Miami - let's make it shine! 👋 Lisa Davis46, whenever you can find a spare minute—you know how it goes 😉
I’m telling you, there are so many killer album suggestions getting overlooked. On one hand, it sucks... but on the other hand, it just means we can listen to them and review them in different threads instead, or suggest them during other weeks 😁 Especially when someone drops a recommendation for something totally obscure that sounds awesome from the very first listen.
Jason Mendoza said:Everything looks great, but NoMeansNo gets my vote. It’s such a classic and honestly one of my all-time favorite albums...
Regarding breaking through those language barriers, I was actually thinking about suggesting TBF - Ping this week—you know, that healthy kind of art—but clearly, I missed the boat before the 7th... 👍
We can definitely put it on the list for next week. There's tons of interest, and we don't want the poll to get too crowded. If we pile them up too fast, things just get buried, and I really think every single suggestion deserves some love...
I didn't think we'd already have four suggestions sitting here by Thursday morning! But hey, here's one more from me and then we can jump straight into the poll 😁
NoMeansNo - Wrong (1989)
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NoMeansNo are such unique American punks, and Wrong is easily one of their most essential albums. They aren't just loud, though—their technical skill is actually through the roof. It’s this wild mix of everything: noise, blues rock, and pure punk rock. Seriously, please give that rhythmic intro a listen...
as some people already mentioned, it sometimes feels a bit over-calculated in its drama, even if that fits the album's theme—probably why I didn't really revisit it after listening about ten years ago. It felt like someone was shouting in my face about how important, powerful, and terrifying they were, and how seriously they needed to be taken, which irritates me both in people and in music. But looking at it now, maybe that's actually the point of the album, and there's a certain dose of irony involved 😁
Exactly! That theatricality just bleeds through the whole opus. Maybe some people get the impression they're forcing it, especially since Gira is supposedly a totally different kind of guy in private. A withdrawn recluse who doesn't even want any attention. So the contrast is all the more intense. Though, okay, in interviews he claims he’s just a guy who wants to play and create sound. He's just different by nature, which they achieved simply by being part of the no wave scene. The whole thing just screams "different" 😁
Anyway, I've listened three times now, so here are some observations even though most of you have already hit the nail on the head, because I really should be working right now, and this is way more fun 😍 Given that the songs are definitely multi-layered and any 'clear' interpretation is surely missing the mark, I always try to piece together some sort of story myself, so maybe I'll hit on something here.
You aren't wrong in your description at all, personally I feel like the message being sent is pretty universal.
This is great 👍 That's more or less how I experienced it too—I hear regret, obsession, self-hatred, a longing to connect with something bigger and stronger through lamentations of violence and reflections on the absence of physicality.
More or less, yeah, those are basically Swans in a nutshell 🙂 Plus, those recurring motifs throughout their work are fascinating in their other projects too. Besides Angels of Light, they had Body Lovers / Body Haters and The World of Skin. Just the names they choose for their projects reveal exactly what they're talking about
But man, that last concert I went to... Aside from a few specific moments stuck in my head, I remember the closing mantra where they just—partially and improvised (because things that are 8 or 9 minutes in the studio end up being 20+ minutes live!)—repeated the word "love." And you can truly feel that energy, the essence of that word. No matter how much it comes out of the darkness, it's actually positive. I don't want to sound like a fanatic, but honestly, no religion offers anything like that.
Anyway, this just reminded me of an album I absolutely adore (it’s got nothing to do with Swans, by the way) that I might suggest soon... I honestly don't think it'll be a huge hit, but I'm dying to know what you guys think of it!
Just go for it! Other suggestions are always interesting, even if they don't immediately win over our esteemed audience 😁
Christian Nelson62 said:I know, and thanks so much, Amanda Robinson4! Honestly, I got hooked on all of this because of those songs about pizza and the whole vibe of Irish pubs. I was grabbing lunch the other day surrounded by some absolutely incredible local jazz musicians... and let's just say lunch didn't go quite as planned. A few of those tracks totally transported me straight to New Orleans—thinking about their carnivals and those jazz funerals—and I ended up getting way too carried away with the drinks. Anyway, everything's fine, I don't want to derail the conversation.
You aren't derailing anything! If anything, tell us more about that bolded part... 🍿
Alright, here we go, time to vote again! Let's get moving, people!
So, here’s the lineup for this round:
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Boatman's Call (1997) Tom Waits - Closing Time Keith Jarrett - Changeless (1989) Daphni – Jola Mai (2017) Boards of Canada - Music Has the Right to Children (1998) tako - tako (1983) Jakarta - Maska za dvoje (1984)
Hey analogbear40, just a heads up that suggestions are usually due on Thursdays. You can always send them in earlier, though I'd rather we didn't make that a habit...
And honestly, there's nothing wrong with jumping into the existing threads to weigh in while you're at it. Just sayin'... 🙂
We can ease our way into a brand new week. Here’s what I’m thinking:
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Boatman's Call (1997)
YouTube
Track list
1."Into My Arms" 4:15 2."Limver Tree" 2:56 3."People Ain't No Good" 5:42 4."St. Patrick's Cathedral" 4:06 5."There is a Kingdom" 4:52 6."The One That I've Been Waiting For" 4:05 7."Where Do We Go Now" 5:46 8."West Country Girl" 2:45 9."Black Hair" 4:14 10."Idiot Prayer" 4:21 11."Far From Me" 5:33 12."Green Eyes" 3:32
Christian Nelson62 said:So sorry, I totally get it now! If you could just delete that, I'd be super grateful. It won't happen again, I promise! Thanks for letting me know... Deleted!
