A Swans live show can be a brutal thing, so imagine not only being at every one of M. Gira’s pummeling onslaughts, but also being on the stage in the center of each unfolding maelstrom. That dubious pleasure belongs to one man: Norman Westberg, the guitarist who has played in both incarnations of Swans along with Gira and a man who we suspect would have more than a hint of tinnitus by now.
Thanks to Room40, you’ll be able to gain an insight into Westberg’s probably tinnitus-addled mind when they release his solo album 13 on November 13. The album consists of three long-form solo guitar pieces recorded during 2013 (you notice a trend emerging?). Pitchfork are premiering the opening track “Frostbite Falls,” which is basically the eerie, droney parts of a Swans opus and exactly as awesome as that description sounds.
Meanwhile, as we reported recently, Swans are hunkered down to record the final record for this iteration of the band. Sigh.
13 tracklist:
01. Frostbite Falls
02. Bunny Bill
03. Oops, Wrong Hat
• Norman Westberg: http://normanwestberg.com
• Room40: http://room40.org/site