8/31/2016

DONOVAN To Perform On "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" Thursday, September 1 On ABC TV 11:35 ET/PT

DONOVAN
TO PERFORM ON "JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE!"
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 1 ON ABC TV (11:35 ET/PT)
 
 50TH ANNIVERSARY "SUNSHINE SUPERMAN"NORTH AMERICAN TOUR
TO LAUNCH MONDAY, SEPT. 4 AND WRAP SATURDAY, OCT. 21
 
CITY OF LOS ANGELES WILL DECLARE SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 3 AS
"DONOVAN DAY"
OFFICIAL CEREMONY, PRESS CONFERENCE AND ACOUSTIC PERFORMANCE THIS
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 2
L.A. CITY HALL

John Ferraro Council Chambers
L.A. City Hall, 200 N Spring St.
Los Angeles, CA 90012
10:00 AM
Ceremony Led By Los Angeles City Councilmember Paul Koretz,
5th District
  
DONOVAN.

DONOVAN--the '60s legend, icon and poet--is set to perform on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" tomorrow, Thursday, September 1. DONOVAN will sit in with Cleo & the Cletones (Jimmy's house band) and perform classic songs from his legendary canon. Tune-in to "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" on ABC TV at 11:35pm ET/PThttp://abc.go.com/shows/jimmy-kimmel-live.
 
Look for DONOVAN to launch the 50th Anniversary 'Sunshine Superman' North American Tour on Monday, September 4. He'll visit New York City's Carnegie Hall/Zankel Hall for a sold-out show Thursday, September 15 and continue across North America before wrapping Friday, October 21 for another sold-out concert at Danforth Music Hall in Toronto (all dates are below). Celebrating the 50th anniversary of his landmark 1966 album Sunshine SupermanDONOVAN's tour is presented by ASTRELLA INC; tickets are on sale nowathttp://donovan.ie/ and a special tour musical t-shirt from the Astrella Inc. collection (here).
 
On Friday, September 2DONOVAN will be on hand at L.A City Hall in Los Angeles for aspecial ceremony, press conference and brief acoustic performance to mark the declaration of Saturday, September 3 as "DONOVAN DAY." The ceremony begins Friday, September 2 at10:00AM at L.A. City Hall in downtown Los Angeles (John Ferraro Council Chambers, L.A. City Hall, 200 N Spring St, Los Angeles, CA 90012) and will be led by Councilmember Paul Koretz, Fifth District as well as other city leaders. Historically, September 3, 2016, marks the actual to-the-date 50-year anniversary of when DONOVAN's hit single "Sunshine Superman"reached #1 on the Billboard charts in 1966.

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The Notwist to release Superheroes, Ghostvillains & Stuff digital live album on October 14th in North America through Sub Pop

 The Notwist to release Superheroes, Ghostvillains & Stuff digital live album on October 14th in North America through Sub Pop

Shares 2016-17 European tour dates
Photo credit:Patrick Morarescu
Listen: “Pick Up the Phone” (live) via FLOOD Magazine

Superheroes, Ghostvillains & Stuff also available in 
Europe on 2xCD/3xLP via Alien Transistor

The Notwist are pleased to share release details on behalf ofSuperheroes, Ghostvillains & Stuff, their new live album. The album will be available as a digital only release in North America from Sub Pop [preorder link] and in Europe on 2xCD/3xLP/DL through Alien Transistor [preorder link].

Superheroes, 
Ghostvillains & Stuff features 16 tracks from The Notwist’s extensive catalog, and was recorded on December 16, 2015 on the second of three consecutive, sold-out nights at UT Connewitz in Leipzig, Germany.

You can now listen to the live version of The Notwist classic, “Pick Up the Phone,” now via FLOOD Magazine [link here].

FLOOD says of the track, "We’re also pleased to be premiering theSuperheroes version of the Neon Golden single “Pick Up the Phone.” While it retains the original’s sense of longing and sweetness—there’s no changing the tinge of hopelessness in that vocal melody, nor any chance of scrubbing out the song’s signature pillowy loop—it concludes in a flutter of electronic wing-beating, its cold anxiety at once overwhelming and accentuating the song’s soft human core."

