To Be Kind
by Swans
User Score
8.7

Universal acclaim- based on 291 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 263 out of 291
  2. Mixed: 7 out of 291
  3. Negative: 21 out of 291
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  1. jasharkowalski
    May 13, 2014
    10
    This is not experimental music, this is pure power delivered by Thor himself, or Mr. Gira as we have known him since he formed Swans. Musik, non stop!
  2. indiegalaxy10
    May 13, 2014
    10
    The thirteenth album of Swans is a work that is pulled with hands in blood, it's arranged by
    demons and conceptuality embarks everything in the mind of M.Gira the monster behind this
    double monster, To Be Kind is a two-hour journey full of screams, tears, whispering voices, epic outros, spiritism, mantras, violence and putting the savage in this masterpiece is putting the glory (in my    The thirteenth album of Swans is a work that is pulled with hands in blood, it's arranged by
    demons and conceptuality embarks everything in the mind of M.Gira the monster behind this
    double monster, To Be Kind is a two-hour journey full of screams, tears, whispering voices, epic outros, spiritism, mantras, violence and putting the savage in this masterpiece is putting the glory (in my opinion) in the best album by this extraordinary band, To Be Kind is insane, wonderful, terrific,surprising, mortal, ecclesiastical, narcotic, scary but mostly beautiful, it´s beautiful because,it's done with the hard work , with the eternal blood that flows in them. To Be Kind is a masterpiece.    … Expand
  3. knoxvox
    Jun 14, 2014
    10
    In short: a legitimate classic (unreal w great headphones). In long: absolutely one of the best albums I've heard in years! When was it decided that Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon was a classic? This album is up there! It's really that amazing! Do you know when you hear music that just sounds so fresh it's like a new window has been found & opened - that's what this is! Super trippy,In short: a legitimate classic (unreal w great headphones). In long: absolutely one of the best albums I've heard in years! When was it decided that Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon was a classic? This album is up there! It's really that amazing! Do you know when you hear music that just sounds so fresh it's like a new window has been found & opened - that's what this is! Super trippy, super groovy, dark & atmospheric, at times totally scary & brutal, but all so amazingly well constructed - the whole thing is truly remarkable! A must particularly for lovers of rock based music wanting more in these bleak days! This is art!!!!! If any other album gets my AotY, I'll be amazed!!! Get it!… Expand
  4. BENNEB
    May 23, 2014
    10
    Gira and his band members of primal animals throws out what is their best album to date, with its crashing instrumentation and mind-f*cking lyricism that show hints to their older works like Filth and Cop, the band proves itselves to be one of the world's greatest experimental rock group.

    Must hear tracks:
    ALL

    Avoid tracks:
    NONE
  5. r0tan0rtan
    Jul 10, 2014
    9
    Was finna give this a 10/10, but that would mean I would have to argue to myself that it's as good as Benji and deserves a 9.5 or higher. Still an amazing album, nonetheless and an improvement on The Seer from 2012, which was good, but the length of that album held it down. The length for To Be Kind does nothing but make it that much more epic.

    Side note:m A Little God In My Hands and    Was finna give this a 10/10, but that would mean I would have to argue to myself that it's as good as Benji and deserves a 9.5 or higher. Still an amazing album, nonetheless and an improvement on The Seer from 2012, which was good, but the length of that album held it down. The length for To Be Kind does nothing but make it that much more epic.

    Side note:m A Little God In My Hands and Oxygen can both make claims for song of the year in my opinion    … Expand
  6. Andremax
    Mar 11, 2019
    9
    To be King gets borrowed elements already known from alternative/indie, post-punk and noisy, but sounds as something different and original.
  7. HelloimSvend
    Sep 18, 2015
    10
    This album is indescribable. 2 hours with 10 songs which is all amazing. The band plays the music as it should be played since it is "Swans" and Michael Gira sings, screams and shouts in amazingly different ways each track and together with the music it just becomes as near to perfect as possible.

    Give it a listen. It is 2 hours worth it. That's for sure.
  8. oddyseus
    Jun 3, 2014
    10
    Really one of those rare albums you list under the category of incredible. Once you start playing it, you will most likely not be able to stop until the experience is complete. Powerful and profound, this is shaping up to be the almost unanimous best album of 2014. And it's only June.
  9. SUPERCHARGER201
    Jul 7, 2014
    10
    The musicianship the band gives with Michael Gira's beautifully-thematic and devastating approach in songwriting really gives you an introspective view on how the band works dynamically in the studio.

