Stream: Swans- The Seer
Slowly but surely, the practically unclassifiable art rock titans Swans have unleashed tracks from their new album The Seer. Last month, they dropped an edited version of “The Apostate,” which appears on The Seer in its complete, 23-minute duration, and last week they released another gargantuan track, the 12-minute “Mother Of The World,” via NPR. As of today, the new album is officially available to stream, again thanks to NPR, in its entire 2-hour glory. Listening to this album is no small feat, but as somebody who has had difficulty getting into Swans in the past, I can attest that The Seer is surprisingly inviting for such a leviathan of a record. Frontman Michael Gira–a man whose boundless ability to reinvent himself and stay relevant makes people half his age look bad–remains in a creative class of his own on this record, although he does get some help. Guest contributors include Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, on “Song For the Warrior,” and Low’s Mimi Parker and Alan Sparhawk on the stunning opening track “Lunacy,” perhaps my favorite track from the album.

The Seer will be streaming on NPR until its August 28th release date. Pre-order it now from Young God Records.