The Notwist have also scheduled European tour dates in late 2016 and early 2017, which span November 5th in Weissenhaeuser Strand, DE at Rolling Stone Weekender through February 19th in Frankfurt, DE at Batschkapp. Please find a complete list of tour dates below.

About The Notwist’s Superheroes, 
Ghostvillains & Stuff:
Remember how badly we wanted to join them and be part of those sea-faring adventures: Jack London’s The Sea-Wolf, classic TV shows based on his novel The Road, on Radu
Toduran’s novels... back then, a couple decades ago, the titles of these shows alone were enough to trigger some strong gusts in our hearts, salty squalls perfect for imaginary downwind journeys we dreamed of with billowing sails. We wanted to cruise alongside albatrosses, seagulls, and fellow sailors. Floating high above a three-masted vessel, we watched our own adventures unfold far below, an imagined movie scene complete with a whole crew that worked the rigging, and all the rest. Cutting waves. Amidst the storm and stress of sounds hitting our eardrums far out in the ocean. Combined with the sounds of rotors, of tropics crossed, of marimbas and cabin wood pounded, of strange music spotted in the distance. And even though it was merely for an hour or two that we were rescued by that seal-hunting ship “Ghost,” as Jack London had it, plus, even worse, often found ourselves surrounded by villains: it was a great escape, for we’d successfully set sails – to new and exciting places.

Both around their own Weilheim shores and elsewhere, brothers Markus and Micha Acher have launched various musical vessels,
bands and free-floating constellations over the past three decades – and yet: amid all these other speedboats and unlikely sonic barges, The Notwist has always remained the mother ship. This new album documents the latest live incarnation of this very band, which also features Andi Haberl, Max Punktezahl, Karl Ivar Refseth, and Cico Beck. Recorded on December 16, 2015 on the second of three consecutive, sold-out nights at UT Connewitz in Leipzig, Germany, "Superheroes, Ghost-Villains & Stuff" indeed feels like a first-hand live experience caught on triple vinyl. That’s why it’s the definitive album of The Notwist’s career.

Although there is one song that points to the early, “louder years” of The Notwist – “One Dark Love Poem” off the album Nook –, the rest of the night’s set sees the band perform all the major hits off Neon Golden, The Devil, You + Me, and Close To The Glass. However, these are different, organically enhanced versions, new
interpretations and combinations that feel much more alive; thanks to Olaf Opal’s incredible mix, they sometimes even outshine the original studio recordings. Listening to "Superheroes, Ghost-Villains & Stuff" feels like watching these songs evolve and change, moving from one frame to the next, much like a baroque triptych.

What starts out like ‘wimmelbook’ imagery, the music soon folds and unfolds like a Moebius strip: Sans bottom or top, sans inside or outside, the inside becomes the outside and vice versa. It’s all about sonic interconnection, about music as entanglement, music as reconciliation. The rather majestic, cinematic (indie) pop and experimental, kraut- infused jazz, the spirit of the enlightenment and baroque playfulness, the traces of modernism and minimal music, dub leanings, hip-hop lessons, and even hints of house music: here is where they all come together, reconciled in a sound that’s both melancholy and romantic. And ultimately, the spirit of these songs is set free – and the band has released itself, is free at last.

As for the album title, it’s lifted from the song “Kong,” and encapsulates Markus Acher’s motto. Throughout the track, the water theme first appears as a dangerous threat: a force that’s strong enough to wash away an entire house; and yet the fluid state keeps transforming and eventually releases that sense of threat into something rather hopeful, a new musical beginning, a melodic departure that ultimately leads to euphoria and a renewed spirit of adventure. These are the strong gusts mentioned above, it’s the spirit of discovery, the urge to set sail together. The crew’s back at it, working the instruments, the rigging, with sails a- billow, launching the next voyage of discovery, assuming the East in the West and vice versa. And thus the adventure saga continues.
 