    The grooves throughout the record clearly makes this an uncompromising album ready to slam down and show no mercy to any potential rivals. Not that Mr. Gira was/or is intending to do such    The musicianship the band gives with Michael Gira's beautifully-thematic and devastating approach in songwriting really gives you an introspective view on how the band works dynamically in the studio.

    The grooves throughout the record clearly makes this an uncompromising album ready to slam down and show no mercy to any potential rivals. Not that Mr. Gira was/or is intending to do such thing, but the fact remains that this album achieves a startling, staggering and palpable point. A definite must-have for music fans bent on experimentation in any sort of genre, especially one by a hugely underrated band like Swans.    … Expand
  10. sorenseidelin
    Aug 18, 2014
    10
    Epic and big. Even though it's 2 hours longs, i didn't loose interest at one point. His voice is amazing, and the music is hypnotic and beautiful. Clearly a 10 for me.
  11. theneedledrop
    Nov 24, 2014
    10
    mind blowing made by the gods themselves Just listen to it understand it and you'll love it. Swans-To be kind is the best album of 2014 no doubt. I Love Swans
  12. cwongx
    May 13, 2014
    10
    I've been waiting for this album for several months already, and I just have to say that this has been the most groovy Michael Gira and the gang have gone. The beginning reminded me of their old 'Filth' album, except they really got a catchy hook going on in each of the songs, especially their title track in the end. To be honest, this album will grow on me and I may very well like thisI've been waiting for this album for several months already, and I just have to say that this has been the most groovy Michael Gira and the gang have gone. The beginning reminded me of their old 'Filth' album, except they really got a catchy hook going on in each of the songs, especially their title track in the end. To be honest, this album will grow on me and I may very well like this over 'The Seer'. But nothing stands out enough to compete with their best tracks like 'Her' and 'Failure'.… Expand
  13. Lord_Elijah
    May 15, 2014
    10
    Simply put, an amazing piece of music that I don't understand. and that's what makes it infinitely listenable and a great human achievement. OXYGENNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
  14. Lemuel
    May 13, 2014
    10
    perfect album. why does metacritic list the Quietus rating as an 8? AnyDecentMusic lists it as a 9.5, which seems much more accurate, given the content of the review.
  15. TheEverydayMan
    May 31, 2014
    9
    Here is my Pitchfork-esque review of To Be Kind:

    Michael Gira's thunderously godlike vocal spasms set against the deep and churning chasm of eternity wash over in a sea of ear-popping post-rock melodies and hypnotic beats sure to induce plenty of mental breakdowns and much nightmarish dream content for the nights to come. It's as if Prometheus has returned to steal fire from Mount    Here is my Pitchfork-esque review of To Be Kind:

    Michael Gira's thunderously godlike vocal spasms set against the deep and churning chasm of eternity wash over in a sea of ear-popping post-rock melodies and hypnotic beats sure to induce plenty of mental breakdowns and much nightmarish dream content for the nights to come. It's as if Prometheus has returned to steal fire from Mount Olympus for the first time in a thousand years, only this time to be sucked into a time warp where Judgment Day and the Creation of the World converge into one paralyzing hour of fear and fire, awash in moral calamity."

