The Beggar (album)

The Beggar is the sixteenth studio album by the American experimental rock band Swans. It was released by Mute and Young God Records on June 23, 2023. Written during the COVID-19 pandemic,^[4] it was recorded at Candy Bomber Studio in Berlin, Germany across 2022, with key collaborators of front man Michael Gira, as well as both past and present members of the band.^[5][6] The announcement of the album coincided with the release of its lead single, "Paradise Is Mine", as well as the announcement of a world tour. The Beggar was preceded and funded by the acoustic demo album Is There Really a Mind? (2022).

The Beggar
Digital artwork for the album; physical copies come with the heart on a plain brown background
Studio album by Swans
Released	June 23, 2023
Recorded	May 2 – August 25, 2022
Studio	Candy Bomber (Berlin)
Genre	Post-rock[1] drone[2][3]
Length	121:37 (CD version) 77:46 (vinyl version)
Language	English
Label	Mute Young God
Producer	Michael Gira
Swans chronology
Is There Really a Mind? (2022) The Beggar (2023) Live Rope (2024)
Singles from The Beggar
"Paradise Is Mine" Released: March 22, 2023 "Los Angeles: City of Death" Released: May 24, 2023

Background

Swans released their fifteenth studio album Leaving Meaning in 2019, which was a new direction for the band. Front man Michael Gira stated that, starting with Leaving Meaning, he "decided to make Swans a more open-ended venture, with musicians coming and going from project to project". After the album's release, Swans planned for a series of tours to support Leaving Meaning in 2019 and 2020, but the tours were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This prompted Gira to write songs for a new Swans album.^[6][7] Gira needed funding for the then-upcoming sixteenth studio album from the band, which led to the release of the fundraiser demo album Is There Really a Mind?, which was released in February 2022. The demo album consisted of acoustic renditions of many of the album's then-unfinished tracks, primarily recorded by Gira alone at his home studio. Gira promised support for the fundraiser would "go a long way in ensuring a fully realized and well produced album".^[8] The album was recorded and mixed at Candy Bomber Studio in Berlin, Germany.^[9]

Composition

The Beggar has been classified as post-rock^[1] and drone.^[10][11] Tyler Golsen of Far Out described the album's tone as "dark, mysterious, and lingering" and mentioned "Gira's signature ominous bray frequently moans and gargles its way throughout the seemingly-endless songs".^[12] Compositions on The Beggar are constructed around heavy repetition, that unlike the sheer force of older Swans records, is described by Aural Aggravation's Christopher Nosnibor as "woozy and nagging".^[13]

Promotion and release

The Beggar was announced on March 22, 2023 and coincided with the release of the album's lead single, "Paradise Is Mine". That same day, they also announced a world tour with shows in North America as well as the United Kingdom.^{[7][6][14][15]} The band followed it with a second and final single, "Los Angeles: City of Death", on May 24, 2023, as well as announced new shows to their world tour.^[16]

The Beggar was released on June 23, 2023, via Mute and Young God Records.^[7][17][18]

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
AnyDecentMusic?	7.5/10[19]
Metacritic	80/100[20]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[21]
Beats Per Minute	90%[22]
The Guardian	[4]
Louder Than War	[23]
Mojo	[24]
MusicOMH	[25]
The Skinny	[26]
Slant Magazine	[27]
Sputnikmusic	3.7/5[28]
Uncut	8/10[29]

The Beggar received positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, it received an average score of 80, based on 10 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".^[20] The aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave it a 7.5 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.^[19]

Writing for Louder Than War, John Robb awarded the album five out of five stars, and praised the band for being "full of surprise and enigma", and believes "they paint pictures and atmospheres that other bands can only dream of".^[23] Reviewing the album for Beats Per Minute, John Wohlmacher applauded the album for "mark[ing] Gira’s most self-reflective lyricism" and feels the album contains "his most approachable and nuanced compositions".^[22] In a review for The Guardian, critic Dave Simpson wrote that the album's "prevailing atmosphere" is "one of unsettling, claustrophobic unease, as [Gira] contemplates life and mortality" and compared tracks "Los Angeles: City of Death", "Michael Is Done" and "Unforming" to the work of the Velvet Underground, Brian Eno and Spiritualized, respectively.^[4] Wyndham Wallace of Uncut declared the album is "definitely not for the fainthearted" in a positive review.^[29] For MusicOMH, David Murphy proposed the album has "two [flavors], gliding between sweet and sour, heavenly and harrowing, or […] paradise and parasite" and wrote that "whilst listening is intentionally oppressive, it’s like the insidious continual whisper of conscience rather than the brimstone sermon, and even when songs reach a clangorous attack they tend to build frog-boilingly slowly from hushed beginnings".^[25] The Arts Desk's Guy Oddy stated that "there is plenty that is new and interesting on The Beggar" while also noting "at two hours' long, some may still find it a bit much to consume in one sitting" in an overall positive review.^[30]

