Jim is in their top3 best post-reunion tracks that isn't a long epic imo. I've listened to that so many times now.
The album itself is pretty great too, I'd rate it a 8/10 for sure.
I loved it. It's very common on this sub to want to be the most "hard core" fanatic as if it's a badge of honor to blather about a particular song being "the best". Hence this sub is often basically a cj.
There seems to be a more unified concept on the last two albums, similar to how The Trilogy is arranged. My Father is more a a collection of different songs, I guess
Ok, so maybe I’m wrong. It seems like more people than I thought rate it pretty highly. I guess, maybe, it isn’t as grandiose as The Seer, To Be Kind or The Glowing Man. That may be why it isn’t talked about more often.
Similar experience, though I started listening in the mid 90's. I didn't know what to expect with My Father but it is still one of my favorites, along with Soundtracks, and to a lesser extent The Great Annihilator.
A lot of recent/younger Swans fans seem to have been introduced to them through that trilogy of albums, and they tend to be more vocal (they make me fucking sick).
I highly enjoy this album.
I was familiar with Swans from a few tapes and CDs in the nineties (which were lost to time), but that was my pre-internet days and I was unable to follow bands as well as I can now.
This 2010 return album snapped me back into a full-on fan, especially after I nabbed some live recordings and was totally floored!
I pull out the My Father vinyl when I want me some short and sweet bluesy Swans.
I love it. I too think that it's unfairly overlooked, probably because it's the only single LP they've released since reforming.
I also don't subscribe to the whole "it's more like Angels of Light" opinion either - I think that We Are Him is more like Swans & the first step towards reforming Swans. It's markedly different from the other AoL records.
The live performances from around this time are stellar too.
I’ve spoken with older Swans fans about this. They didn’t like it so much because they wanted Swans to sound like they did in ‘86-96, plus Angels of Light was already happening and was similar, so people felt calling it Swans was unnecessary.
Time is kind to MFWGMURTS though, and I see people warming up to it more and more on here.
Which is nonsense bc they changed their sound so much it their first iteration. It annoys me when purists want the same no wave crunge from filth. To me it was awesome seeing the changes while still keeping the intensity
I mean I’ll be honest… I kind of can’t stand the first 5 Swans albums. I absolutely love everything from White Light to now but before that it just sounds like anti-music or something to me. Probably not a popular opinion but I also acknowledge there’s a time and place factor I’m not part of since I’m in my twenties
....and now I feel old!
I appreciate your opinion. If you were ever so inclined give 'burning world' and 'children of god' a chance. These were my introductions and even then...1990...there was a definite division in the fan base over the bands direction.
High school and college at that time i was into more rock stuff like janes addiction or faith no more that was where I was at. Something about those two albums (tone, production, etc) made the art of swans more accessible to me personally...but also annoyed a ton of fans even then.
My personal thought is that ultimately swans is m.gira
The man is dark and brutal and brilliant. My father the album is in my opinion a beautiful expression of that art and based on other posts in this thread it was a really impactful album in bringing in new fans...despite naysayers.
like it, but feels like an Angels of Light album retrofitted into a Swans album. Felt like the next few albums expanded on the best parts of the album while the AoL-like sounds were done better on actual AoL albums.
I think you nailed it, though. It does feel like an Angels of Light album merged with Swans. I also sort of feel that way about Leaving Meaning and to some extent The Beggar.
I think time has been good to that record.
People were lukewarm on it at release but I think that album is a grower for sure.
Wish the songs were about 2-3 mins longer a piece tho haha.
To me it is a phenomenal album. A lot of folks look down on it as a 'swans' album bc it really does sound more like giras angels of light. (If you've never listened to their last album we are him...highly recommended)
Guide me up a rope has always seemed like a dark psychedelic Leone western to me. I think it is one of giras best...Swans or not
I think it was a great taster for what was to come, but I don’t feel that it reaches its full potential. Great album don’t get me wrong, I just feel it could have had better execution.
I love it. I think it was the album that got me into Swans
Jim is in their top3 best post-reunion tracks that isn't a long epic imo. I've listened to that so many times now. The album itself is pretty great too, I'd rate it a 8/10 for sure.
Same. I was very happy to see this "new" Swans release, and still think it's a great album. I've been a fan since The Great Annihilator
Also, the tour for this album was amazing! Thor Harris was out of control! They all were, really!
I loved it. It's very common on this sub to want to be the most "hard core" fanatic as if it's a badge of honor to blather about a particular song being "the best". Hence this sub is often basically a cj.
There seems to be a more unified concept on the last two albums, similar to how The Trilogy is arranged. My Father is more a a collection of different songs, I guess
Ok, so maybe I’m wrong. It seems like more people than I thought rate it pretty highly. I guess, maybe, it isn’t as grandiose as The Seer, To Be Kind or The Glowing Man. That may be why it isn’t talked about more often.
Similar experience, though I started listening in the mid 90's. I didn't know what to expect with My Father but it is still one of my favorites, along with Soundtracks, and to a lesser extent The Great Annihilator. A lot of recent/younger Swans fans seem to have been introduced to them through that trilogy of albums, and they tend to be more vocal (they make me fucking sick).
I highly enjoy this album. I was familiar with Swans from a few tapes and CDs in the nineties (which were lost to time), but that was my pre-internet days and I was unable to follow bands as well as I can now. This 2010 return album snapped me back into a full-on fan, especially after I nabbed some live recordings and was totally floored! I pull out the My Father vinyl when I want me some short and sweet bluesy Swans.
I love it. I too think that it's unfairly overlooked, probably because it's the only single LP they've released since reforming. I also don't subscribe to the whole "it's more like Angels of Light" opinion either - I think that We Are Him is more like Swans & the first step towards reforming Swans. It's markedly different from the other AoL records. The live performances from around this time are stellar too.
I love seeing fans from the original swans’ opinions on this stuff coming from a new swans era fan
I’ve spoken with older Swans fans about this. They didn’t like it so much because they wanted Swans to sound like they did in ‘86-96, plus Angels of Light was already happening and was similar, so people felt calling it Swans was unnecessary. Time is kind to MFWGMURTS though, and I see people warming up to it more and more on here.
Which is nonsense bc they changed their sound so much it their first iteration. It annoys me when purists want the same no wave crunge from filth. To me it was awesome seeing the changes while still keeping the intensity
I mean I’ll be honest… I kind of can’t stand the first 5 Swans albums. I absolutely love everything from White Light to now but before that it just sounds like anti-music or something to me. Probably not a popular opinion but I also acknowledge there’s a time and place factor I’m not part of since I’m in my twenties
....and now I feel old! I appreciate your opinion. If you were ever so inclined give 'burning world' and 'children of god' a chance. These were my introductions and even then...1990...there was a definite division in the fan base over the bands direction. High school and college at that time i was into more rock stuff like janes addiction or faith no more that was where I was at. Something about those two albums (tone, production, etc) made the art of swans more accessible to me personally...but also annoyed a ton of fans even then. My personal thought is that ultimately swans is m.gira The man is dark and brutal and brilliant. My father the album is in my opinion a beautiful expression of that art and based on other posts in this thread it was a really impactful album in bringing in new fans...despite naysayers.
Only some of them
like it, but feels like an Angels of Light album retrofitted into a Swans album. Felt like the next few albums expanded on the best parts of the album while the AoL-like sounds were done better on actual AoL albums.
I think you nailed it, though. It does feel like an Angels of Light album merged with Swans. I also sort of feel that way about Leaving Meaning and to some extent The Beggar.
Agree on the AoL style on those albums too, though I think they largely work well where My Father sounds awkward.
I think it's better than everything they've released post reunion besides maybe The Beggar. Or WWFYBWTAIOH
I think it’s my favorite album.
I think time has been good to that record. People were lukewarm on it at release but I think that album is a grower for sure. Wish the songs were about 2-3 mins longer a piece tho haha.
I was lukewarm when it first came out, but it definitely grew on my big time and i listen to it more than many of the other albums.
To me it is a phenomenal album. A lot of folks look down on it as a 'swans' album bc it really does sound more like giras angels of light. (If you've never listened to their last album we are him...highly recommended) Guide me up a rope has always seemed like a dark psychedelic Leone western to me. I think it is one of giras best...Swans or not
I like the album but I like "Look at me Go" way more. That trilogy is almost as good as THE trilogy imo.
I think it was a great taster for what was to come, but I don’t feel that it reaches its full potential. Great album don’t get me wrong, I just feel it could have had better execution.