Recent

The Story of Swans by Those Who Lived to Tell

Nick Soulsby's oral history of Swans digs deep in and around the trenches of Michael Gira's twisted musical world.

Books

Nick Soulsby Reads from His Oral History, 'Swans: Sacrifice and Transcendence'

Swans' story is a story of artistic near-death, defiance, and resurrection. This excerpt brings forth the band's challenges during the Swans Are Dead Tour of 1997.

Books

Étant Donnés with Michael Gira - Offenbarung und Untergang (Review)

In 1999 Swans' Michael Gira paired with Étant Donnés for an album of the spoken word poetry of Georg Trakl mixed with ambient noise. Offenbarung und Untergang is now available again as a new re-issue.

Music

Swans: The Great Annihilator / Michael Gira: Drainland

By pairing The Great Annihilator with Drainland, the emotional rawness of Gira and Jarboe's art comes through in full color.

Music

Finding the Image: Michael Gira Talks Swans' Creative Process

Michael Gira discusses the mistake that led to a critical part of the latest Swans album, building a collective mind, and the art of Francis Bacon.

Interviews

Swans: The Gate

Michael Gira’s lauded experimental rock group returns with an apocalyptic shriek.

Music

Swans: Oxygen EP

Revealing the true horsepower behind the Swans’ "Oxygen", this four-song collection should be handled by a professional driver on a closed course.

Music

The Knife and the Blood That Ensues: An Interview with Swans

PopMatters speaks with Swans frontman Michael Gira about the band's "joyous" new double LP, To Be Kind, covering everything from its undulating rhythms to its original titillating cover art.

Music

Swans: To Be Kind

To Be Kind is a punishing exploration of rhythm and groove as only Swans can do it.

Music

The Transcendant Power of Extreme Music

Genres like metal can be experienced as a cleansing agent, removed of anger, sadness, pleasure, and bereft of space and origin. Momentarily, you are negated, a joyous flipside to nihilism.

Music

Sturm und Swans: Stalking 'The Seer'

The end result of Swan's recent The Seer is a place where Gira’s demons, sages, and baffled, bruised mortals do the jig of life alongside the dance macabre, and the gentleness of John the Baptist rides upon the rage of Jehovah.

Arthur Smith

Music

The Seer Returns: An Interview with Swans' Michael Gira

Upon the release of Swans' 12th album, Michael Gira opens up about why this is not a Swans reunion album, music piracy, and what fans can expect from the upcoming tour.

Matt Spencer

Music

Swans: My Father Will Guide Me Up a Rope to the Sky

Michael Gira's legendary Swans return from over a decade of silence to create a heart-stopping album of sin, death, hope, and reclamation.

Music

20 Questions: Genesis Breyer P-Orridge

Genesis Breyer P-Orridge warns PopMatters 20 Questions readers, "Pleasure is a cultural weapon. Use it wisely."

Performing Arts

Psychic TV/PTV3: Mr. Alien Brain vs. the Skinwalkers

In the shadow of the passing of Lady Jaye, Genesis P-Orridge sounds worn, defeated by the realities of this world.

Music

Pop Ten

The 25 Best Classic Progressive Rock Albums

The 100 Greatest Alternative Singles of the '80s: Part 1: 100 - 81

Jackie Chan's 10 Best Films

The 100 Greatest Alternative Singles of the '90s - Part 1 (100 - 81)

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Mixed Media

Collapse Expand Mixed Media

PM Picks

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Nick Soulsby's oral history of Swans digs deep in and around the trenches of Michael Gira's twisted musical world.

Swans' story is a story of artistic near-death, defiance, and resurrection. This excerpt brings forth the band's challenges during the Swans Are Dead Tour of 1997.

In 1999 Swans' Michael Gira paired with Étant Donnés for an album of the spoken word poetry of Georg Trakl mixed with ambient noise. Offenbarung und Untergang is now available again as a new re-issue.

By pairing The Great Annihilator with Drainland, the emotional rawness of Gira and Jarboe's art comes through in full color.

Michael Gira discusses the mistake that led to a critical part of the latest Swans album, building a collective mind, and the art of Francis Bacon.

Michael Gira’s lauded experimental rock group returns with an apocalyptic shriek.

Revealing the true horsepower behind the Swans’ "Oxygen", this four-song collection should be handled by a professional driver on a closed course.

Following their "reconstitution", Swans have put out three albums since 2010. PopMatters examines the best material the innovative rock band has put out during that time.

PopMatters speaks with Swans frontman Michael Gira about the band's "joyous" new double LP, To Be Kind, covering everything from its undulating rhythms to its original titillating cover art.

To Be Kind is a punishing exploration of rhythm and groove as only Swans can do it.

Genres like metal can be experienced as a cleansing agent, removed of anger, sadness, pleasure, and bereft of space and origin. Momentarily, you are negated, a joyous flipside to nihilism.

The end result of Swan's recent The Seer is a place where Gira’s demons, sages, and baffled, bruised mortals do the jig of life alongside the dance macabre, and the gentleness of John the Baptist rides upon the rage of Jehovah.

Upon the release of Swans' 12th album, Michael Gira opens up about why this is not a Swans reunion album, music piracy, and what fans can expect from the upcoming tour.

Michael Gira's legendary Swans return from over a decade of silence to create a heart-stopping album of sin, death, hope, and reclamation.

Genesis Breyer P-Orridge warns PopMatters 20 Questions readers, "Pleasure is a cultural weapon. Use it wisely."

In the shadow of the passing of Lady Jaye, Genesis P-Orridge sounds worn, defeated by the realities of this world.