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Baker's Dozen

Bleak Psychedelia: Michael Gira Of Swans' Favourite Albums
Joseph Burnett , November 13th, 2012 06:56

Michael Gira's mighty Swans play live at London's Koko this Thursday, 15th November. In advance of the show, Joseph Burnett speaks to the man himself about thirteen of his favourite albums, from Miles Davis and Gorecki to Throbbing Gristle and Pink Floyd

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Henryk Górecki - Symphonie No.2

I just found about that recently. As opposed to the "pop hit", Symphonie No.3, which is very beautiful as well. Symphonie No.2 is an apocalypse, with a series of percussive stabs in real odd time signatures that really, in a way, sound like Swans, in retrospect because I didn't hear this in the early days. It sounds like the end of the world, but at the same time it's very compelling and uplifting, with a very beautiful lament at the end of the symphony. Like Penderecki and Ligeti, it just speaks to me in a very natural way.