clock around the six minute mark, then it doesn't get any shorter than 13 minutes and up to 29 for the title track. Listening to Swans needs patience and requires attention. It is never an easy task. It can drain your soul to the point of exhaustion, but in the end it can be a cathartic experience and you always get out bewildered but alive.
Swans are once more over, entering a face of uncertainty as to whether they're going to resurface again or not, but as they did 20 years ago with Soundtracks For The Blind, they are going away on a high note. The Glowing Man may be the toughest one to swallow from the 2010-on quadrilogy, still it's a dark triumph to behold.
ZR