The Glowing Man

The Glowing Man
The Glowing Man
Studio album by Swans
Released	June 17, 2016
Studio	Sonic Ranch (Tornillo, Texas) ; Elmwood Studios (Dallas, Texas) ; Studio Litho (Seattle, Washington) ; CandyBomber (Berlin) ; Micro-Moose (Berlin) ; Jen Turner's apartment (Brooklyn, New York) ; B.C. Studios (Brooklyn, New York)
Genre	Experimental rock; drone; noise rock; art rock; post-rock;
Length	118:23
Language	English
Label	Young God; Mute;
Producer	Michael Gira
Swans chronology
Singles from The Glowing Man
	"When Will I Return?"; Released: May 27, 2016; "Finally, Peace."; Released: November 18, 2016;

The Glowing Man is the fourteenth studio album by American experimental band Swans, released June 17, 2016 on Young God and Mute.^[7]^[8]

The song "The World Looks Red/The World Looks Black" contains lyrics written by frontman Michael Gira that were used in the Sonic Youth song "The World Looks Red" in 1983; the song's music is new, with no relation to the earlier version.^[8] Swans and Sonic Youth both developed in the early 1980s post-punk/no-wave scene of New York City, and Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore was an early member of Swans appearing on the live album Body to Body, Job to Job (recorded 1982–85, released 1991). The title track for The Glowing Man has previously been referred to as "Black Hole Man"^[9] and "Black-Eyed Man" and includes a section of "Bring the Sun / Toussaint L'Ouverture" from the 2014 album To Be Kind. The song "When Will I Return?" was uploaded to YouTube on May 27, 2016.^[10]

Prior to its appearance on The Glowing Man, "Frankie M." was part of Swans' live sets as early as 2014, its length and arrangements differing each time it was performed.

Critical reception[]

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
AnyDecentMusic?	7.7/10^[11]
Metacritic	81/100^[12]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[13]
The A.V. Club	B+^[14]
Consequence of Sound	B+^[15]
Financial Times	^[16]
Mojo	^[17]
Pitchfork	8.1/10^[18]
Record Collector	^[19]
Rolling Stone	^[20]
Spin	8/10^[21]
Uncut	8/10^[22]

Upon its release, The Glowing Man was widely praised by music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from critics, the album received an average score of 81, based on 22 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". Writing for Exclaim!, Griffin J. Elliot called the album "a meticulous exercise in the band's streamlining their abstract sound, taking what they've done before and playing it under a newer, grander spotlight."^[23] Saby Reyes-Kulkarni wrote for Pitchfork, "The love in [Gira's] music is as terrible as it is beautiful, a wrenching act of spiritual determination. Swans make this sound effortless, though, in a fitting end to a remarkable chapter of their career."^[18]

Accolades[]

Publication	Accolade	Year	Rank
The Quietus	Albums of the Year 2016	2016	87^[24]
Sputnikmusic	Staff’s Top 50 Albums of 2016	2016	38^[25]
Uncut	Top Albums of 2016	2016	46^[26]
Rolling Stone (Germany)	Top Albums of 2016	2016	16^[27]
Rockdelux	Top International Albums of 2016	2016	12^[28]
Rockerilla	Top Albums of 2016	2016	14^[29]

Track listing[]

All music is composed by Michael Gira, Norman Westberg, Christopher Pravdica, Christoph Hahn, Thor Harris and Phil Puleo, except where noted.

Disc one
No.	Title	Music	Length
1.	"Cloud of Forgetting"		12:43
2.	"Cloud of Unknowing"		25:12
3.	"The World Looks Red / The World Looks Black"	Michael Gira	14:27
4.	"People Like Us"	Michael Gira	4:32
Total length:			56:54

Disc two
No.	Title	Music	Length
5.	"Frankie M."		20:58
6.	"When Will I Return?"	Michael Gira	5:26
7.	"The Glowing Man"		28:50
8.	"Finally, Peace."	Michael Gira	6:15
Total length:			61:29

Vinyl version (Side A)
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Cloud of Forgetting"	12:43
2.	"Cloud of Unknowing" (Part 1)	6:04

Vinyl version (Side B)
No.	Title	Length
3.	"Cloud of Unknowing" (Part 2)	19:48

Vinyl version (Side C)
No.	Title	Length
4.	"The World Looks Red / The World Looks Black" ("The World Looks Red" (0:00–7:12), "The World Looks Black" (7:13–14:27))	14:27
5.	"People Like Us"	4:32

Vinyl version (Side D)
No.	Title	Length
6.	"Frankie M."	20:58

Vinyl version (Side E)
No.	Title	Length
7.	"When Will I Return?"	5:26
8.	"The Glowing Man" (Part 1 – "Bring the Sun" intro)	15:02

Vinyl version (Side F)
No.	Title	Length
9.	"The Glowing Man" (Part 2 – "The Glowing Man")	13:55
10.	"Finally, Peace."	6:15

