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- Summary: The latest full-length release from experimental rock band The Swans features a nearly 44-minute-long track.
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- Record Label: Mute
- Genre(s): Pop/Rock, Alternative/Indie Rock
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Score distribution:
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Positive: 9 out of 10
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Mixed: 1 out of 10
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Negative: 0 out of 10
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Jun 29, 2023It’s noteworthy that this latest record is on par with those two [Soundtracks for the Blind and The Seer] in quality, because it marks his largest leap forward in a long time. By imagining a future without himself, Michel Gira has opened up an eternity of possibilities. He’s let the light shine in – and that is deeply moving. He’s found peace.
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Jun 23, 2023The Velvet Underground-worthy Los Angeles: City of Death is the closest this Swans incarnation comes to rock and unusually for a band of this vintage, they’re still springing surprises, such as the way Michael Is Done suddenly erupts into beatific rapture reminiscent of early Brian Eno.
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Jun 20, 2023Some might wish for more of the pounding drums and hellish vocals of old, others might hope for more of the experimental blasted patchwork of The Beggar Lover (Three), but the album succeeds best through its unwieldy, unmanageable length. They say Swans can break a man’s spirit with just two hours of unstinting grimness.
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Jun 23, 2023The Beggar is a challenging listen over its two-hour run time, but the sonic soundscapes SWANS create throughout deliver what the band set out to do; juxtapose the beautiful and grotesque while stretching out their droning sound to the breaking point.
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Jun 22, 2023The Beggar is definitely flawed as a front-to-back experience, but it's also the most engaging release that Swans have put out since To Be Kind.
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Jun 22, 2023A definite improvement over leaving meaning, The Beggar is a riskier yet more successful effort that feels like a step in a more fulfilling direction.
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Jun 20, 2023The Beggar is another solid entry into the Swans canon, if not one that suggests it will have the staying power of their classics. It still marks Swans as a group intent on developing long into their career, and there’s no threat of them losing their intensity.
Score distribution:
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Positive: 1 out of 3
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Mixed: 1 out of 3
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Negative: 1 out of 3
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Jun 28, 2023Back on form after the transitional Leaving Meaning.
A gamut of depth and variety. -
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Jul 19, 2023
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Jun 27, 2023
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