Other reviewers were less enthusiastic, yet still positive. Reviewing the album for AllMusic, Paul Simpson compared it to the band's previous release, stating that "for the most part, The Beggar builds on the sound of Leaving Meaning, though Gira is clearly interested in pushing the band into weirder territory again," and called it, "a riskier yet more successful effort that feels like a step in a more fulfilling direction."^[21] Paul Attard of Slant Magazine found The Beggar was stopped from "reaching true greatness" because of "how it stands in the shadow of Swans’s recent albums" and criticized the album's "grandiosity" for becoming "slightly predictable".^[27] The Skinny's Joe Creely called The Beggar "another solid entry into the Swans canon, if not one that suggests it will have the staying power of their classics", and complimented the album for "mark[ing] Swans as a group intent on developing long into their career" as well as recognizing "there’s no threat of them losing their intensity" in a lukewarm review.^[26] In a review for Far Out, Golsen criticized the album's "interminable song lengths" and "complete absence of accessible melodies" for not appealing to casual listeners, but simultaneously praised Gira for "forsaking compromise and only playing to the most dedicated of listeners".^[12]

Year-end lists

Publication	List	Rank	Ref.
Rough Trade	Top 100 Albums of the Year 2023	42	[31]
Fopp	Best Albums of 2023	—	[32]

Track listing

Disc one

No.	Title	Length
1.	"The Parasite"	8:21
2.	"Paradise Is Mine"	9:23
3.	"Los Angeles: City of Death"	3:29
4.	"Michael Is Done"	6:08
5.	"Unforming"	5:55
6.	"The Beggar"	10:15
7.	"No More of This"	6:55
8.	"Ebbing"	11:04
9.	"Why Can't I Have What I Want Any Time That I Want?"	7:38
Total length:		69:08

Disc two

No.	Title	Length
10.	"The Beggar Lover (Three)"	43:51
11.	"The Memorious"	8:38
Total length:		52:29

Vinyl edition

Side A

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Paradise Is Mine"	9:23
2.	"The Beggar"	10:15
Total length:		19:38

All tracks are written by Michael Gira

Side B

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Los Angeles: City of Death"	3:29
2.	"The Parasite"	8:27
3.	"The Memorious"	7:53
Total length:		19:49

Side C

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Michael Is Done"	6:08
2.	"Why Can't I Have What I Want Any Time That I Want?"	7:41
3.	"Unforming"	6:10
Total length:		19:59

Side D

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Ebbing"	11:25
2.	"No More of This"	6:55
Total length:		18:20

Notes

• "The Beggar Lover (Three)" is excluded from the vinyl release, save for in the form of a digital download card.^[17]

Personnel

Credits adapted from The Beggar digital liner notes and press release.^[33][17]

Swans

• Michael Gira – vocals, words, acoustic guitar, production
• Kristof Hahn – lap steel guitar, various guitars, vocals
• Larry Mullins – drums, orchestral percussion, Mellotron, vibes, keyboards, backing vocals
• Dana Schechter – bass guitar, lap steel, keyboards, vocals, piano
• Christopher Pravdica – bass guitar, sounds, keyboards, vocals
• Phil Puleo – drums, percussion, vocals, piano, exotic wind instruments

Other musicians

• Ben Frost – guitar, synthesizers, sound manipulations
• Jennifer Gira – backing vocals
• Lucy Kruger – backing vocals
• Laura Carbone – backing vocals
• Norman Westberg – guitar on "Ebbing"

Additional personnel

• Ingo Krauss – engineering
• Doug Henderson – mastering
• Nicole Boitos – artwork

Charts

Chart performance for The Beggar

Chart (2023)	Peak position
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[34]	98
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[35]	37
Polish Albums (ZPAV)[36]	94
Scottish Albums (OCC)[37]	18
UK Album Downloads (OCC)[38]	60
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[39]	8

Release history

Release dates and format(s) for The Beggar

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label	Ref.
Various	June 23, 2023	Streaming digital download 2×LP 2×CD	Young God Mute	[18][40]

