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versionJBT
Just finished relistening to Bring the Sun / Toussaint L'Ouverture while reading several interviews Gira has given on the subject of Haiti, and all these years I never knew just how identical my thoughts on the country are with his. My mother was born in Haiti, and like Gira I've always had an extremely bittersweet connection with it. Haiti's history is a curious mix of some of the greatest acts of atrocity and self-determination the planet has ever seen, and this 34 minute epic captures that balance fantastically for me. The subject of environmental degradation is huge also, I think. Haiti was once one of the most beautiful places in Latin America, but deforestation has taken away the country's natural beauty and balance. With near-to-no trees to slow down mudslides, killer bees, tarantulas & scorpions slowly make their way to the towns, something my mom had to deal with as a child. Haiti is fighting a very long defeat, and since when does the world enjoy discussing the defeated?
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versionJBT
The song reopens a lot of psychic wounds caused by my negative thoughts on history & human nature. It's forcing me to revisit a lot of paradoxical feelings I've kept inside for decades (It's always been hard for me having pride in an ancestry that has been so deeply entrenched in despair, destitution and torment for centuries), but it also makes me glad to see someone interested in this very unique, though utterly broken, place. Don't even get me started on the "debt" Haiti has owed to France, probably the single greatest ad hoc shakedown in human history. Anyway, Gira's knowledge on the slave revolts & Haitian Revolution greatly exceeds even mine, and I never knew how much passion & admiration he had for a place that's normally considered nothing more than a historical anecdote. These interviews and this song (which, of course, is one of my very favorite tracks by Swans) has exponentially increased my respect for the man.
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rataikvadratai
their live performances are one of the best things that can happen in a lifetime
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Liquid_Exodus
I just saw them. They played an hour long version of The Beggar. May have been the greatest thing I've heard live.
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Account124
Funniest thing, I did kind of headbang at their recent concert, Gira looked like he wanted to kill me honestly. I'm sure he's a nice guy.
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ElBabuino
i did as well, but i didn't really care to be honest. i was just vibing with their music. i also did a little kind of pogo with some of the friends i went with (which was not aggressive at all and was more like a communitarian ritual, dancing all together towards a group ascension and ecstasy) and after a while he just gently asked us not to hit other people or anything, they were all so sweet. they definitely saw how much we were enjoying the music, it was the concert of our lives honestly. after the gig, kristof told us that our energy fed them, even michael, and pravdica told us that we were very lucky because, according to him, that was the only time ever where he didn't stop the pogo immediately or anything.
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emissicia
I live with chronic mental and physical disabilities and SFTB just connects with me in such a profound way. One time, at the height of my illness, I remember losing my vision, as I was unable to open my eyes, and my dad just held my hand while I was motionless. I would ask my dad constantly if I was bleeding, or if other people were in the room, because in my mind, things were being done outside of my scope of perception, and I was incapable of verifying it. Having my senses slowly crumble as I felt no attachment to my physical self was one of the strangest and most terrifying experiences of my life. It has gotten much better, yet I still struggle every day because I have to portion out my energy levels so that I don't crash, and I constantly experience chronic pain as well as brain fog and depersonalization/derealization. Swans are truly amazing and I cannot thank this band enough.
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melodymann
Almost pissed myself when Gira got up and started shouting to a guy who was filming him (i was also filming)
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I001598283434
Something really clicked after I saw them live and man this band just gets better with every listen, I've "liked" them for a while but their music just has such an incredible amount of depth and variety that it's taken forever for me to digest and now I'm realizing that a lot of their albums are straight solid gold bars
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death_by_exile
I have tried time and time again to get into this band, but I cannot find a single redeeming thing about their music. It's fucking awful all across the board
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death_by_exile
And that's not counting the billion gigillion lifetime Interpol plays that I didn't scrobble. My taste is sooooo good
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sourstrawberry_
https://www.instagram.com/reel/C5uhp8bNhh3/?igsh=ZWttNnhxMGQ4cTRz what did gira mean by this?
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SwordOfGuts
Saw them for the first time last night and also it was my first concert ever. It was one of the greatest things I’ve ever experienced. The entire building was shaking, and I actually expected it to be louder. The new songs were all absolutely amazing, especially guardian spirit. That song was insane. And birthing was also unbelievable. The hour long version of the beggar has probably become my new favorite swans song as well.
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Djenthallman
I've always thought they were just an okay band overhyped by /mu/, but I gave them a better listen and damn they are indeed very good. Gotta dive deeper in their discography
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