The Great Annihilator
''The Great Annihilator'' is the ninth studio album by American experimental rock band Swans (band), Swans. It was released on January 23, 1995, through frontman Michael Gira's own record label, Young God Records, Young God. The album has been described by Gira as a companion album to his solo album ''Drainland'' (1995); the two were remastered and re-released together in April 2017. Critical reception ''The Great Annihilator'' received a generally positive reception from critics. Allmusic, AllMusic called the album "an epic, incredible work of art." ''Trouser Press'', on the other hand, wrote that the album "reveals [...] that the band is running out of ideas", commenting that is "unlikely to satisfy long-term followers. A more accessible Swans may also be a less cathartic one." Track listing Personnel Credits adapted from ''The Great Annihilator'' liner notes. Swans * Michael Gira – vocals, guitars, sounds, art design, production * Jarboe – vocals, sounds, ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Swans (band)
Swans is an American experimental rock band formed in 1982 by singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Michael Gira. One of the few acts to emerge from the New York City-based no wave scene and stay intact into the next decade, Swans have become recognized for an ever-changing sound, exploring genres such as noise rock, post-punk, industrial music, industrial and post-rock. Initially, their music was known for its sonic brutality and misanthropic lyrics. Following the addition of singer, songwriter and keyboardist Jarboe in 1986, Swans began to incorporate melody and intricacy into their music. Jarboe remained the band's only constant member except Gira and semi-constant guitarist Norman Westberg until their dissolution in 1997. In 2010, Gira re-formed the band without Jarboe, establishing a stable lineup of musicians which has toured worldwide and released four albums to critical acclaim. This iteration of the group performed its last shows in November 2017, ending the tour ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Pitchfork (website)
''Pitchfork'' (formerly ''Pitchfork Media'') is an American online music publication (currently owned by Condé Nast) that was launched in 1995 by writer Ryan Schreiber as an independent music blog. Schreiber started Pitchfork while working at a record store in suburban Minneapolis, and the website earned a reputation for its extensive coverage of indie rock music. It has since expanded and covers all kinds of music, including pop. Pitchfork was sold to Condé Nast in 2015, although Schreiber remained its editor-in-chief until he left the website in 2019. Initially based in Minneapolis, Pitchfork later moved to Chicago, and then Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Its offices are currently located in One World Trade Center alongside other Condé Nast publications. The site is best known for its daily output of music reviews but also regularly reviews reissues and box sets. Since 2016, it has published retrospective reviews of classics, and other albums that it had not previously review ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Doug Henderson (musician)
Doug Henderson is an American musician, producer and mastering engineer based in New York City. He has been composing and performing since 1985 and has collaborated with a variety of artists and musicians, including John Zorn, Zeena Parkins and Ikue Mori. He has also had a prolific career as a recording and mastering engineer, working with bands such as Firewater, Angels of Light, Swans and System of a Down. Henderson was the leader of two bands, Krackhouse and Spongehead, during the 1980s and 1990s. He received a Foundation for Contemporary Arts Grants to Artist award (2007). Biography Douglas Henderson was born in 1960. He received his B.A. in music from Bard College Bard College is a private liberal arts college in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York. The campus overlooks the Hudson River and Catskill Mountains, and is within the Hudson River Historic District—a National Historic Landmark. Founded in 1860, ... in 1982, during which time he played in a band called Samoans ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Bryce Goggin