References

1. Gorania, Jay H. "Reviews - The Beggar". Blabbermouth.net. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
2. Christopher Nosnibor (May 22, 2023). "Swans – The Beggar". Aural Aggravation. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
3. Daly, Andrew. "Swans influenced everyone from Nirvana to Tool, but Michael Gira still doesn't see himself as a guitarist". Guitar World. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
4. Simpson, Dave. "Swans: The Beggar review – dark and unsettling, purifying and beautiful". The Guardian. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
5. Means-Shannon, Hannah (June 14, 2023). "Swans' Michael Gira Seeks Out Ghost Notes and Offers Supplication For 'The Beggar' (INTERVIEW)". Glide Magazine. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
6. Fu, Eddie (March 22, 2023). "Swans Announce New Album The Beggar, 2023 Tour Dates". Consequence. Retrieved March 22, 2023.
7. Taysom, Joe (March 22, 2023). "Swans Announce Details of New Album "The Beggar"". Far Out. Retrieved March 22, 2023.
8. Kenneally, Cerys. "Swans Launch Fundraiser for 2023 Album with Acoustic Versions of Songs". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
9. Osman, Tom. "Swans' Michael Gira on 'The Beggar' – New Noise Magazine". New Noise Magazine. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
10. Christopher Nosnibor (May 22, 2023). "Swans – The Beggar". Aural Aggravation. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
11. Daly, Andrew. "Swans influenced everyone from Nirvana to Tool, but Michael Gira still doesn't see himself as a guitarist". Guitar World. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
12. Golsen, Tyler (June 23, 2023). "Swans – 'The Beggar' album review: a dense and dissonant descent". Far Out. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
13. Christopher Nosnibor (May 22, 2023). "Swans – The Beggar". Aural Aggravation. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
14. Pappis, Konstantinos (March 22, 2023). "Swans Announce New Album 'The Beggar', Release New Song 'Paradise Is Mine'". ourculture. Retrieved March 22, 2023.
15. H., Rob (March 22, 2023). "Swans Announce New Album and Share Epic Lead Single "Paradise Is Mine"". Beats Per Minute. Retrieved March 22, 2023.
16. Goel, Rishi (May 26, 2023). "News: SWANS adds tour dates, unveils new track". New Noise Magazine. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
17. "The Beggar (Pre-Order)". Young God Records. Retrieved March 22, 2023.
18. "Swans Announce 16th Studio Album". Mute Records. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
19. "The Beggar by Swans reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
20. "The Beggar by Swans Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
21. Simpson, Paul. "Swans – The Beggar Album Reviews, Songs & More". AllMusic. Retrieved June 22, 2019.
22. Wohlmacher, John. "Album Review: Swans – The Beggar – Beats Per Minute". Beats Per Minute. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
23. Robb, John. "Swans: The Beggar – review – ALBUM OF THE WEEK!". Louder Than War. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
24. "44 minutes of scourging song broken up by ambient drone, terrifying din and choral interludes – is both uncompromising and brilliant". Mojo: 85. August 2023.
25. Murphy, David. "Swans – The Beggar Album Reviews". MusicOMH. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
26. Creely, Joe. "Swans – The Beggar album review". The Skinny. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
27. Attard, Paul. "Swans The Beggar Review: More Reliably White-Knuckled Grandiosity". Slant Magazine. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
28. Rugallini, Miloslaw Archibald. "Review: Swans – The Beggar". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
29. Wallace, Wyndham (July 2023). "Uncut UK July 2023". Uncut: 34.
30. Oddy, Guy (June 19, 2023). "Album: Swans – The Beggar review". The Arts Desk. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
31. "Top 100 Albums of the Year 2023". Rough Trade. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
32. "Best Albums of 2023". Fopp. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
33. "The Beggar". Bandcamp. Retrieved March 22, 2023.
34. "Ultratop.be – Swans – The Beggar" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved July 2, 2023.
35. "Offiziellecharts.de – Swans – The Beggar" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
36. "OLiS - oficjalna lista sprzedaży - albumy" (in Polish). OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Note: Change the date to 23.06.2023–29.06.2023 under "zmień zakres od–do:". Retrieved July 6, 2023.
37. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
38. "Official Album Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
39. "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 1, 2023.
40. "The Beggar". Bandcamp. Archived from the original on October 5, 2023. Retrieved February 26, 2023.