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The Glowing Man is the fourteenth studio album by American experimental band Swans , released June 17, 2016 on Young God and Mute .[1] [2]
The song "The World Looks Red/The World Looks Black" contains lyrics written by frontman Michael Gira that were used in the Sonic Youth song "The World Looks Red" in the album Confusion Is Sex . The music itself, however, is unrelated.[2] The title track has previously been referred to as "Black Hole Man"[3] and "Black-Eyed Man ". The song "When Will I Return?" was uploaded to YouTube on May 27, 2016.[4]
Critical reception
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Upon its release, The Glowing Man was widely praised by music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from critics, the album received an average score of 81, based on 22 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". Writing for Exclaim! , Griffin J. Elliot called the album "a meticulous exercise in the band's streamlining their abstract sound, taking what they've done before and playing it under a newer, grander spotlight."[13] Saby Reyes-Kulkarni wrote for Pitchfork , "The love in [Gira's] music is as terrible as it is beautiful, a wrenching act of spiritual determination. Swans make this sound effortless, though, in a fitting end to a remarkable chapter of their career."[9]
Accolades
Track listing
All music is composed by Michael Gira, Norman Westberg, Christopher Pravdica, Christoph Hahn, Michael Harris & Philip Puleo, except where noted
Disc one Title Music 1. "Cloud of Forgetting" 12:43 2. "Cloud of Unknowing" 25:12 3. "The World Looks Red / The World Looks Black" Michael Gira 14:27 4. "People Like Us" Michael Gira 4:32
Disc two Title Music 5. "Frankie M." 20:58 6. "When Will I Return?" Michael Gira 5:26 7. "The Glowing Man" 28:50 8. "Finally, Peace." Michael Gira 6:15 Total length: 118:23
Vinyl version (Side A) Title 1. "Cloud of Forgetting" 12:43 2. "Cloud of Unknowing" (Part 1) 6:04
Vinyl version (Side B) Title 1. "Cloud of Unknowing" (Part 2) 19:48
Vinyl version (Side C) Title 1. "The World Looks Red / The World Looks Black" ("The World Looks Red" (0:00-7:12), "The World Looks Black" (7:13-14:27)) 14:27 2. "People Like Us" 4:32
Vinyl version (Side D) Title 1. "Frankie M." 20:58
Vinyl version (Side E) Title 1. "When Will I Return?" 5:26 2. "The Glowing Man" (Part 1 – "Bring the Sun" intro) 15:02
Vinyl version (Side F) Title 1. "The Glowing Man" (Part 2 – "The Glowing Man") 13:55 2. "Finally, Peace." 6:15 Total length: 118:23
Personnel
Adapted from the official Young God Records website:[2]
Michael Gira – vocals, electric and acoustic guitar
Christoph Hahn – lap steel guitar , electric guitar, acoustic guitar, vocals
Thor Harris – percussion , vibes and bells , hammered dulcimer
Christopher Pravdica – bass guitar , vocals
Phil Puleo – drums , hammered dulcimer, vocals
Norman Westberg – electric guitar, vocals
Bill Rieflin – drums, piano , synth , Mellotron , bass guitar, electric guitar, vocals
Jennifer Gira – lead vocals on "When Will I Return?"
Okkyung Lee – cello on "Cloud of Unknowing"
Charts
References
^ Camp, Zoe (April 5, 2016). "Swans Announce New Album The Glowing Man, Share Title Track: Listen" . Pitchfork Media . Retrieved April 5, 2016 .
^ a b c "The Glowing Man (preorder)" . Young God Records . April 5, 2016. Retrieved April 5, 2016 .
^ "Swans Live Review @ Music Hall of Williamsburg - Brooklyn Vegan" . Retrieved June 15, 2016 .
^ SWANS (May 27, 2016). "When Will I Return" . Retrieved June 15, 2016 – via YouTube.
^ Simpson, Paul. "The Glowing Man – Swans" . AllMusic . Retrieved June 15, 2016 .
^ "Reviews for The Glowing Man by Swans" . Metacritic . Retrieved June 16, 2016 .
^ Warwick, Kevin (June 17, 2016). "With The Glowing Man, Michael Gira Caps Off Swans' Golden Age of Exploration" . The A.V. Club . Retrieved June 17, 2016 .
^ Segal, Victoria (July 2016). "Swans: THe Glowing Man" . Mojo (272): 92. Retrieved June 15, 2016 .
^ a b Reyes-Kulkarni, Saby (June 21, 2016). "Swans: The Glowing Man" . Pitchfork Media . Retrieved June 21, 2016 .
^ Cataldo, Jesse (June 7, 2016). "Swans: The Glowing Man" . Slant Magazine . Retrieved June 15, 2016 .
^ "Swans: The Glowing Man" . Sunderland Echo . June 7, 2016. Retrieved June 23, 2016 .
^ "Swans: The Glowing Man" . Spin Magazine . June 9, 2016. Retrieved June 17, 2016 .
^ a b Elliot, Griffin J. (June 16, 2016). "Swans - The Glowing Man" . Exclaim! . Retrieved August 10, 2016 .
^ "The Quietus Albums of the Year 2016" . The Quietus . December 6, 2016. Retrieved December 6, 2016 .
^ "Albums of the Year" . Rough Trade . November 14, 2016. Retrieved November 15, 2016 .
^ "Austriancharts.at – Swans – The Glowing Man" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 29, 2016.
^ "Ultratop.be – Swans – The Glowing Man" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 24, 2016.
^ "Ultratop.be – Swans – The Glowing Man" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 24, 2016.
^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Swans – The Glowing Man" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 24, 2016.
^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Swans – The Glowing Man" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts . Retrieved June 24, 2016.
^ "Swisscharts.com – Swans – The Glowing Man" . Hung Medien. Retrieved June 29, 2016.
^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100" . Official Charts Company . Retrieved June 25, 2016.
^ "Swans Chart History (Billboard 200)" . Billboard . Retrieved June 28, 2016.
External links
Studio albums Fundraiser albums Live albums Compilation albums EPs Singles Related articles