Tour Dates
2016
Nov. 05 - Weissenhaeuser Strand, DE - Rolling Stone Weekender
Nov. 06 - Berlin, DE - Lido
Dec. 12 - Düsseldorf, DE - Zakk
Dec 13 - Luxembourg, LX - Atelier

2017
Feb. 02 - Zurich, DE - Rote Fabrik
Feb. 13 - Leipzig, DE - Conne Island
Feb. 14 - Hamburg, DE - Rosse Freiheit
Feb. 15 - Amsterdam, NL - Paradiso
Feb. 16 - Gent, DE - Vooruit
Feb. 18- Reutlingen, DE - Franz K
Feb. 19 - Frankfurt, DE - Batschkapp

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JAMES BLAKE ANNOUNCES VINCE STAPLES & MOSES SUMNEY AS SUPPORT FOR NORTH AMERICAN HEADLINE TOUR

JAMES BLAKE ANNOUNCES VINCE STAPLES & MOSES SUMNEY AS SUPPORT FOR NORTH AMERICAN HEADLINE TOUR 
 
   

NEW YORK, NY (August 31, 2016) — GRAMMY® Award-nominated artist JAMES BLAKE has announced that Vince Staples and Moses Sumney will join him for select dates on his recently announced Fall headlining tour. Staples will join the New York and Los Angeles dates while Sumney joins all dates minus Santa Barbara and Los Angeles. Tickets are available nowHERE.
 
BLAKE hits the road beginning September 23 at House of Blues in Dallas, TX and will then make stops in major cities across the country, wrapping up the tour at The Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles on October 20. Full tour routing is below.
 
BLAKE is no stranger to working with Vince Staples, having recently lent his production talents for two tracks on Staples’ latest EP, “Prima Donna”Staples also recently appeared at Glastonbury with BLAKE on a version of his track “Timeless” from his critically acclaimed third full-length offering, The Colour In Anything [Republic Records]—which is out now. Get it HERE.
 
BLAKE’s touch can be felt throughout the modern music landscape. He lent his inimitable voice and production to “Forward” on Beyoncé’s chart-dominating #1 blockbuster Lemonade. In addition, he co-wrote the opener “Pray You Catch Me.” Blake has also recently collaborated with Frank Ocean, both on The Colour In Anything and on Ocean’s latest offering Blond.
 
Following the release of 2013’s OvergrownBLAKE garnered a “Best New Artist” nomination at the 2014 GRAMMY® Awards, and he received a nod for “British Male Solo Artist” at the 2014 BRIT Awards. He’s graced the stage at Coachella, Bonnaroo, Governors Ball, and countless other festivals as well as performing sold out headline tours.
 
TOUR DATES:
9/23     Dallas, TX                   House of Blues w/ Moses Sumney
9/24     Houston, TX                House of Blues w/ Moses Sumney
9/25     Austin, TX                   ACL Live at the Moody Theater w/ Moses Sumney
9/27     New Orleans, LA        Orpheum Theatre w/ Moses Sumney
9/28     Atlanta, GA                 Tabernacle w/ Moses Sumney
9/30     Philadelphia, PA          Electric Factory w/ Moses Sumney
10/1     Washington, D.C.        Lincoln Theatre w/ Moses Sumney – SOLD OUT
10/3     New York, NY             Radio City Music Hall w/ Vince Staples & Moses Sumney
10/4     Boston, MA                 House of Blues w/ Moses Sumneys – SOLD OUT
10/5     Montreal, QC              Metropolis w/ Moses Sumney
10/7     Toronto, ON                Massey Hal w/ Moses Sumney
10/8     Royal Oak, MI            Royal Oak Music Theatre w/ Moses Sumney
10/9     Chicago, IL                  Cadillac Palace Theater w/ Moses Sumney
10/12   Seattle, WA                 Moore Theatre w/ Moses Sumney
10/13   Vancouver, BC           Orpheum Theatre w/ Moses Sumney
10/14   Portland, OR               Roseland Theater w/ Moses Sumney – SOLD OUT
10/18   Santa Barbra, CA       Arlington Theatre w/ Moses Sumney
10/20   Los Angeles, CA         Hollywood Palladium w/ Vince Staple – SOLD OUT
10/21   Los Angeles, CA         Hollywood Palladium w/ Vince Staples
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Tim Buckley Lady, Give Me Your Key: The Unissued 1967 Solo Acoustic Sessions

Tim Buckley
Lady, Give Me Your Key: The Unissued 1967 Solo Acoustic Sessions

We're thrilled to announce our new release of thirteen previously unissued acoustic tracks by American folk legend Tim Buckley. These tracks come from the 1967 sessions that yielded Buckley's sophomore album, Goodbye & Hello. Seven of the tracks have never been heard before as they were never released on any Buckley album. The liners feature an in-depth interview with Buckley's lyricist and best friend Larry Beckett. The luminous careers of both Tim and his talented son Jeff were cut short by tragic premature deaths, so these newly unearthed tracks are really something to be treasured. This is Tim Buckley at his stripped-down, acid-folk finest.

