Albums to watch

The Beggar

Swans

The Beggar

Sixteenth studio album from Michael Gira's New York experimental rock band

ADM rating[?]

7.5

Label
Mute
UK Release date
23/06/2023
US Release date
23/06/2023
  1. 9.0 |   Beats Per Minute

    By imagining a future without himself, Michel Gira has opened up an eternity of possibilities. He’s let the light shine in – and that is deeply moving. He’s found peace
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  2. 8.0 |   The Arts Desk

    There is plenty that is new and interesting on The Beggar
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  3. 8.0 |   musicOMH

    Sinister bass grooves, slave-gallery drums and portentous bleakness: Michael Gira and co are back
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  4. 8.0 |   Uncut

    What sometimes seems like attrition - "Paradise Is Mine's" relentless hammering, "Ebbing's" pounding 11 minutes - can, nevertheless, deliver ritualistic euphoria. Print edition only

  5. 8.0 |   The Guardian

    Written during lockdown, the band’s 16th album is full of claustrophobic unease as Michael Gira contemplates life, mortality and the end of existence
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  6. 8.0 |   Spectrum Culture

    While Gira's lyrics are as apocalyptic, cryptic and uncomfortable as they've ever been, The Beggar is Swans at their loveliest, sounding earthy and ethereal rather than crushingly oppressive
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  7. 7.4 |   Sputnik Music (staff)

    The Beggar is definitely flawed as a front-to-back experience, but it's also the most engaging release that Swans have put out since To Be Kind
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  8. 7.0 |   Slant Magazine

    The album is defined by the quality, craftsmanship, and epic-ness we've come to expect
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  9. 6.0 |   The Skinny

    Swans continue to tone back the aggression on The Beggar, feeling like a band once again developing a new identity, one that’s still coalescing into its full shape
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