Swans Reform, Offer Producer Credits on Next Record

"This is not a reunion," Swans co-founder Michael Gira declares in bold in his statement regarding the influential noise act's second coming. "It's not some dumb-ass nostalgia act. It is not repeating the past. After five Angels of Light albums, I needed a way to move forward, in a new direction, and it just so happens that revivifying the idea of Swans is allowing me to do that." When whispers first rose of this news many became upset that consistent member Jarboe was said not to be involved at all but the band is rounded out with other players from Swans' past and Gira's band.

Formed in '82, Swans quickly nabbed a cult following for their challenging structures woven around scratching guitars and open crashes into floods of dissonance. These frameworks became the blueprints for bands like Nine Inch Nails to follow. Due to tie ups in other projects, Gira split the band and focused on his band Angels of Light while Jarboe has gone on to quite a seminal career that has had her collaborate and work with acts the like of Neurosis and Jesu.

Always one to do things in a different way, Gira has not announced this new era of the band around some high-paying gig; rather fans are given a chance to hear and buy the Swans' raw demos for the upcoming album. "The songs are here in their raw state as I present them to the band," Gira says as he describes the home-recorded songs. "I have a concept in mind of how each one should sound ultimately, but I'm sure that as usual, once I begin working with my cohorts, things will change considerably from the initial plan, and for the better."

If your willing to shell out $100 or more, you'll get a executive producer credit on the album; there are some personalized niceties in the form of books of drawings and a thank you drawing by Gira for the amounts above $100. All of this will be released on his label Young God Records.

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