The Great Annihilator

The Great Annihilator is the ninth studio album by American experimental rock band Swans. It was released on January 23, 1995, through frontman Michael Gira's own record label, Young God. The album has been described by Gira as a companion album to his solo album Drainland (1995); the two were remastered and re-released together in April 2017.[3]

This article is about the Swans album. For the astronomical object, see Great Annihilator.

The Great Annihilator
Studio album by
Swans
ReleasedJanuary 23, 1995
RecordedFebruary 1993 – June 1994
Studio
Various
    • B. C. Studios (New York City)
    • Baby Monster Studios (New York City)
    • Plastikville Studios (New York City)
    • Warzone (Chicago)
Genre
Length68:06
LabelYoung God
ProducerMichael Gira
Swans chronology
Kill the Child
(1995)		 The Great Annihilator
(1995)		 Die Tür ist zu (EP)
(1996)
Singles from The Great Annihilator
  1. "Celebrity Lifestyle"
    Released: October 24, 1995
  2. "I Am The Sun"
    Released: 1997
  3. "Mind/Body/Light/Sound"
    Released: April 3, 2017

Content

The album features a shift towards more prominent melodies and cleaner production than Swans' earlier work. Lyrical subjects include death and the human condition.[4] Music critic Saby Reyes-Kulkarni, writing for Pitchfork, describing band leader Michael Gira's singing style on much of the album says "[Gira] leers as if doing a self-consciously evil take on Johnny Cash".[5]

The album begins with an instrumental track with sounds of children's laughter and chanting. After this, the track "I Am The Sun" features Gira and Jarboe alternating on vocals over an instrumental with a "manic drive".[5] The song features tempo changes and "careful" spaces of quiet between "blasts" of instrumentation.[6]

Louder Sound's Dom Lawson describes the song "Celebrity Lifestyle" as a "weirdly catchy no-wave hoedown".[7] Lyrically, the song features the topic of romanticization of celebrities.[6]

The song "Killing For Company" is based on the crimes of the Scottish serial killer Dennis Nilsen, who claimed to have killed his victims due to loneliness.[8] Dom Lawson described the song as "an object lesson in sonic unease", and, alongside "Celebrity Lifestyle", one of the band's "most devastating moments".[7]

The song "Where Does A Body End?" has the same lyrics as the song "Where Does Your Body Begin?" from Drainland, linking the two "companion albums" together.[5]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[6]
Blurt[9]
Classic Rock[7]
CMJ New Music Monthlyfavorable[10]
The Line of Best Fit9/10[4]
New Noise Magazine[1]
Pitchfork7.2/10[5]
PopMatters[11]
Spectrum Culture3.75/5[12]

The Great Annihilator received a generally positive reception from critics. AllMusic called the album "an epic, incredible work of art."[6] Trouser Press, on the other hand, wrote that the album "reveals [...] that the band is running out of ideas", commenting that is "unlikely to satisfy long-term followers. A more accessible Swans may also be a less cathartic one."[13]

Track listing

All lyrics are written by Michael Gira; all music is composed by Gira, except tracks 8 and 16 (which are also composed by Jarboe)

No.TitleLength
1."In"2:27
2."I Am the Sun"3:23
3."She Lives!"7:00
4."Celebrity Lifestyle"4:10
5."Mother/Father"4:07
6."Blood Promise"4:15
7."Mind/Body/Light/Sound"4:52
8."My Buried Child"2:58
9."Warm"4:54
10."Alcohol the Seed"3:29
11."Killing for Company"6:55
12."Mother's Milk"2:26
13."Where Does a Body End?"3:42
14."Telepathy"6:11
15."The Great Annihilator"4:53
16."Out"2:24
Total length:68:06
2002 reissue bonus track
No.TitleLength
17."I Am the Sun" (Live at the Flesh Club 1996)5:48
Total length:73:54
2017 remaster disc two, Drainland by Michael Gira
No.TitleLength
17."You See Through Me"5:41
18."Where Does Your Body Begin?"3:04
19."I See Them All Lined Up"4:13
20."Unreal"4:48
21."Fan Letter"7:01
22."Your Naked Body"2:30
23."Low Life Form"3:41
24."If You..."4:41
25."Why I Ate My Wife"5:53
26."Blind"4:33
Total length:46:05

Personnel

Credits adapted from The Great Annihilator liner notes.[14][15]

References
  1. Haugen, Tom (September 26, 2017). "Album Review: Swans – The Great Annihilator / Drainland". New Noise Magazine. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
  2. Terich, Jeff (September 26, 2013). "Beginner's Guide: Swans". Treblezine. Retrieved May 31, 2020.
  3. Gira, Michael (2017). "Great Annihilator / Drainland (Remastered 2017)" (Press release). Young God Records. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
  4. Cartledge, Luke (April 21, 2017). "Swans' The Great Annihilator Chews Us Up and Swallows Us Whole". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
  5. Reyes-Kulkarni, Saby (April 29, 2017). "Swans: The Great Annihilator". Pitchfork. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
  6. Raggett, Ned. "The Great Annihilator – Swans : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved March 1, 2013.
  7. Lawson, Dom (April 28, 2017). "Swans – The Great Annihilator Album Review". Classic Rock. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
  8. "The classic Swans song about a serial killer". August 9, 2022. Retrieved October 18, 2023.
  9. Mills, Fred (May 24, 2017). "SWANS - The Great Annihilator/Drainland". Blurt. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  10. Jarman, David (March 1995). "Reviews". CMJ. Retrieved March 1, 2013.
  11. Schiller, Mike (June 28, 2017). "Swans: The Great Annihilator / Michael Gira: Drainland". PopMatters. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
  12. Beaudoin, Jedd (May 11, 2017). "Swans / Michael Gira: The Great Annihilator / Drainland". Spectrum Culture. Retrieved August 18, 2018.
  13. Leland, John; Sheridan, David; Kenny, Glenn; Frampton, Scott. "Trouserpress.com :: Swans". Trouser Press. Retrieved March 1, 2013.
  14. The Great Annihilator (CD liner notes). Swans. Young God Records. 1995. YGCD 009.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  15. The Great Annihilator (2017 remaster) (CD liner notes). Swans. Young God Records. 2017. YG59.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
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