Personnel[]

Adapted from the official Young God Records website:^[8]

Swans

Michael Gira – vocals, electric and acoustic guitar
Christoph Hahn – lap steel guitar, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, vocals
Thor Harris – percussion, vibes and bells, hammered dulcimer
Christopher Pravdica – bass guitar, vocals
Phil Puleo – drums, hammered dulcimer, vocals
Norman Westberg – electric guitar, vocals

Guests

Bill Rieflin – drums, piano, synth, Mellotron, bass guitar, electric guitar, vocals
Jennifer Gira – lead vocals on "When Will I Return?"
Okkyung Lee – cello on "Cloud of Unknowing"
Bach Norwood – double bass
Kaela Sinclair – backing vocals
Katrina Cain – backing vocals
Buffi Jacobs – cello
Daniel Hart – violin
Gerald Jones – mandolin, banjo
Stuart Mack – trumpet
Joakim Toftgaard – trombone
Rachel Woolf – flute

Charts[]

Chart (2016)	Peak position
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)^[30]	24
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)^[31]	39
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)^[32]	69
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)^[33]	49
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)^[34]	29
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)^[35]	54
UK Albums (OCC)^[36]	61
US Billboard 200^[37]	151

References[]

^ "Swans – The Glowing Man". The Line of Best Fit.
^ "Swans – The Glowing Man". Pretty Much Amazing.
^ Simpson, Paul. "The Glowing Man – Swans". AllMusic. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
^ Barry, Sean (June 17, 2016). "Swans – The Glowing Man". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved November 23, 2017.
^ Segal, Victoria (July 2016). "Swans: The Glowing Man". Mojo (272): 92. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
^ "Swans – The Glowing Man". Spectrum Culture.
^ Camp, Zoe (April 5, 2016). "Swans Announce New Album The Glowing Man, Share Title Track: Listen". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved April 5, 2016.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c "The Glowing Man (preorder)". Young God Records. April 5, 2016. Retrieved April 5, 2016.
^ "Swans Live Review @ Music Hall of Williamsburg – Brooklyn Vegan". Retrieved June 15, 2016.
^ SWANS (May 27, 2016). "When Will I Return". Retrieved June 15, 2016 – via YouTube.
^ "The Glowing Man by Swans reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved October 15, 2019.
^ "Reviews for The Glowing Man by Swans". Metacritic. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
^ Simpson, Paul. "The Glowing Man – Swans". AllMusic. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
^ Warwick, Kevin (June 17, 2016). "With The Glowing Man, Michael Gira caps off Swans' golden age of exploration". The A.V. Club. Retrieved June 17, 2016.
^ Barry, Sean (June 17, 2016). "Swans – The Glowing Man". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved November 23, 2017.
^ Hunter-Tilney, Ludovic (June 24, 2016). "Swans: The Glowing Man — review". Financial Times. Retrieved October 15, 2019.
^ Segal, Victoria (July 2016). "Swans: The Glowing Man". Mojo (272): 92. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b Reyes-Kulkarni, Saby (June 21, 2016). "Swans: The Glowing Man". Pitchfork. Retrieved June 21, 2016.
^ Hamnett, Alun (July 2016). "Swans – The Glowing Man". Record Collector (455). Retrieved November 23, 2017.
^ Weingarten, Christopher R. (July 11, 2016). "The Glowing Man". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 23, 2017.
^ Camp, Zoe (June 21, 2016). "Review: Swans' Actual Swan Song Is a Cloud of Unknowing on 'The Glowing Man'". Spin. Retrieved June 21, 2016.
^ Pattison, Louis (July 6, 2016). "Swans – The Glowing Man". Uncut. Archived from the original on July 7, 2016. Retrieved June 21, 2016.
^ Elliot, Griffin J. (June 16, 2016). "Swans: The Glowing Man". Exclaim!. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
^ "The Quietus Albums of the Year 2016". The Quietus. December 6, 2016. Retrieved December 6, 2016.
^ "Sputnikmusic – Staff's Top 50 Albums of 2016: 50 – 31 « Staff Blog". Retrieved February 20, 2019.
^ "EOY 2016 – Uncut Magazine (UK) – Acclaimed Music Forums". acclaimedmusic.net. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
^ "EOY 2016-Rolling Stone (Germany) – Acclaimed Music Forums". acclaimedmusic.net. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
^ "Acclaimed Music". www.acclaimedmusic.net. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
^ "Rocklist.net...Rockerilla End Of Year Lists..." www.rocklistmusic.co.uk. Retrieved February 20, 2019.
^ "Austriancharts.at – Swans – The Glowing Man" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 29, 2016.
^ "Ultratop.be – Swans – The Glowing Man" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 24, 2016.
^ "Ultratop.be – Swans – The Glowing Man" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 24, 2016.
^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Swans – The Glowing Man" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 24, 2016.
^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Swans – The Glowing Man" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved June 24, 2016.
^ "Swisscharts.com – Swans – The Glowing Man". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 29, 2016.
^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 25, 2016.
^ "Swans Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved June 28, 2016.

