Swans - "Feel Good Now" CD

As a document of the band's scathing and nuanced 1987 "Children Of God" tour, this "official bootleg" was originally released in a small edition on double-vinyl and CD. This resequenced reissue omits "Trust Me", but is still quite worthy for devotees of Swans' transcendent sound and vision.

Opening with the gutteral "Intro", the band launches into "Blind Love", which  pummels mantra-like for over 20 minutes. "Like A Drug" is a bowel-churning attack, while "Beautiful Child" is a churning assault with murderous intent. There's no weak spot here, and though some may feel the 75 minutes here are far too much to endure, I  feel to the contrary, especially as the softer moments (highlighted by Jarboe's foreboding "Blood And Honey") serve to pace the otherwise bludgeoning assault of sound.

Make no mistake, "Feel Good Now" is a raw, bootleg-quality recording. It was, after all, recorded on a Sony Professional Walkman by the band's sound engineer. However, as an album and experience, it's still quite worthy for serious fans, as it showcases a particularly volatile and inspiring period for the band, right between their powerful (even threatening) early work and their more melodic middle period. The intensity is not lost on the relatively low fidelity here. 

Visceral and unembellished, "Feel Good Now" is a cathartic experience with few parallels. It's best to close your eyes and absorb. Magnificent! 

(Atavistic)

Official SWANS site

Young God Records

SWANS - "The Burning World" CD

I'm pretty certain Michael Gira didn't anticipate, nor "green light" this 2012 reissue of Swans' infamous 1989 major label album. And for collectors or fans, it offers little over the original pressing aside from a louder remastering. I'd have liked to see the single B-sides, at least, appended for a more complete experience, but that's nitpicking.

It's been well-documented before many times. Gira and company were signed to MCA/Uni, and with the addition of an outside producer, Bill Laswell, they came up with this selection of 10 folk/world songs. Coming on the heels of the bands' sprawling, scalding masterwork, "Children Of God", this mellow, moody, and melodic set was subjected to numerous declarations of "sellout". And though it produced one of Gira's most memorably haunting songs ("God Damn The Sun"), the singles "Saved" and "Can't Find My Way Home" didn't find themselves charting much anywhere. 

Years later, many still consider "The Burning World" a blemish within Gira and company's illustrious catalog. Gira himself has outright refused to reissue this, aside from some odd bits included on his "Various Failures" compilation, and a very limited handmade redux called "Forever Burned", which also sold out quickly and now fetches large sums itself.

"The Burning World" isn't a terrible effort. On the contrary, it's a strong one, but it also needs to be seen for what it is --  a turning point, a very public transition where Gira, Jarboe, and Westberg would shed their previous image. They would eventually resolve to rebuild the band's legacy several years later with the double-album epics "White Light From The Mouth Of Infinity" and "Love Of Life", and that legacy continues today, stronger than ever.

So, while this reissue may not be fully "official", newer fans unable to obtain a reasonably-priced original will find it's an appealing alternative. Let's just hope Water/Universal compensates Young God Records for this one. (Water/Universal)

Young God Records (official source for new SWANS music)

Young God Amazon Sampler

With the monumental SWANS reformation tour presently assaulting eardrums across the United States, frontman Michael Gira's label, Young God Records, has released a free downloadable 86-minute sampler of the label's history, including work from Gira as SWANS and Angels Of Light, plus work from Devendra Banhart, Larkin Grimm, James Blackshaw, and Akron/Family, among many others.

It's available from amazon in the USA for absolutely FREE. Fans in the UK have to pay, as do Germans (though amazon.de has a discounted rate it looks like).