Bryce Goggin is an American record producer and sound engineer. His career began in the early 1990s, working at Baby Monster Studios. He first received note for mixing the album ''Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain'' by Pavement. He has since worked with a number of musicians including The Apples in Stereo, Luna, Swans, Evan Dando, Sean Lennon, Sebadoh, Come, Spacehog, Ramones, The Morning Glories, Band of Susans, Grand Avenue, Phish, Akron Family, The Spring Standards, Lucibel Crater, Skeleton Key, Bettie Serveert, and cabaret pop group Antony and the Johnsons Antony and the Johnsons is an American music group presenting the work of Anohni and her collaborators. Career British experimental musician David Tibet of Current 93 heard a demo and offered to release Anohni's music through his Durtro label .... In 2013, he mixed "This Tree" by Leah Coloff, one of the first releases in interactive Gralbum format. He won an Independent Music Award, along with Kenny Siegal and Brian Gelt ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Martin Bisi
Martin Bisi (born 1961) is an American producer and songwriter. He is known for recording important records by Sonic Youth, Swans, John Zorn, Material, Bill Laswell, Helmet, Unsane, The Dresden Dolls, Cop Shoot Cop, White Zombie, Boredoms, Angels of Light, J.G. Thirlwell, and Herbie Hancock's Grammy-winning song " Rockit". Early life Martin Bisi was born in 1961 to Argentinian parents and grew up in Manhattan. His mother was a concert pianist who specialized in Liszt and Chopin and toured extensively, and his father played tango-style piano as a hobby. As a child in the 1960s his parents sent him to a French school, gave him music lessons, and took him to performances by the New York Philharmonic and the opera, all of which he rebelled against. Career In 1981, he started ''B.C. Studio'' (initially named OAO, Operation All Out, Studio) with Bill Laswell and Brian Eno in the Gowanus section of Brooklyn, where he recorded much of the No Wave, avant garde, and hip-hop of the ea ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Martin Atkins
Martin Clive Atkins (born 3 August 1959) is an English drummer and session musician, best known for his work in post-punk and industrial groups including Public Image Ltd, Ministry, Nine Inch Nails, Pigface, and Killing Joke. He also works as a consultant, has written books, and is the music business program coordinator at Millikin University in Decatur, IL. Atkins is an honorary board member of the Chicago-based nonprofit organisation Rock For Kids. Early life Atkins was born in Coventry, England. Career 1979–1981 Atkins' first major exposure as a drummer was with John Lydon's post-Sex Pistols band, Public Image Ltd. He joined in 1979, just in time to contribute to the song "Bad Baby" on the album ''Metal Box''. Atkins' first live show with PiL was recorded and released as a live album '' Paris au Printemps'' and his first year with the band included appearances on The John Peel Sessions for the BBC, ''American Bandstand'' and the BBC's live ''Old Grey Whistle Test'' ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Nicky Skopelitis
Nicky Skopelitis (born January 19, 1960) is an American guitarist and composer of Greek descent. He also has performed on banjo, oud, lute, keyboards and other instruments. Although Skopelitis has recorded few albums as a bandleader, he has appeared on many more recordings, often collaborating with prolific bass guitarist and producer Bill Laswell. Until 1987 or so, he used the spelling "Scopelitis" for his last name. Discography As leader * '' Next to Nothing'' (Venture, 1989) * '' Ekstasis''(Axiom, 1993) * ''EKSTASIS "wake up and dream" (CyberOctave, 1998) * ''Revelator'' (Douglas Music, 1998) As sideman With Ginger Baker * ''Horses & Trees'' (Celluloid, 1986) * ''No Material'' (ITM, 1989) * ''Middle Passage'' (Axiom, 1990) * ''Live in Munich Germany 1987'' (Voiceprint, 2010) With Afrika Bambaataa * ''Frantic Situation'' (Tommy Boy, 1984) * ''Beware'' (DBK, 1986) * ''The Light'' (EMI, 1988) With Manu Dibango * ''Electric Africa'' (Celluloid, 1985) * ''Pata Piya'' (Celluloid, ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Ted Parsons
Ted Parsons is an American drummer most notable for his membership in bands such as Swans, Prong, Godflesh, Killing Joke, and Jesu. Biography Parsons' early career began in 1985 with Swans, when he contributed to their ''Holy Money'' album. He left Swans in 1987 and joined guitarist Tommy Victor's fledgling Prong. In 1994, he appeared on Buckethead's album '' Giant Robot''. Prong would be Parsons' main project until the group disbanded in 1996. He then started a long-standing friendship with UK composer Justin Broadrick, playing on Godflesh's 1996 tour and their album ''Hymns''. Parsons has also played in Of Cabbages and Kings with former Swans bandmate Algis Kizys and was a one-time member of Foetus touring band. Over the years, Parsons has also recorded with members of Public Image Ltd., The Legendary Pink Dots, Killing Joke and Gator Bait Ten, a project by Science Slam Sonic Explorers, some of whom appear on his recent NIC remix project album. Youth of Killing Joke contr ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Norman Westberg