Preorder is available now on limited edition gold wax, black wax, CD, & digital.

Available for immediate purchase 10.21.16!

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Die Antwoord premiere first video "Banana Brain" from upcoming album

DIE ANTWOORD PREMIERE FIRST VIDEO "BANANA BRAIN" FROM THEIR
UPCOMING ALBUM 'MOUNT NINJI AND DA NICE TIME KID' TO BE RELEASED 
SEPTEMBER 16th FEAT. THE BLACK GOAT AND GOD

WATCH "BANANA BRAIN" HERE: 
  
PRE-ORDER: MOUNT NINJI AND DA NICE TIME KID

"A young girl sneaks out to a party with an unusual thug rap-raver boy and has the worst / best night of her life." - NINJA


 
 
TRACK LIST:
1. WE HAVE CANDY 
2. DADDY
3. BANANA BRAIN
4. SHIT JUST GOT REAL feat. SEN-DOG
5. GUCCI COOCHIE feat. DITA VON TEESE
6. WINGS ON MY PENIS feat. LIL TOMMY TERROR
7. U LIKE BOOBIES? feat. LIL TOMMY TERROR
8. RATS RULE feat. JACK BLACK
9. JONAH HILL
10. STOOPID RICH
11. FAT FADED FUCK FACE
12. PEANUTBUTTER+JELLY
13. ALIEN
14. STREET LIGHT
15. DARKLING
16. I DONT CARE
 

TOUR DATES:
9/21/16  San Francisco, CA - Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
9/22/16  Los Angeles, CA - Hollywood Palladium
9/23/16  Santa Ana, CA - The Observatory
9/24/16  Las Vegas, NV - Life is Beautiful Festival
9/26/16  Denver, CO - Ogden Theatre
9/27/16  Albuquerque, NM - Sunshine Theatre
9/28/16  El Paso, TX - Tricky Falls
9/30/16  Austin, TX - Austin City Limits Festival
10/2/16  Tulsa, OK - Cain's Ballroom
10/7/16  Austin, TX - Austin City Limits Festival
10/9/16  Nashville, TN - Marathon Music Works
10/10/16  Columbus, OH - Express Live! Indoor Pavilion
10/11/16  Chicago, IL - Aragon Ballroom
10/12/16  Milwaukee, WI - Eagles Ballroom
10/14/16  Indianapolis, IN - Egyptian Theatre
10/15/16  Detroit, MI - The Fillmore
10/16/16  Toronto, ON - Sound Academy
10/17/16  New York, NY - Terminal 5
10/20/16  Boston, MA - House of Blues
10/21/16  Port Chester, NY - Capitol Theatre
10/22/16  Philadelphia, PA - Electric Factory
10/23/16  Washington, DC - Echostage
10/25/16  Charlotte, NC - The Fillmore
10/26/16  Atlanta, GA - Tabernacle
10/27/16  Birmingham, AL - Iron City
10/29/16  New Orleans, LA - Voodoo Festival

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Molly Burch - Signs with Captured Tracks

Molly Burch Signs To Captured Tracks
Unveils Video / Debut Single "Downhearted"
From 7" Out September 16


Austin, Texas' Molly Burch has announced she's signed with Captured Tracks.  Today she's revealed her video for debut single "Downhearted" via FADER who've described Molly's voice as a "time capsule" and "retro country and soul in the best way"
  

"Downhearted" is a melodic, soulful introduction which dives into the depths of love and lovesickness, giving voice to the desires that separate the two. Burch explains "she wanted 'Downhearted' to have that mix of feelings. Heartache, but also the freedom and lightness that comes with being alone, and realizing that you're enough." 

For the video, she joined director and friend Jordan Moser to make something fun, simple and dreamy-- sort of Françoise Hardy does East Austin."





