| The Gate | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Cover art of one of the copies | ||||
| Live album by | ||||
| Released | October 1, 2015 | |||
| Length | 148:09 | |||
| Label | Young God | |||
| Producer | Michael Gira | |||
| Swans chronology | ||||
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The Gate is a 2015 limited-edition live album by American experimental rock band Swans. [1] The album was released on October 1, 2015 on band leader Michael Gira's Young God Records. Limited to 2500 copies, the album served as a fundraiser for The Glowing Man . [1] [2]
The Gate was offered in a double-CD format. The album features six live recordings, with four of them being previously unreleased tracks set to be included in the next studio album. The other two recordings are the live versions of "A Little God in My Hands" and "Just a Little Boy," both from Swans' 2014 album, To Be Kind . The album additionally includes five "rough, crudely recorded demos," that will be re-recorded for the upcoming album. [3]
The album also includes a DVD documentary on Swans' To Be Kind tour. Similar to the previous fundraising live albums, each CD copy came with a personalized cover art by the band, featuring a cardboard cover drawn by Michael Gira. [3]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| PopMatters | 7/10 [4] |
In her review of the album for PopMatters, Natasha Gatian wrote, "It lacks some of the momentum and surprise of Swans’ studio work, but then, that’s one of the possible pitfalls of a live album. Diehards will appreciate hearing Swans in the wild, but casual fans might be better off sticking with album cuts before crossing The Gate’s imposing threshold." [4]
| No. | Title | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Frankie M." | Michael Gira, Norman Westberg, Christopher Pravdica, Kristof Hahn, Michael Harris & Philip Puleo | 29:25 |
| 2. | "A Little God in My Hands" | Michael Gira | 13:13 |
| 3. | "Apost" / "Cloud of Unforming" (First part from "The Apostate", later recorded as "Cloud of Unknowing") | Michael Gira, Norman Westberg, Christopher Pravdica, Kristof Hahn, Michael Harris & Philip Puleo | 33:41 |
| Total length: | 76:19 | ||
| No. | Title | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4. | "Just a Little Boy" | Michael Gira, Norman Westberg, Christopher Pravdica, Kristof Hahn, Michael Harris & Philip Puleo | 16:40 |
| 5. | "Cloud of Forgetting" (Performed on preceding tour as "I Forget") | Michael Gira, Norman Westberg, Christopher Pravdica, Kristof Hahn, Michael Harris & Philip Puleo | 11:34 |
| 6. | "Bring the Sun / Black-Eyed Man" ("Black-Eyed Man" performed on tour as "Black Hole Man", whole piece later recorded as "The Glowing Man") | Michael Gira, Norman Westberg, Christopher Pravdica, Kristof Hahn, Michael Harris & Philip Puleo | 28:16 |
| 7. | "When Will I Return?" | Michael Gira | 2:58 |
| 8. | "New Rhythm Thing" (Later to be titled "The World Looks Black") | Michael Gira | 1:59 |
| 9. | "People Like Us" | Michael Gira | 3:54 |
| 10. | "Red Rhythm Thing" (Later to be titled "The World Looks Red") | Michael Gira | 3:04 |
| 11. | "Finally, Peace." | Michael Gira | 3:26 |
| Total length: | 71:51 | ||
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 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.
Michael Rolfe Gira is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, author and artist. Now based in New Mexico, he founded the band Swans, in which he sings and plays guitar, in New York City in the 1980s at the height of the no wave movement. He is also the founder of Young God Records and previously fronted Angels of Light.
Filth is the debut studio album by American experimental rock band Swans. It was released in 1983 through Neutral Records, following the release of the band's self-titled debut EP in 1982. Though it did not receive much contemporary attention, Filth has since been recognized as ahead of its time and significant to heavy genres of music.
Cop is the second studio album by American experimental rock band Swans. It was released in 1984, through record label K.422.
Young God is the second EP by American experimental rock band Swans. It was released in 1984, through record label K.422. It is also referred to as "Raping a Slave" and "I Crawled", but is officially referred to as Young God by the band. As with Cop, the cover art includes a notice that the record is "designed to be played at maximum volume."
Children of God is the fifth studio album by American experimental rock band Swans. It was released on October 19, 1987, through record label Caroline.
