The Swans are Dead essays

The Swans are Dead essays Considering the amount of music that I have heard in my life, which adds up to quite a lot, it is a little difficult to single out only one small piece of that very large pie which has had a larger affect on me than any other. Although I am very critical of what I hear, considering how much listening I do, there are still a lot of artists who I have the utmost respect for, whose creations have helped me through bad times, and made good ones all that much better. There was a myriad of songs and albums that came to mind when trying to narrow it down, however, the first to come into me was the Swans final release, appropriately title Swans Are Dead. The fact that this album is a document of the two final tours of the band's existence is what makes it all the more amazing to me. Through out their 15 years of recording, Swans were constantly evolving. This factor alone is one that leads me to respect any artist regardless of whether or not I enjoy their work on any other level. In the ca se of a band like Swans, respect is probably the most important thing the listener can have before attempting to digest music that defies conventions on almost every possible level. Swans Are Dead stands as the perfect final farewell because it encompasses the earliest years of existence with the last songs the band had written, all of which were played with the finesse that can only be gained with time. As the band itself evolved, so did the songs written years earlier. Songs were given new life so to speak, and in so doing, became even more powerful than they once had. Like many albums that are considered masterpieces, the foremost example coming to mind is John Coltrane's 'A Love Supreme'; the music of Swans is transcendental. To compare John Coltrane's spiritually guided album and Swans document of their final tour solely on a musical level would be nearly impossible, but on emotional level, it is a very simple connection to make. As Coltrane wrote in t...