The Burning World

This goth month thing is a challenge. There are a number of topics related to it that I still have yet to post and I am thrilled that it is inspiring me to dig deeper into parts of my music collection that I have not visited for some time. On the other hand, I am trying to keep true to my objective and I have resisted posting about some other music related topics that are current and relevant in my mind.

In any case, one band that I have been thrilled to reconnect with has been the Swans. I discovered them in the mid 90's, right as they were getting ready to close up shop for good. Their catalogue of music has been a collector's dream. It seems that virtually everything that they have done has been in limited pressings that quickly went out of print. As I dug deeper into their history, I discovered that, oddly, the holy grail among Swans fans was an album entitled The Burning World. What is odd about it is the fact that it is the only Swans album to have been released on a major label, yet it is among the rarest of Swans albums. Some internet dealers have been asking upwards of 300 dollars for it.

My interest was peeked and the hunt was on. I didn't have to go far to make the kill. In fact, my first stop was Brass City Records (the best record shop in the universe). They not only had the album, but they had it on vinyl as well as the equally rare Love Will Tear Us Apart ep (yes, it is the same love will tear us apart as Joy Division's). They were far more reasonably priced than what I found online.

The two records are quite unique within the Swans' legacy. They are easily the most listener friendly and pop oriented that I have heard. If a group is known for having some sort of extreme quality and they release an album that tones that down, the result is almost always unimpressive. Despite this trend, these two purchases are among the best stuff that they have written. Somehow, taking off the angular hard edge pushed them to focus more on the song craft and structure. Producer, Bill Laswell, definitely helped them to achieve this by bringing in his dub sensibilities and flare for world music. Tablas and maracas replaced the explosive drums with subtly glorious effect. I highly recommend making the investment if you can find it.