''Swans Are Dead'' is the fifth

double A double is a look-alike or doppelgänger; one person or being that resembles another. Double, The Double or Dubble may also refer to: Film and television * Double (filmmaking), someone who substitutes for the credited actor of a character * ...

and seventh overall live album by American

experimental rock Experimental rock, also called avant-rock, is a subgenre of rock music that pushes the boundaries of common composition and performance technique or which experiments with the basic elements of the genre. Artists aim to liberate and innovate, with ...

band

Swans Swans are birds of the family Anatidae within the genus ''Cygnus''. The swans' closest relatives include the geese and ducks. Swans are grouped with the closely related geese in the subfamily Anserinae where they form the tribe Cygnini. Someti ...

. It was released in 1998 and was recorded in 1995 and 1997 on the band's final tours, before reuniting in 2010. The setlists of this era in the Swans live show were probably the most varied in terms of chronology. Although many of the songs performed were taken from '' Soundtracks for the Blind'', the band also resurrected songs from much earlier albums, including a re-worked version of "I Crawled" from the '' Young God'' EP (1984).

Background

Disc one (Black) was recorded in Amsterdam, New York City, Trondheim, Prague, Brussels and Atlanta on the band's final tour in 1997. Two other songs were performed on this tour, "The Man With the Silver Tongue", which appeared in a revised form on

Angels of Light Angels of Light were an American folk band that was formed circa 1998 by singer-songwriter and musician Michael Gira after he disbanded Swans, the group he had founded in 1982. The band has marked a distinctly different style for Gira since he ...

's 1999 debut LP '' New Mother''; and "My Birth", which remained unreleased until it appeared on Swans's 2010 album '' My Father Will Guide Me up a Rope to the Sky''. However, neither tracks were included on the album. Other songs were also sporadically performed, such as "The Sound" (at least twice on the American leg of the tour). The liner notes state that disc two (white) was recorded in Norway on the band's 1995 tour. The songs "In", "Alcohol the Seed", and "Animus", that had been played during the tour and also for the Amsterdam concert, did not appear on ''Swans Are Dead'' (the concert has been recorded by the radio station VPRO, Animus is also cut on that recording).

Critical reception

''The Rough Guide to Rock'' described the album as "a head-churning final statement".

Track listing

Personnel

Credits for ''Swans Are Dead'' adapted from liner notes.Track listing and credits as per liner notes for ''Swans Are Dead'' album ;Disc one (Black) *

Michael Gira Michael Rolfe Gira (; born February 19, 1954) is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, author and artist. He is the main force behind the New York City musical group Swans and fronted Angels of Light. He is also the founder of ...

- vocals, guitar, compiling, mastering, producer, lyrics, music *

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 consta ...

- vocals, keyboards * Bill Bronson - bass guitar * Clinton Steele - guitar *

Phil Puleo Phil Puleo (born September 27, 1963) is an American composer, drummer, illustrator and visual artist from New York. He is known as a founding member of the band Cop Shoot Cop in the 1990s, and for his current involvement in the experimental rock ...

- percussion, dulcimer (hammer) * Dave Ouimet - performer * Kris Force - performer * Berry Kamer - recording * Josh Wertheimer - live engineer, recording * Chris Griffin - engineer ;Disc two (White) * Michael Gira - vocals, guitar, compiling, mastering, producer, lyrics, music * Jarboe - vocals, keyboards * Joe Goldring - bass guitar, guitar *

Vudi Vudi is the nickname of Mark Pankler (born 22 September 1952, Chicago), guitarist with San Francisco based indie rock band American Music Club. He is also the vocalist and guitarist in San Francisco based indie rock band Clovis de Floret. He al ...

- guitar, keyboards * Larry Mullins - percussion, vibraphone * Andy Ray - live engineer * Chris Griffin - engineer

References

{{Authority control 1998 live albums Swans (band) live albums Young God Records live albums Albums produced by Michael Gira