The Depths · All albums

The Seer

Swans · 2012

• Scores: Noise 4, Unease 4, Complexity 4 (each 1 to 5)
• Genre: Rock, Noise rock, Post-rock
• Mood: sprawling, ecstatic, punishing
• Sound: extended songs, noise, percussive

The Seer is a double album of long, slow-building pieces, with the title track running more than 32 minutes. Swans recorded it in 2011 in Berlin and New York, with Michael Gira producing and spending about five months on overdubs. Drone and noise recur throughout, standard rock instruments are joined by bagpipes, dulcimer, cello, contrabassoon and fire sounds, and female vocals from guests including Karen O, Jarboe and Mimi Parker are used to make drone chords and a gentler contrast. Gira played the songs live before recording them, letting them mutate, and funded the album partly by recording personalised songs for donors.

Track list

1. Lunacy (6:09)
2. Mother of the World (9:57)
3. The Wolf (1:35)
4. The Seer (32:14)
5. The Seer Returns (6:17)
6. 93 Ave. B Blues (5:21)
7. The Daughter Brings the Water (2:40)
8. Song for a Warrior (3:58)
9. Avatar (8:51)
10. A Piece of the Sky (19:10)
11. The Apostate (23:01)