Soundtracks for the Blind is the tenth studio album by Swans. It was released as a double CD on October 22, 1996, through Young God Records. Soundtracks for the Blind was intended, as suggested by the title, to function as a "soundtrack for a non-existent film." It was the last studio album released by the band until 2010's My Father Will Guide Me up a Rope to the Sky. A reissue of the album was released on July 20, 2018, marking the first time Soundtracks for the Blind was released on vinyl.
Swans is the first EP by the experimental rock band Swans. Their first project, it was released in 1982 on Labor.
The Burning World is the sixth studio album by American experimental rock band Swans. It was released in 1989, through record label Uni Records, the band's only major-label release. Co-produced by Bill Laswell and band leader Michael Gira, the album features a major stylistic shift from their past releases, being very tuneful and accessible compared to the bleak, industrialized sound from their past records. It received a mixed reception and was a commercial disappointment; the band was dropped from the record label following its poor performance.
Love of Life is the eighth studio album by American experimental rock band Swans. It was released in 1992 on Young God Records.
New Mother is the debut studio album by American folk music act Angels of Light. It was released on April 5, 1999 via frontman Michael Gira's own record label Young God Records, immediately after Michael Gira disbanded his previous band, Swans. The album features contributions from various musicians, including violinist Hahn Rowe, Rasputina band cellist Julia Kent, drummer Thor Harris, composer Joe McGinty and ex-Swans members Bill Rieflin, Phil Puleo and Bill Bronson.
We Were Alive! is a live album by folk rock band Angels of Light. It was released in 2002, and contains two songs previously recorded by Swans. It was limited to 750 copies on release.
My Father Will Guide Me up a Rope to the Sky is the eleventh studio album by American rock band Swans released on September 23, 2010; it was their first studio recording in 14 years. Swans founder Michael Gira funded the recording of this album by creating the limited-edition album I Am Not Insane and chose several collaborators from previous Swans line-ups as well as his side project Angels of Light to record and tour for this album. My Father Will Guide Me up a Rope to the Sky has received positive critical feedback for the return of Swans as well as the rich spiritual themes of the lyrics.
We Rose from Your Bed with the Sun in Our Head is the second double and eighth live album by American experimental rock band Swans. The album was recorded in New York City, Berlin, Germany and Melbourne, Australia during the Swans World Tour of 2010-2011. Only 1,000 copies of the album were sold, and each was numbered and signed personally by frontman Michael Gira. The album was released to help support the upcoming Swans album, The Seer.
The Seer is the twelfth studio album by American experimental rock band Swans and was released on August 28, 2012 by Gira's own record label Young God Records. Producer and frontman Michael Gira funded the recording of the album with the sales of We Rose from Your Bed with the Sun in Our Head.
Not Here / Not Now is a limited-edition double live album by American post-rock band, Swans. It was announced for sale on October 14, 2013, via Young God Records. The profits earned from this album were used to fund the band's subsequent album, To Be Kind.
To Be Kind is the thirteenth studio album by American experimental rock band Swans, released on May 12, 2014. It was released as a triple LP, a double CD, and a two-CD deluxe edition that includes a live DVD of performances from Hellfest Open Air Festival, Pitchfork Music Festival and Primavera Sound Festival, as well as a digital download. Critical reception of the album was very positive, continuing a string of well-received albums from the band. The album peaked at number 37 on US Billboard 200, and debuted at number 38 on the UK Albums Chart. Both are the highest chartings that Swans had ever achieved on a studio album and it is the first time that the band cracked the top 40 in both countries.
Oxygen is an EP by American experimental rock band Swans. It was released digitally on November 25, 2014 through frontman Michael Gira's own label, Young God Records.
What Is This? is a 2019 limited-edition fundraiser album by American experimental rock band Swans. The album was released in March 2019 on band leader Michael Gira's Young God Records. Limited to 2,500 copies, the album served as a fundraiser for the fifteenth Swans album, Leaving Meaning, which was released in October 2019.
Leaving Meaning is the fifteenth studio album by American experimental band Swans. It was released October 25, 2019 on Young God and Mute. A double album, Leaving Meaning's songs have been mixed separately for vinyl and CD releases, with the CD version of the album containing the original mixes of the songs, as well as an additional track, "Some New Things". As with all Swans' releases of the 2010s, Leaving Meaning was financed by a fundraiser album – in this case, What Is This? in March 2019.