Top 10 Songs of 2019 - No. 8, Swans

Today, on the 13th of Friday (paraskevidekatriaphobia, anyone?), we interrupt The Year of the Woman with some of the most swaggeringly macho music of the year.  It's almost as if all the testosterone in the music industry somehow got channeled into one spot on the Best Of list.

Michael Gira has once again reformed his long-running band Swans, and after a three-year wait, they've released a new album, leaving meaning., featuring a new lineup which in many ways sounds a lot like the old lineup (several of the same musicians are involved in the new project).  At the same time, the new Swans are also noticeably different, featuring a less confrontational sound and a greater emphasis on lyrical content.  The Hanging Man sounds like a commentary on Swans' 2016 The Glowing Man, but with a newfound sense of restraint that only emphasizes the suspense and tension. This is a band that is justifiably famous for being able to become overwhelmingly loud and produce incredibly abrasive sound at the drop of a hat, but instead of doing just that, they instead use their frightful reputation to heighten a creeping sense of dread and apprehension.

Runner-Up/For Your Consideration:  If you like it loud, Sunn O))) released not one but two new albums in 2019, Life Metal and Pyroclasts.  Thematically, all songs from both of the LPs are fairly consistent, consisting of long-form drone-metal studies, but one of my favorites is the second cut from the first LP, Life Metal, titled Troubled Air.  If you love this track, you'll love both albums; if you hate this track, you'll hate both albums. Simple as that.