Swans With Sir Richard Bishop September 22, 2011

Do you like post-punk music? All right. Well, then, think of your favorite brutal, ominous post-punk artist. Maybe you’re thinking of The Fall. Or, possibly, you’re thinking of Nick Cave’s Bad Seeds or Grinderman. Strong candidates, to be sure. But when it comes to carefully orchestrated dissonance and the thinking man’s aggression, you just can’t get any better than New York City’s Swans. And last year’s My Father Will Guide Me up a Rope to the Sky — Swans’ first record in 14 years — isn’t some half-assed, lethargic attempt at recapturing the sonic viciousness of frontman Michael Gira’s ’80s output. No edge was lost here. There’s even a song called “You Fucking People Make Me Sick.” Sure, it’s sung by Devendra Banhart and Gira’s 3-year-old daughter, which, on paper, doesn’t sound particularly brutal. But let’s put the cacophonous guitars, sternum-shattering percussion and confrontational vocals of My Father up against any current 22-year-old’s so-called “punk” band in a metaphorical street fight. We’ll see who comes out on top. Don’t miss the opener, Sun City Girls’ mainstay Sir Richard Bishop.

http://www.nashvillescene.com/nashville/swans-wsir-richard-bishop/Event?oid=2630370

Official Website: http://www.songkick.com/concerts/9108161-swans-at-bottom-lounge?utm_source=1126&utm_medium=partner