Reunion fever seems to have taken over pretty much every vaguely important band of the last 20 years. Some, like Jesus Lizard, I’m not really too fussed about, but others, like Pavement, I’m well stoked about (to use the current terminology).

And on Thursday, in the Grauniad, came news that Swans were reforming. Or sort of reforming. For those of you who have never heard them, Swans made possibly the loudest, most brutal, most angry music ever. Not the loudness of AC/DC, that made you want to party. Not brutal like Einsturzende Neubaten, the brutality of machines and modernity. Not angry like Nine Inch Nails and other teenage-angst bands (or, *shudder*, Emo).

He's A Cheery Chappy

No, Swans were loud like a supernova. Brutal like death row. Angry like the vengeance of God himself. Sure, they toned down the noise and the brutality and the anger after “Children Of God”, but it was still there, always lurking, always ready to drag you down to the depths of the human soul.

And now they are reforming! Yay! LOL!!!! 😉

At the moment, it’s not entirely clear what countries they will tour, and what the live shows will actually be like, but I’m looking forward to the pummelling. It’ll hopefully be like a nasty version of the My Bloody Valentine reunion shows, bleeding eardrums and all.

In the meantime, to welcome non-believers to the wonderful and exciting world of Swans, is their song “New Mind”. With lines taken solely from real-life preacher’s speeches, this track glistens with pure anger and hatred. I love it.

MP3: New Mind by Swans

Footnote: I will one day write a much longer piece on Swans when I get to them on the Pitchfork 500 jaunt. And yes, I am still doing them, they’ve just come to a bit of a grinding halt whilst doing Albums of the Decade and all that stuff. Maybe that should have been another New Years Resolution.