Molly Burch 
Downhearted 7"
Captured Tracks
September 16, 2016

2 - I Adore You


Molly Burch Live Dates 

September 3: Stay Gold - Austin, TX


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The Raveonettes Share "A Good Fight" Track | Eighth Track In Monthly RAVE-SOUND-OF-THE-MONTH Series

 Photo Credit: Amber and Ashlie Chavez
THE RAVEONETTES SHARE "A GOOD FIGHT" TRACK VIA DROWNED IN SOUND

THE EIGHTH TRACK IN THEIR 12 MONTHLY
RAVE-SOUND-OF-THE-MONTH SERIES
 
WATCH & SHARE: The Raveonettes - "A Good Fight" (Lyric Video)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OzDrxpF-Axc
The Raveonettes share their newest track "A Good Fight" this month via Drowned in Sound. "The song basically portrays a dysfunctional relationship and what that could entail" explains Sune Rose Wagner "Various scenarios of what could have been great gone wrong. It’s a thrilling experience creating this anti-album, you never know what you wanna do next and I feel you can experiment with different musical genres and sounds as freely as you please.”

"A Good Fight" is the eighth track release from the band's official RAVE-SOUND-OF-THE-MONTH playlist where the duo will continue to upload a freshly recorded track on the last Friday of every month until December.  The 'anti-album' will feature a collection of new tracks that aren't bound by the constraints of the format.  Join the RAVE-SOUND-OF-THE-MONTH and subscribe to the playlist here.
 
SUBSCRIBE TO THE
RAVE-SOUND-OF-THE-MONTH
PLAYLIST AT 
http://radi.al/RaveSoundOfTheMonth

The Raveonettes also continue their new Pledge Music Campaign where fans can pledge for the CD and vinyl of the forthcoming new album. Sign up for the Pledge Music Campaign at http://radi.al/TheRaveonettesPledge.
RAVE-SOUND-OF-THE-MONTH Playlist
01. The World Is Empty (Without You)
02. Run Mascara Run
03. Excuses
04. Junko Ozawa
05. Scout
06. Won't You Leave Me Alone
07. Where Are You Wild Horses?
08. A Good Fight

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BORIS announce EU & UK tour 'Boris performing Pink'

BORIS announce EU & UK tour performingPink album in its entirety
10th anniversary Pink (Deluxe Edition) reissue out now on Sargent House worldwide (excluding Japan)
  
  
Hear & share Pink (Deluxe Edition) full album (Bandcamp)
 
"Groundbreaking metal album gets a mesmerically expansive reissue. A-" -- Consequence of Sound

"Pink was prescient in how metal would rethink what it meant to be heavy, with metallic shoegaze butting up against feedback-sick drone and glittery punk." -- NPR


Japanese trio Boris today announce that they will bring their just completed North American tourBoris Performing Pink to Europe and the UK this Fall. The band is touring in support of the 10th anniversary Pink (Deluxe Edition) reissue, released in July on Sargent House. Please see current dates below. 

NPR previously premiered "SOFUN" HEREPitchfork announced the release with "Are You Ready?"HERE. The complete Pink (Deluxe Edition) is available to hear and share via Bandcamp

Pink, the landmark 2006 album by Boris, which earned widespread critical praise -- including Pitchfork's Top 10 Albums of 2006 -- was reissued in an expanded edition for the album's 10th anniversary. 

The deluxe 3xLP box set and 2xCD features an entire album of previously unreleased tracks recorded during the Pink album sessions in 2004-2005. The bonus Forbidden Songs collects 9 tracks of the same hyperactive, accessible and aggressive caliber of the original album, available here for the first time, mixed (with additional editing and arrangement) in 2015 and mastered in January 2016. 

In 2006, Pink was Boris' 10th album and a major breakthrough that earned new fans outside of the underground metal community -- the track "Farewell" was even featured in Jim Jarmusch's classic filmThe Limits of Control. The album landed on countless "best of the year" lists from underground metal sites to mainstream rock magazines. And the praise was certainly well deserved for its more accessible sound and explorations into shoegaze and ambient structures alongside brutal noise, searing psychedelia and apocalyptic doom. 

Boris is now in their 24th year as a band -- 20 years in the classic trio lineup -- and showing no signs of slowing down. They have always demolished expectations of what a band can do musically and aesthetically. And in looking back with Pink (Deluxe Edition), the band's trajectory as experimenters and innovators over subsequent releases becomes even clearer. 