    In other words, it's a 9 out of 10.    … Expand
  16. DyingNote
    Jul 11, 2014
    9
    You don’t need a painted face, hyper-extended unreally red tongue lolling down to your navel, odd coloured contact lenses, matted hair and definitely not foot-high heels to be a scary musical act. You just need to be Michael Gira and make the kind of music his band Swans makes. But that’s the tough part. Because the band’s music is scary not in a horror-inducing way. It is terrifying inYou don’t need a painted face, hyper-extended unreally red tongue lolling down to your navel, odd coloured contact lenses, matted hair and definitely not foot-high heels to be a scary musical act. You just need to be Michael Gira and make the kind of music his band Swans makes. But that’s the tough part. Because the band’s music is scary not in a horror-inducing way. It is terrifying in its unrelenting intensity. In these times of 3-minute attention spans (am I being generous here?), Swans is an anachronism, making a huge demand on you with albums that are 2-hour long monster works. Less than two years after the release of their riveting epic “The Seer”, Swans have come back with what I think is perhaps an even better effort in “To Be Kind”. All the Swans stock-in-trade are here. The hypnotic quality created by phrases repeated, building up with slight modifications, gradual additions and then the nearly out-of-control spiralling crescendo best exemplified in my opinion on the shamanistic “Screen Shot” which, had the words been different, could well make for an incitement to ritual mayhem. The multi-movement half-an-hour extravagance in “Bring The Sun/Toussaint L’Ouverture”. The mystical allure and strange interludes of “Nathalie Neal”. Gira and co. draw you in to their murky, insane swirl of music, bind you such that even when you break back to the surface and clamber on to safe shores, you dive back after a short breather. Either that or you bounce off the surface perhaps never again to venture anywhere close. Not for everyone, this. Because this is a dark pool that is not penetrated by the light of joy. Yet it will cleanse you in a cathartic way...at a price. More than just music, it’s an experience. Not necessarily uplifting but definitely something that will make you question convention. And that in my opinion is a good thing.… Expand
  17. currer_bell
    Mar 3, 2018
    7
    Very impressive artistically, yet one can wonder if it is that much relevant... I usually hate post-rock, but I found To be Kind to be much more interesting, perhaps because it is more punk-ish or trashy. Songs could definitely be shorter and I'm not sure I'll listen to this album a lot, sometimes it sounds like a satanic mass in an abandonned chapel in Texas... but in the end I can't sayVery impressive artistically, yet one can wonder if it is that much relevant... I usually hate post-rock, but I found To be Kind to be much more interesting, perhaps because it is more punk-ish or trashy. Songs could definitely be shorter and I'm not sure I'll listen to this album a lot, sometimes it sounds like a satanic mass in an abandonned chapel in Texas... but in the end I can't say it's a bad album, and the drumming is really something.… Expand
  18. guitarmaniac004
    Dec 22, 2017
    8
    IT. TOOK. ME. SO. LONG. TO. LISTEN. TO. THIS. ALBUM! But it was a brilliant experience. Some parts felt a little drawn out but it's got so many layers of brilliant production and spine chilling sound effects. Definitely gonna re-listen to this at some point in the future.
  19. edvard
    Jun 30, 2014
    9
    This album will be a hard one to beat this year. It can be a bit intimidating at first. 2 Hours worth of music, but if you focus on the music, those 2 hours will feel like a half hour
  20. Muddsjr
    Jun 12, 2014
    10
    To Be Kind is an album unlike anything I have heard in years, its absolutely fantastic. Difficult, and impossible to get through in one sitting, but its otherwise a stone cold classic...
  21. ultraviolenmilk
    Nov 9, 2014
    10
    Për një LP që zgjat 2 orë e gjatë , ajo nuk ka humbur interesin dëgjuesit me këngë të shumta që shtrihen kufijtë e muzikës . Prandaj , To Be Kind nga mjellmat mund të jetë një nga LPS më të mira të 2014.
    10/10
  22. ORIGINATED
    Apr 27, 2015
    10
    Michael Gira has demonstrated his ability to push musicians beyond any expectations, and over the years, Swans has become one of the most respected bands when it comes to experimental music. It’s safe to say that Swans had enough records to be regarded as one of the most consistent and demanding bands these past decades, but it sounds as if Gira’s fear of death had grown to a point whereMichael Gira has demonstrated his ability to push musicians beyond any expectations, and over the years, Swans has become one of the most respected bands when it comes to experimental music. It’s safe to say that Swans had enough records to be regarded as one of the most consistent and demanding bands these past decades, but it sounds as if Gira’s fear of death had grown to a point where he can no longer control it. To Be Kind is full of surprises, full of details. There are songs that last for over 10 minutes and one over 30, that’s not interesting until you witness how intense those are. Perfect instrumentation, Gira’s voice is immaculate and it does what The Seer didn’t, it becomes fearless and uncompromising when it has to. Sometimes the less said the better. To Be Kind is a flawless album and the best of 2014.