External links[]

Young God Records official website

[1] "Swans – The Glowing Man". The Line of Best Fit.

[2] "Swans – The Glowing Man". Pretty Much Amazing.

[3] Simpson, Paul. "The Glowing Man – Swans". AllMusic. Retrieved June 15, 2016.

[4] Barry, Sean (June 17, 2016). "Swans – The Glowing Man". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved November 23, 2017.

[5] Segal, Victoria (July 2016). "Swans: The Glowing Man". Mojo (272): 92. Retrieved June 15, 2016.

[6] "Swans – The Glowing Man". Spectrum Culture.

[7] Camp, Zoe (April 5, 2016). "Swans Announce New Album The Glowing Man, Share Title Track: Listen". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved April 5, 2016.

[YG_announcement-8] Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c "The Glowing Man (preorder)". Young God Records. April 5, 2016. Retrieved April 5, 2016.

[9] "Swans Live Review @ Music Hall of Williamsburg – Brooklyn Vegan". Retrieved June 15, 2016.

[10] SWANS (May 27, 2016). "When Will I Return". Retrieved June 15, 2016 – via YouTube.

[11] "The Glowing Man by Swans reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved October 15, 2019.

[12] "Reviews for The Glowing Man by Swans". Metacritic. Retrieved June 16, 2016.

[13] Simpson, Paul. "The Glowing Man – Swans". AllMusic. Retrieved June 15, 2016.

[avclub-14] Warwick, Kevin (June 17, 2016). "With The Glowing Man, Michael Gira caps off Swans' golden age of exploration". The A.V. Club. Retrieved June 17, 2016.

[15] Barry, Sean (June 17, 2016). "Swans – The Glowing Man". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved November 23, 2017.

[16] Hunter-Tilney, Ludovic (June 24, 2016). "Swans: The Glowing Man — review". Financial Times. Retrieved October 15, 2019.

[17] Segal, Victoria (July 2016). "Swans: The Glowing Man". Mojo (272): 92. Retrieved June 15, 2016.

[pitchfork-18] Jump up to: ^a ^b Reyes-Kulkarni, Saby (June 21, 2016). "Swans: The Glowing Man". Pitchfork. Retrieved June 21, 2016.

[19] Hamnett, Alun (July 2016). "Swans – The Glowing Man". Record Collector (455). Retrieved November 23, 2017.

[20] Weingarten, Christopher R. (July 11, 2016). "The Glowing Man". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 23, 2017.

[21] Camp, Zoe (June 21, 2016). "Review: Swans' Actual Swan Song Is a Cloud of Unknowing on 'The Glowing Man'". Spin. Retrieved June 21, 2016.

[22] Pattison, Louis (July 6, 2016). "Swans – The Glowing Man". Uncut. Archived from the original on July 7, 2016. Retrieved June 21, 2016.

[exclaim-23] Elliot, Griffin J. (June 16, 2016). "Swans: The Glowing Man". Exclaim!. Retrieved August 10, 2016.

[24] "The Quietus Albums of the Year 2016". The Quietus. December 6, 2016. Retrieved December 6, 2016.

[25] "Sputnikmusic – Staff's Top 50 Albums of 2016: 50 – 31 « Staff Blog". Retrieved February 20, 2019.

[26] "EOY 2016 – Uncut Magazine (UK) – Acclaimed Music Forums". acclaimedmusic.net. Retrieved February 20, 2019.

[27] "EOY 2016-Rolling Stone (Germany) – Acclaimed Music Forums". acclaimedmusic.net. Retrieved February 20, 2019.

[28] "Acclaimed Music". www.acclaimedmusic.net. Retrieved February 20, 2019.

[29] "Rocklist.net...Rockerilla End Of Year Lists..." www.rocklistmusic.co.uk. Retrieved February 20, 2019.

[ac_Austria_Swans-30] "Austriancharts.at – Swans – The Glowing Man" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 29, 2016.

[ac_Flanders_Swans-31] "Ultratop.be – Swans – The Glowing Man" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 24, 2016.

[ac_Wallonia_Swans-32] "Ultratop.be – Swans – The Glowing Man" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 24, 2016.

[ac_Netherlands_Swans-33] "Dutchcharts.nl – Swans – The Glowing Man" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved June 24, 2016.

[ac_Germany4_Swans-34] "Offiziellecharts.de – Swans – The Glowing Man" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved June 24, 2016.

[ac_Switzerland_Swans-35] "Swisscharts.com – Swans – The Glowing Man". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 29, 2016.

[ac_UK2_-36] "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 25, 2016.

[ac_Billboard200_Swans-37] "Swans Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved June 28, 2016.

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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?