The link should be here:
Young God Amazon Sampler

Akron / Family - "Set 'Em Wild, Set 'Em Free" CD

Initially seen as a psychedelic 'freak folk' kinda act, and gaining numerous accolades through their previous alliance with M. Gira's esteemed Young God Records, Akron/Family return with a deep, warm, and altogether joyous celebration of sound, vision, and worldliness on the multi-leveled, diverse, and truly wonderful 'Set 'Em Wild'. The guys of AF are, without a doubt, immense fans and consumers of music in all of it's shapes and permutations. Just give a listen to the funky 'Everyone Is Guilty', which goes from James Brown to Hendrix and back, while adding a laid-back summery vibe near the end. It may sound schizophrenic, but somehow it works. Witness the island charms of the accessible 'River', which recalls a lazy, sunny porch scene down South, by way of Jamaica. 'Creatures' brings a dub rhythm to the table, though it's still in essence a classic rock track that screams of long hair and sandals. 'Gravelly Mountains Of The Moon' embraces both gospel and free jazz, while 'MBF' shows their affinity for screeching noise. 'Sun Will Shine (Warmth Of The Sun)' is a throwback to their earlier rural folk, while 'Last Year', which closes the album, is a simple, but effective sing-along for the working class. Basically, the band's 'everything-but-the-kitchen-sink' approach is their greatest trait, and there are enough catchy, lovely pop-songs submerged here that it's almost ridiculous. Sure to be a classic one day, Akron/Family flashes a multi-faceted brilliance consistently. A must-hear. (Dead Oceans)

Akron/Family website

Larkin Grimm - "Parplar" CD

Simultaneously earthy, exotic, witchy, weird, whimsical, and boldly individual, beguiling mystical mountain folkstress Larkin Grimm's past is speckled with odd juxtapositions. She was raised communally in Tennessee and Georgia, was 'educated' at Yale, and left to pursue her own personal muse, which found her exploring locales as disparate as Alaska, Guatemala, and Thailand. It was in Olympia, Washington where she met a Cherokee shaman and gained a greater wisdom of the world, and thus her journey as a musician began. So the story goes. But that can be further read about elsewhere.
Origins aside, 'Parplar' is Larkin Grimm's first wide-profile release, and it shines with a distinctive voice that channels both earth-mother and murderous destroyer. It's a wise and bold set of world-inspired tunes that invoke the musical embodiment of Kali herself (witness the incantational protection mantra 'Durge' for evidence).
'They Were Wrong' begins the journey with a sensitive, earth-wise, and wide-eyed little girl's voice, albeit with a barely-submerged hint of desperate and revengeful spite. It's deep, dark, and lovely, and only hints at the possibilities that are to follow.
'Dominican Rum' is a catchy and upbeat Appalachian folk song, albeit laced with venomous ruminations and what could be seen as environmental commentary. 'Minou Minou' is a frantic bit of Indian-inspired weird-folk, and 'All The Pleasures' showcases her finger-picking proficiency well, with a down-home and ethereal vibe. Larkin Grimm's deep and dark lyrics aren't for the prudish, as she attacks the wrongs of man without remorse or fear, and her channelling of gaia's essence isn't hippie or Bonnaroo as much as it is timeless eco-warrior, liberator, and ancient soul. Larkin Grimm's is a voice that needs to be heard, more than ever in these times of environmental and social/cultural upheaval. (Young God)

Larkin Grimm site

Akron/Family - "Love Is Simple" CD/DVD

This is music by, and for, people who appreciate music, in all it's permutations, forms, and styles. Akron/Family's second (well, third or fourth, if you're counting their works as The Angels Of Light band) full-length effort is a lovely and song-based affair. They come off, on record, as a kind of indie folk act that crosses over into hippie jam band territory almost. But that's short-changing these fellows. First, they can write some fucking great songs - ones that you can sing along to, even. I guarantee that upon hearing the glorious 'Love Is Simple' (the title track), or the memorable 'Phenomena', you will be humming along for the rest of the day. Really! Elements of world, and even religious musics come into play. And it works magickally, somehow, in a big mysterious melange of song and sound. A wonderful CD, this one co-produced by Andrew Weiss (of Rollins Band and Ween fame).
If you're lucky and purchased a first pressing of this, then you also have a nice and tasty DVD packed with nearly 90 minutes of live mayhem from these boys. Here is where it all comes together...from gospel-style hoedowns to frenzied noise to trance-inducing drum circles, to mellow acoustic folksongs - sometimes evolving from and around the same song even. This is what it's all about, losing yourself in the music. No egos, no 'rock star' attitude, just a genuine respect for the sound of 'love'. (Young God Records)