Swans

The Great Annihilator

MUTE. CD/DL/LP Another gap in their back catalogue filled as this 1995 opus is newly remastered. Perhaps the most sonically diverse album in their colossal canon, The Great Annihilator was Swans’ penultimate offering before the extended hiatus that put them on ice until 2010. Recorded ad hoc over a period of months while Michael Gira was, literally, camped out in a Chicago studio, though unified by a characteristically rich, expansive sound, this sprawling work draws liberally from all points in the group’s past and beyond. With Jarboe lending ethereal presence to Mother’s Milk, elsewhere I Am The Sun echoes early industrial clamour, Killing For Company is brooding, goth-tinted introspection and Celebrity Lifestyle edges close to alt-rock accessibility. Now expanded to include Drainland, Gira’s solo companion piece from the same year, this is another powerful testament to his most singular vision.