The Swans make no bones about it: this is their third release in almost four years, and besides, To Be Kind, like its direct predecessor, lasts no less than two hours. However, for a group known for long and monotonous pounding, those three CDs are strikingly different; there is even variation on the latest. Compared to the monolithic colossus of The Seer (2012), the sound palette has been considerably
… expanded here. The six-piece band is supplemented with string instruments, piano, brass, samples and electronics. Together with greater rhythmic variation, this provides a remarkably lighter and relaxed sound image. Just A Little Boy and Bring The Sun sound almost like a contemporary trip by The Doors, a lot more experimental, but still. The last minutes of A Little God In My Hands and the beginning of Oxygen are even swinging ... Of course, this CD is also heavily beaten, and Gira regularly indulges with primal cries and mantras. Kirsten Supine shows the entire current Swans spectrum in ten minutes, from the almost sugary beginning to the hellish end. A fascinating journey. (TC)more