Norman Westberg is a guitarist from Detroit best known for his work with Swans. Present through almost the entirety of the band's existence, Westberg was brought on for Swans' debut album ''Filth'' (1983) and appeared on every album through 1991's ''White Light from the Mouth of Infinity'' (he also played on the 1995 album ''The Great Annihilator''). Westberg became a full-time Swans member once again when Michael Gira reactivated the group in 2010. Westberg's playing can also be heard on many Swans side projects including The Body Haters and solo albums by Jarboe. Before Swans he was a member of Carnival Crash. Westberg was for a short-time a member of The Heroine Sheiks with Shannon Selberg (ex-The Cows) as well as John Fell (ex- China Shop). Aside from the present incarnation of Swans he currently plays in the NYC bands NeVAh (with Vinnie Signorelli & Algis Kizys) and Five Dollar Priest (formerly Size Queens) (with Ron Ward of Speedball Baby & Bob Bert among others). He als ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Algis Kizys
Algis Kizys (born September 8, 1960 in Chicago) is a New York City bass guitarist most well known for his long-time membership in New York City band Swans. First joining Swans on 1986's ''Greed'' LP, he stayed with the group through ''The Great Annihilator'' (1995). He is also a founding member Of Cabbages and Kings, an offshoot of Bag People. Biography Of Cabbages and Kings featured Kizys, founder/guitarist/keyboardist/vocalist/producer Carolyn Master, Roy Mayorga (Nausea, Soulfly, Stone Sour), Vinnie Signorelli (Unsane), Ted Parsons (Prong, Swans, Godflesh, Jesu, Teledubgnosis) and Diane Wlezein. Kizys, Master, and Wlezein previously played in Bag People. Kizys has spent time in Foetus' live incarnation and played for Glenn Branca in his ''Symphony No. 6''. Kizys was a member of Problem Dogs, his first band formed with Rick Radtke, John Connors, and Demetra Plakas (who later played drums with L7). During this time, August 1982, he briefly joined forces with guitarist E ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Bill Rieflin
William Frederick Rieflin (September 30, 1960 – March 24, 2020) was an American musician. Rieflin came to prominence in the 1990s mainly for his work as a drummer with groups (particularly in the industrial rock and industrial metal scenes) such as Ministry, the Revolting Cocks, Lard, KMFDM, Pigface, Swans, Chris Connelly, and Nine Inch Nails. He worked regularly with R.E.M. following the retirement of Bill Berry in 1997. He was a member of King Crimson from 2013 until his death in 2020. Career Rieflin was born on September 30, 1960 (some sources say September 29) and began his professional career in his hometown of Seattle. In 1975, he was in The Telepaths, a band which played backup for a couple of live gigs by the pre-The Screamers band The Tupperwares. He played drums for The Blackouts starting in 1979. His bandmates included Mike Davidson, Paul Barker, Roland Barker and Erich Werner. Eventually that band dissolved and Paul Barker joined the nascent Ministry. His e ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Jarboe
Jarboe Devereaux, known mononymously as Jarboe (), is an American singer and musician who came to prominence as a member of the New York City experimental rock band Swans in 1985. Jarboe and Michael Gira, the founder of Swans, were the two constant members of the group until it broke up in 1997. Although absent from the group's lineup when the band reformed in 2010, Jarboe contributed background vocals and voice collage for the band's 2012 album, ''The Seer''. She has released numerous solo albums and collaborations, many of which have been self-published. She also co-composed the soundtrack of the 2009 psychological horror game '' The Path''. Life and career Jarboe was born in Mississippi and raised in the Southern United States, primarily in New Orleans and Atlanta. Her father was a police detective who worked for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and whom she has described as "the ultimate law-enforcement man".Chonin, Nieva (1995).Birds of Prey," San Francisco Bay G ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |