The Gate (Swans album)

The Gate
The Gate
	Cover art of one of the copies
Live album by Swans
Released	October 1, 2015
Length	148:09
Label	Young God
Producer	Michael Gira
Swans chronology

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]

Background[]

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]

Each copy of the album has personalized cover art by the band.

Critical reception[]

Professional ratings
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]

Track listing[]

Disc one
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

Disc two
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

Personnel[]

Michael Gira – guitar, vocals
Christoph Hahn – double lap steel guitar, guitar
Thor Harris – drums, percussion, vibes, clarinet, melodica, violin, Gizmos
Christopher Pravdica – bass guitar, Gizmos
Phil Puleo – drums, Appalachian dulcimer, Gizmos
Norman Westberg – guitar

References[]

^ Jump up to: ^a ^b "Swans Detail Live Album The Gate, Michael Gira Will Paint a Portrait of You to Raise Money for New LP". Pitchfork. September 3, 2015. Retrieved September 3, 2015.
^ Brodsky, Rachel (July 23, 2015). "Swans to Release Live Album, 'The Gate'". Spin. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b Adams, Gregory (September 2, 2015). "Swans Detail 'The Gate' Live Release, Offer Update on "Final" Album". Exclaim1. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b Gatian, Natasha (October 26, 2015). "Swans - The Gate". PopMatters. Retrieved October 27, 2015.

External links[]

The Gate on Young God Records

[Pitchfork-1] Jump up to: ^a ^b "Swans Detail Live Album The Gate, Michael Gira Will Paint a Portrait of You to Raise Money for New LP". Pitchfork. September 3, 2015. Retrieved September 3, 2015.

[2] Brodsky, Rachel (July 23, 2015). "Swans to Release Live Album, 'The Gate'". Spin. Retrieved October 27, 2015.

[exclaim-12-3] Jump up to: ^a ^b Adams, Gregory (September 2, 2015). "Swans Detail 'The Gate' Live Release, Offer Update on "Final" Album". Exclaim1. Retrieved October 27, 2015.

[popmatters-review-1-4] Jump up to: ^a ^b Gatian, Natasha (October 26, 2015). "Swans - The Gate". PopMatters. Retrieved October 27, 2015.

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show v t Swans
Michael Gira Jarboe Algis Kizys Ted Parsons Thurston Moore Roli Mosimann Vincent Signorelli Bill Rieflin Toby Dammit Jonathan Kane Thor Harris Christopher Pravdica Phil Puleo Paul Wallfisch Norman Westberg
Studio albums	Filth Cop Greed Holy Money Children of God The Burning World White Light from the Mouth of Infinity Love of Life The Great Annihilator Soundtracks for the Blind My Father Will Guide Me Up a Rope to the Sky The Seer To Be Kind The Glowing Man Leaving Meaning
Fundraiser albums	I Am Not Insane We Rose from Your Bed with the Sun in Our Head Not Here / Not Now The Gate What Is This?
Live albums	Public Castration Is a Good Idea Feel Good Now Anonymous Bodies in an Empty Room Real Love Omniscience Kill the Child Swans Are Dead We Rose from Your Bed with the Sun in Our Head Not Here / Not Now The Gate Deliquescence
Compilation albums	Body to Body, Job to Job Children of God/World of Skin Various Failures Filth/Body to Body, Job to Job Cop/Young God Greed/Holy Money Forever Burned
EPs	Swans Young God Love Will Tear Us Apart Die Tür ist zu Oxygen
Singles	"A Screw" "Time Is Money (Bastard)" "New Mind" "Can't Find My Way Home" "Saved" "Celebrity Lifestyle"
Related articles	Discography Young God Records Angels of Light The Body Lovers / The Body Haters Cop Shoot Cop Of Cabbages and Kings Prong Sulfur Unsane World of Skin Where Does a Body End?