Pink (Deluxe Edition) was released everywhere (excluding Japan) on July 8th on 3xLP box set, 2xCD and download via Sargent House. iTunes orders HERE, 3xLP box set and 2xCD editions are available via Hello Merch
 
 
BORIS TOUR 2016:
11/18 Helsinki, FI @ Tavastia
11/20 Stockholm, SE @ Debaser Strand
11/21 Oslo, NO @ Bla
11/22 Gothenburg, SE @ Truckstop Alaska
11/23 Copenhagen, DK @ VEGA
11/24 Hamburg, DE @ Hafenklang
11/25 Berlin, DE @ White Trask
11/27 Boulogne Billancourt, FR @ Festival BB Mix
11/28 Reims, FR @ La Cartonnerie
11/30 Nuremberg, DE @ Zentralcafe at K4
12/01 Milan, IT @ Lo Fi Club
12/02 Rome, IT @ Init
12/03 Livorno, IT @ The Cage
12/04 Bologna, IT @ Locomotiv Club
12/06 Reitschule, CH @ Dachstock
12/07 Geneva, CH @Antigel Festival
12/09 Moscow, RU @ Theater
12/10 St. Petersburg, RU @ ClubZal
12/11 Tilburg, NL @ Incubate Festival
12/12 Brussels, BE @ Rotonde Botanique
12/13 London, UK @ Electric Ballroom
12/14 Bristol, UK @ The Fleece
12/15 Manchester, UK @ Sound Control
12/16 Newcastle, UK @ University
12/18 Glasgow, UK @ Stereo
12/19 Leeds, UK @ Brudenell Social Club
12/20 Brighton, UK @ The Haunt
12/21 Athens, GR @ Fuzz Club

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8/30/2016

Iconic avant rockers SWANS tour in September

    Iconic avant-rock ensemble Swans will be undertaking the second leg of a year- long, worldwide tour - the first leg ending this past weekend with two sold out concerts in NYC. The dates celebrate the recent release of The Glowing Man, the fourth and final studio album from this line-up since their reactivation by band primum mobile Michael Gira in 2010 after a 14 year hiatus. The touring line-up is: Michael Gira - guitar, voice (original Swans); Norman Westberg - guitar (original Swans); Christoph Hahn - guitar (mid period Swans and most Angels Of Light); Phil Puleo - drums, percussion, dulcimer etc etc (final Swans tour and most Angels); Chris Pravdica - bass and gadgets (Flux Information Sciences / Services/ Gunga Din); Paul Wallfisch - piano, organ, and Mellotron ( Botannica / Ministry of Wolves / Little Annie). After the tour, Gira says, "I'll continue to make music under the name Swans, with a revolving cast of collaborators... touring will definitely be less extensive." I hope you'll consider covering via advance feature, album review or preview. Please let me know if you need a CD or DL. I'm providing a streaming link for your editorial use. Please do not post:  https://soundcloud.com/swansofficial/sets/the-glowing-man/s-PsgIb
 
     The Glowing Man was produced by Michael Gira, performed by the touring line-up, recorded by the venerable John Congleton (St. Vincent, Amanda Palmer, Baroness...) at Sonic Ranch, outside, El Paso Texas. Further recording was made at John's Elmwood Studio, in Dallas, Texas, and at Studio Litho (Seattle, WA) with Don Gunn, engineer, and at CandyBomber (Berlin) with Ingo Krauss, engineer. The record was mixed by Ingo at CandyBomber and by Doug Henderson at Micro-Moose, Berlin. Doug Henderson mastered it at Micro-Moose.
 
     Swans previous album To Be Kind debuted at #36 on Billboard's Top 200 Sales Chart and #5 on their Independent Sales Chart; the album has been streamed 1.2 million times on Spotify. The group sold out 47 concert dates in their subsequent touring including back-to-back sell-outs in cities including New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Paris, as well as single dates in cities like London, Berlin and Rome. The album garnered a huge amount of ecstatic coverage from a host of impressive outlets and the (2 hour long!) album stream was premiered by NPR. The Glowing Man has been greeted with equally rapturous reviews:
 
