The Glowing Man
by Swans
User Score
8.6

Universal acclaim- based on 71 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 64 out of 71
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 71
  3. Negative: 4 out of 71
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  1. CZot
    Dec 20, 2016
    3
    The Glowing Man is an album that's received some pretty intense praise from music critics, but for the average listener, it is a boring listen. It is not uncommon for Swans to play the same note over and over again for minutes at a time, leaving you wondering if the song you're listening to is even a song or just noise. And when a song is boring, it can be boring for up to 25 minutes.The Glowing Man is an album that's received some pretty intense praise from music critics, but for the average listener, it is a boring listen. It is not uncommon for Swans to play the same note over and over again for minutes at a time, leaving you wondering if the song you're listening to is even a song or just noise. And when a song is boring, it can be boring for up to 25 minutes. (Yes, some of these songs are ridiculously long!) The lead singer's vocals are often very abrasive and tribalistic, and don't add much at all to any of these songs. Despite this, there are some snippets of these various bloated songs that are enjoyable and catchy to listen to. Overall, The Glowing Man appears to me as an over hyped, simplistic album sold as some sort of abstract art piece. But really, it's just boring.… Expand

Awards & Rankings

97
#97 Most Discussed Album of 2016
96
#96 Most Shared Album of 2016

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
81

Universal acclaim - based on 22 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 20 out of 22
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 22
  3. Negative: 0 out of 22
  1. Blurt Magazine
    Jul 29, 2016
    80
    Consolidation more than innovation, The Glowing Man still presents the current incarnation of Swans in its best light, as if this is the record the band has been working toward these past seven years.
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  2. Clash Music
    Jul 28, 2016
    80
    With a running time of just under two hours, The Glowing Man may prove too punishing for some but those willing to invest time in its fiery depths will discover yet another remarkable Swans album.
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  3. Rolling Stone
    Jul 11, 2016
    60
    While their long, drawn-out, circling dark clouds remain potent, ultimately The Glowing Man is the weakest of the three powerful epics they've released since 2012. It can be muted and jammy, the build-ups are not as dramatic and it brings little in new ideas for Gira's dead-eyed yowl.
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