    Best track: She Loves Us
    Exact Score: 10    … Expand
  23. Spillyd
    May 22, 2015
    10
    This is not music to put on in your car while you're driving around. This is music to transcend. While you can enjoy specific songs in the traditional way it is much more powerful as an immersive experience. It takes an investment of time and soul I think but the ultimate payoff is worth it and has opened me up to other "music" that I found too intimidating or strange. And if you everThis is not music to put on in your car while you're driving around. This is music to transcend. While you can enjoy specific songs in the traditional way it is much more powerful as an immersive experience. It takes an investment of time and soul I think but the ultimate payoff is worth it and has opened me up to other "music" that I found too intimidating or strange. And if you ever get to see them live DO IT! As powerful as the music is on recorded media it is 10x more effective in a live setting with all of your senses absorbing the energy. Beautiful brutality!… Expand
  24. plump_merchant
    Apr 16, 2017
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Interesting, creepy and experimental- To Be Kind in a nutshell. Very long tracks, which have a lot to offer, sonically and lyrically. The vocals are very meaning full. Almost every track follows the same pattern- after a few minutes of quiet jamming, the big range of instruments just explode into a big, unstoppable wall of sound. On of the best experimental rock, post-rock, noise rock, drone and ambient records in a while.… Expand
  25. tthehoe
    Apr 8, 2017
    10
    The inevitable conclusion of the loudness wars; get good and loud like it's 1988, play as long as a 1971 drug jam and as violent as 1593. Every sound on this album is perfectly mixed, from the explosive guitars to the glassy sheen of drum spills. Even the ear splitting noise is mixed to not clip, given plenty of breathing room in the mix, alongside trombones and oboes who knows what theThe inevitable conclusion of the loudness wars; get good and loud like it's 1988, play as long as a 1971 drug jam and as violent as 1593. Every sound on this album is perfectly mixed, from the explosive guitars to the glassy sheen of drum spills. Even the ear splitting noise is mixed to not clip, given plenty of breathing room in the mix, alongside trombones and oboes who knows what the **** else. A masterpiece no-one gets, including us fans or it's creators.… Expand
  26. All_ButTrU4
    Nov 28, 2021
    9
    vital and unsettling as anything they’ve ever done, and displays a mastery of their craft that seems almost automatic at this point
  27. William_Hart
    Apr 11, 2019
    10
    Another high point in Michael Gira's career and a milestone for this new incarnation of one of experimental rock's most beloved acts: Swans. Grandiose magnificence in the shape of crushing crescendos, long suspense and amazing progression in the shape of primal and animalistic energy channeled into flawless 10 tracks touching on some of mankind's most intriguing qualities. A must-listenAnother high point in Michael Gira's career and a milestone for this new incarnation of one of experimental rock's most beloved acts: Swans. Grandiose magnificence in the shape of crushing crescendos, long suspense and amazing progression in the shape of primal and animalistic energy channeled into flawless 10 tracks touching on some of mankind's most intriguing qualities. A must-listen for any noise rock, post-rock and Swans fans out there.… Expand
  28. didyoufow
    Jan 23, 2020
    10
    This is easily my favorite album of all time. Swans progressed very far from their No Wave days in the 80s.
  29. Typickup
    Sep 15, 2019
    10
    Swans are back with an intense and groove heavy album that improves on all fronts what they were doing with The Seer.
  30. kermie_the_frog
    Dec 28, 2019
    10
    Easily the best rock album of the 2010's. It feels like primal energy injected straight into my veins.
  31. FritzPelz
    Jun 14, 2020
    10
    Wonderful odd. Combines the genres I really love. Its overwhelming and complex. But going through is pretty difficult until you free your mind from the stereotype of music.
  32. thepartyison
    Jan 19, 2023
    8
    This album is good. Everything from the instrumentation from the vocals are great. The 2 issues are the lack of lyrics(I understand.... trust me) and the wait. This album is huge, very huge, and the wait is not delightful to finish it therefore me resulting to give this album an 8.
  33. ChiIIaoi
    Jul 19, 2023
    10
    Review só pra lembrar a nota que eu dei pro album:
    album mt bom, agora só escrever pra passar dos 75 caracteres.

Awards & Rankings

6
#6 Best Album of 2014
32
#32 Most Discussed Album of 2014
30
#30 Most Shared Album of 2014

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
88

Universal acclaim - based on 35 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 33 out of 35
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 35
  3. Negative: 0 out of 35
  1. Classic Rock Magazine
    Dec 18, 2014
    80
    To Be Kind is evidence that they continue to grow and may not have reached their peak yet. It's superb for now, though. [Summer 2014, p.90]
  2. The Wire
    Jul 17, 2014
    80
    To Be Kind is even moodier and more desolate than 2012's The Seer.... The more structured, traditional tracks don't cut quite as deep, largely because they echo other groups, at times overtly. [May 2014, p.68]
  3. Filter
    Jun 27, 2014
    78
    Well into their fourth decade, with the aughts years spent in hibernation, Swans are still making records of brilliance and majesty.
    Read full review
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