When Gira announced this Swans incarnation would end, he referred to "LOVE" (in all caps) as his reason for working with the musicians on The Glowing Man. Of course, Gira was not talking about the over-sweetened form we often get in pop music. The love in his music is as terrible as it is beautiful, a wrenching act of spiritual determination. Swans make this sound effortless, though, in a fitting end to a remarkable chapter of their career.
Saby Reyes-Kulkarni /Pitchfork.com 6/21
 
No experimental group has been able to so perfectly reflect the psychological turmoil of existence and the heavy burden of our pains and regrets. Their music acts as a grand descent and exploration into what we mortally fear and what innately drives us, and they've been able to do this in expert fashion over their past three records. Listening to Swans is an exhausting process to be sure, but it's rewarding in its self-analysis; you might not leave entirely sure of yourself, but you're sure as hell more in touch with the inner workings of the mind. And this is where "Finally Peace" comes in: While it's the happiest the band has ever been, it merely seems that this contentment is the original madness transformed. It's a way of saying that there remains unexplored territory and uncertainty ahead, but its also the best resolution Swans may ever achieve.
Sean Barry/ConsequenceOfSound.net 6/17
 
Apart from illustrating their overarching development from industrial weirdos to terrifying, experimental clairvoyants, the album combines the organic, acoustic tendencies of The Seer with the goth-rock showcased on Kind, acting as both linchpin and facsimile for their best body of work to date. Yes, Gira's poetry remains as creepy and intriguing as ever, its gravity matched only by the instrumentalists' steeled discipline. But where else can he go besides further into the void, towards the event horizon? Considering these inevitable existential plateaus, you can't blame the band for developing this epic trilogy as a triumphant summary of their storied career (and the troubling theses informing it), rather than one final progression.
Zoe Camp/Spin.com 6/17
 
     Michael Gira founded the seminal NYC band Swans in 1982. Quickly infamous for their punishing, brutal and repetitive onslaughts of sound, extreme volume levels, and the self-abusing, abject shouts and growls of Gira's sloganeering vocals, Swans gradually transformed over 15 years, ultimately venturing into harsh mechanical proto-industrial rock, to sprawling shifts of texture and perspective  (see the bucolic atmospheric folk idles and martial stomps of their much heralded Children of God double LP from 1987), to gentle acoustic-based songs, and finally on to their ultimate statement, Soundtracks For The Blind (1997) which somehow incorporated all of these elements at once, across well over 2 hours of music in one album. At this point, Gira called it quits after 15 years of relentless touring and productivity, and disbanded Swans.  He went on to release his music under the name Angels Of Light on a long series of critically acclaimed albums. Gira also produced and released music through his label Young God Records and was responsible for finding and nurturing such notable talents as Devendra Banhart, Lisa Germano, Akron/Family and Wooden Wand.
 
     In 2010, he reactivated Swans, releasing the studio album My Father Will Guide Me Up A Rope To The Sky to ecstatic critical response and touring the world for the better part of a year.  The Seer, a double CD studio set, came out in 2012 and was celebrated by a year-long tour as well. Both the live shows and album elicited still more media praise and album sales landed The Seer on Billboard's Top 200 Sales Chart. This was followed by the 2 hour long To Be Kind.

    Talking about his experiences with Swans these past six years Gira says: "On a few occasions - particularly in live performance - it's been my privilege, through our collective efforts, to just barely grasp something of the infinite in the sound and experience generated by a force that is definitely greater than all of us combined. When talking with audience members after the shows or through later correspondence, it's also been a true privilege to discover they've experienced something like this too."
 
 
SWANS TOUR 2016
North America
1 Sept - Tucson AZ, Rialto Theater
2 Sept - Los Angeles CA, Fonda Theater
3 Sept - San Francisco CA, The Regency Grand Ballroom
4 Sept - Portland OR, Wonder Ballroom
6 Sept - Vancouver BC, Venue
7 Sept - Seattle WA, The Showbox
9 Sept - Salt Lake City UT, Urban Lounge
10 Sept - Denver CO, Gothic Theater
12 Sept - Dallas TX, Trees
13 Sept - Austin TX, Mohawk Austin
14 Sept - San Antonio TX, Paper Tiger
15 Sept - Albuquerque NM, Sunshine Theater
16 Sept - Phoenix AZ, Crescent Ballroom
*with support from Baby Dee

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