He was actually talking about that other link, which probably fits better under the topic of playlists. But here, we really want to spark some conversation, so commenting like in that first post is actually totally fine and welcome! 😉
Personally, I still think The Great Annihilator is absolute peak... it’s basically what defines Swanse for me, and it feels like their most "universal" work. It always strikes me as weird seeing it labeled as just post-punk in those diagrams, though, because it honestly pulls from every single influence they have in their arsenal.
I’d honestly pay good money just to hear the title track from that album live, but hey, that's just how Swans are. On tour, they pretty much stick to the new stuff.
Then again, I wouldn't mind hearing something from Children of God either—that's easily one of their best, especially after this past week where I'll admit, I've been revisiting it quite a bit... 👍
Just a total classic. Honestly, nothing beats the pure joy of playing, no matter what anyone else thinks about it. I’m definitely not feeling that greedy energy—the only card I ever really need is... the ace of spades 🙂
silentcanyon58 said:Steven Newman50, did you actually mention the theater in this context? Honestly, if you ask me, hitting the cinema is the only real cure for this whole situation. Besides, there are just some movies that feel wrong unless you see them on the big screen.
Anyway, moving on... does going to the movies bump up an okay film by at least one star for you guys? Just because, you know, you're actually *in* the theater watching it?
I mean, basically yeah! I totally think certain movies would land much flatter if I just watched them at home. The theater kind of "locks" you into your seat, you know? No distractions, nothing pulling you away... And you can't just hit pause and rewind whenever you want to run to the restroom...
All this modern tech has really spoiled us, hasn't it? 😬
You see people on this forum arguing over what actually happened in a movie and why, even though they clearly watched the damn thing. I’m talking about basic plot points, not some deep dive into "deeper meanings" or those confusing flicks that are meant to trip you up. If you're trying to watch Kubrick or Hitchcock, just turn the TV off instead 😬
Honestly, I totally get it. Sometimes I find myself scrolling through my phone while a movie is playing in the background at home. But usually, I’ll either hit pause or rewind if I missed something. Or, if the movie is just a total snooze fest, I’ll just save it for another time when I’m actually in the mood to pay attention...
Yeah, I’m just scrolling through stuff on my phone right now. I'll let the boring parts pass by and then jump back in when things actually get interesting ☕ honestly, that's why some movies are just meant for the theater. You can't exactly sit there glowing like a neon sign because you're staring at your iPhone, even if you're trying to be classy and cultured.
I mean, movies are one of those mediums that really demand your focus. The absolute worst feeling is when you think you want to watch something, but you're actually forcing yourself to sit there. You end up just skimming the whole thing, right? You miss the plot twists, or maybe some super important little details slip right past you...
So instead, I'd much rather just put on some chill background music while I read a bit, and save the movie for when I’m actually in the mood to dive in properly.
Ugh, watching regular videos on my phone is such a drag, let alone trying to sit through an actual movie.
But honestly, if I find myself getting sucked into that first thing, it just means I’m not really in the mood for movies anyway... I probably just want to be doing something else entirely!
Gerald Jackson48 said:If I’d heard this album back in the 90s, I might have vibed with it even more. Around the turn of the millennium, I made this conscious choice to stop drowning myself in all that super misanthropic, self-destructive music... plus, I started drifting away from alt-rock and metal toward other stuff anyway. There’s already plenty of crap in the world without me soaking up everyone else's neuroses and insecurities through my headphones.
I totally get where he's coming from, but honestly? Even though it sounds negative at first glance, there’s this underlying message of universal good, opening your mind, and eventually reaching enlightenment (I know, I know, I say that word constantly, but man, that's just the energy I pick up at shows!).
With Gira, it isn't even like they're directly attacking religion itself. It’s more about these deep, intimate internal struggles and personal battles, all told through universal symbols... you know, things like suffering, the body, family dynamics, and in this case—Christianity, the concept of God, and those whole religious ritual vibes.
Then there's the music itself, which is loud, sharp, and a bit chaotic, but you can really feel this total "inverse" energy radiating out of it.
After those intense, heavy industrial beginnings—where Trent Reznor actually refused to be pigeonholed, calling their style more like a "no-wave" counter to all those punk bands just recycling old rock'n'roll clichés—Swans have just kept on pushing boundaries, constantly playing around with different genres and vibes.
Children of God is definitely "lighter" than Filth or Cop, but you can still hear those industrial roots they started with.
There's this dark atmosphere where Reznor's shamanic energy totally takes over, paired with symbolism that hits you visually too... it kind of feels like some sort of religious ritual meant to cleanse the soul, almost like being part of a cult.
Even the title itself points you in that direction, and they really lean into the theme through the lyrics and these massive, repetitive sections that just keep building and building until they explode.
Even though it sounds so dark, the one thing I always associate with Swans can be summed up in a single word: enlightenment. And honestly, that’s exactly what this album is about.
If you haven't heard them yet, just let Swans drag you through the darkness first so they can lead you straight into the light... and maybe totally convert you along the way.
So it's official, Nine Inch Nails 👋 Feel free to start a new thread whenever you feel like it. 👍
"Why Nine Inch Nails? Because they're these gorgeous, majestic-looking creatures that just happen to have absolutely hideous temperaments." — that's how Gira describes his biggest, most legendary project. Some of you probably already knew that, but for everyone else, now you know why! 🙂
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