To Be Kind
Swans 2014 isolated
experimental-rock post-rock noise-rock Drone Rock
Extreme music as joyful possession — Swans at their most ecstatic, where mantra-like repetition and collective improvisation build toward moments of terrifying, celebratory transcendence.
Acoustic Profile
Production
Method: live-dominant
Fidelity: polished
Live band recording capturing improvisational energyExtreme dynamic range from near-silence to punishing volumeRhythmic mantras built through collective repetitionGira's voice as percussive and melodic instrument simultaneouslyGradual textural accumulation over 15-30 minute compositions
Vocal
Approach: mixed
Lyrical Abstraction: 6/10
Mood & Theme
ecstasy rage playfulness devotion
Territory: Primal Ritual, Joyful Destruction, Transcendence Through Repetition, Collective Catharsis
Emotional Arc: Mantra Building to Euphoric Collapse
Era & Context
To Be Kind pushed Swans' post-reunion maximalism even further, with Gira's ecstatic vocal performances turning songs like 'A Little God in My Hands' into possessed blues-rock rituals. The album's joyfulness — rare for a band associated with suffering — proved that extreme music could be celebratory and terrifying simultaneously.
Spiritual Links (11)
Lateralus TOOL (2001)
6/10 spiritual-seekingrhythmic-innovation
Bitches Brew Miles Davis (1970)
6/10 improvisational-freedommaximalist-excess
Zombie Fela Kuti (1977)
6/10 rhythmic-innovationmaximalist-excess
Ascension John Coltrane (1966)
6/10 improvisational-freedomspiritual-seeking
White Light/White Heat The Velvet Underground (1968)
6/10 maximalist-excess
Fear Inoculum TOOL (2019)
5/10 spiritual-seekingmaximalist-excess
Remain in Light Talking Heads (1980)
5/10 rhythmic-innovationcollaborative-tension
The Downward Spiral Nine Inch Nails (1994)
5/10 maximalist-excesscontrol-obsession
Daydream Nation Sonic Youth (1988)
5/10 sonic-experimentationtextural-exploration
In Utero Nirvana (1993)
5/10 sonic-experimentation
Animals Pink Floyd (1977)
4/10 maximalist-excesssonic-experimentation
Influences
Similar Albums (Cross-Artist)
1
Mothership Connection Parliament-Funkadelic (1975)
75% 2 The Clones of Dr. Funkenstein Parliament-Funkadelic (1976)
74% 3 Ænima TOOL (1996)
70% 4 10,000 Days TOOL (2006)
69% 5 A Love Supreme John Coltrane (1965)
69% 6 Lateralus TOOL (2001)
68% 7 Are You Experienced Jimi Hendrix (1967)
67% 8 Around the Fur Deftones (1997)
67% 9 Flamagra Flying Lotus (2019)
67% 10 Music for the Jilted Generation The Prodigy (1994)
67%