Alongside Sonic Youth, Swans took inspiration from New York's punk and noise
scenes and created their own form of distorted, alternative rock aesthetic, full
of heavy downbeats and sustaining guitars. Formed in 1979 at a time when the
city was particularly violent and dystopian, leader and sole constant member
Michael Gira led the band in building great angry walls of droning distortion on
early albums Filth (1983), Cop (1984), and Greed (1986). Full of dark,
confrontational lyrics, the band's mood mellowed slightly with the addition of
vocalist Janet Jarboe in 1984 and became sl...