The Seer (Swans, 2012)

"The Mother of the World," one of my favorite tracks from early in this nearly two-hour-long album by Swans, begins with the lead singer Michael Gira panting for several minutes, keeping perfect time to a rigid, droning beat.  I first heard it on a sunny, beautiful afternoon this week, as I was walking from BU along Beacon Street.  The feel of the music is exciting and relentless, and the drumming is especially superb, but very quickly I started to hyperventilate along with the singer.  I was having a hard time walking - the song continued in this way for what felt like an eternity.  The music fades until only the gasping breath remains, and then powerfully resurges.  "In and out and in and out and in and out and in and out and in," Gira drones.  Perhaps The Seer is trying to keep you near the edge of reason, but it's nice enough to give you instructions for not losing consciousness along the way.

The Seer is oppressive and extremely heavy, but never brutal or punishing.  The influences stay away from the cynicism of punk; Swans sounds less like Joy Division or This Heat and more like a darker, more spiritual Pink Floyd.  The instrumentation is usually on the conventional side, but the musicianship is excellent, and the songs feel much more crafted than the "experimental" label normally attached to Swans would suggest.  The extremely lengthy songs evolve and control energy levels in a way that's not unlike classical music.