ENSIKLOPEDIA

Leaving Meaning (stylized as leaving meaning.) is the fifteenth studio album by American experimental band Swans. It was released October 25, 2019, on Young God and Mute.^[2] A double album, Leaving Meaning's songs have been mixed separately for vinyl and CD releases, with the CD version of the album containing the original (and extended) mixes of the songs, as well as an additional track, "Some New Things".^[3] As with all Swans' releases of the 2010s, Leaving Meaning was financed by a fundraiser album – in this case, What Is This? in March 2019.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
AnyDecentMusic?	7.5/10^[4]
Metacritic	75/100^[5]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[6]
Exclaim!	7/10^[7]
The Line of Best Fit	9/10^[8]
Mojo	^[9]
MusicOMH	^[10]
Pitchfork	7.7/10^[11]
Q	^[12]
Record Collector	^[13]
Slant Magazine	^[14]
Uncut	8/10^[15]

Upon its release, Leaving Meaning received mostly positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, Leaving Meaning received an average score of 75, based on 16 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".^[5] Andrew Perry of Mojo gave the album a favorable review, comparing it partly to The Burning World and writing, "Whatever the sonic weather, Gira's spiritual austerity remains unimpaired."^[9]

Accolades

Publication	Accolade	Rank	Ref.
Les Inrocks	Top 100 Albums of 2019	98	^[16]
Magnet	Top 25 Albums of 2019	23	^[17]
Mondo Sonoro	Top 40 Albums of 2019	18	^[18]
Rough Trade	Top 100 Albums of 2019	19	^[19]

Track listing

CD & digital version

All tracks are written by Michael Gira, except "Hums" by Gira, Kristof Hahn, Christopher Pravdica, Norman Westberg^[20]

Disc one
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Hums"	2:00
2.	"Annaline"	5:17
3.	"The Hanging Man"	10:48
4.	"Amnesia"	5:49
5.	"Leaving Meaning"	11:21
6.	"Sunfucker"	10:43
Total length:		45:58

Disc two
No.	Title	Length
7.	"Cathedrals of Heaven"	7:49
8.	"The Nub"	12:01
9.	"It's Coming It's Real"	7:42
10.	"Some New Things"	7:09
11.	"What Is This?"	6:05
12.	"My Phantom Limb"	6:26
Total length:		47:12

Vinyl version

All tracks are written by Michael Gira, except "Hums" by Gira, Kristof Hahn, Christopher Pravdica, Norman Westberg^[20]

Vinyl version (Side A)
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Annaline"	5:17
2.	"The Hanging Man" (shortened mix)	9:55
3.	"Amnesia"	5:49
Total length:		21:01

Vinyl version (Side B)
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Leaving Meaning" (shortened mix)	10:37
2.	"Sunfucker" (shortened mix)	10:22
Total length:		20:59

Vinyl version (Side C)
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Hums" (shortened mix)	1:46
2.	"Cathedrals of Heaven"	7:49
3.	"The Nub" (shortened mix)	10:59
Total length:		20:34

Vinyl version (Side D)
No.	Title	Length
1.	"It's Coming It's Real" (shortened mix)	7:29
2.	"What Is This?"	6:05
3.	"My Phantom Limb"	6:26
Total length:		20:00

Personnel

Adapted from the official Young God Records website^[2] and album liner notes:^[21]

Swans

Michael Gira – vocals, acoustic guitar and electric guitar, production, art design
Kristof Hahn – lap steel guitar, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, backing vocals
Larry Mullins – drums, percussion, vibes, Mellotron, keyboards, synth, backing vocals
Yoyo Röhm – electric bass guitar, double bass, keyboards, piano, synth, backing vocals

Previous Swans

Thor Harris – percussion, trumpet, clarinet, sounds, bells, gizmos, additional vibes
Christopher Pravdica – bass guitar, sounds
Phil Puleo – hammered dulcimer ("Amnesia"), art layout and execution
Norman Westberg – electric guitar
Paul Wallfisch – piano

Guests

Chris Abrahams (The Necks) – piano, organ ("The Nub", "Leaving Meaning")
Tony Buck (The Necks) – drums, percussion ("The Nub", "Leaving Meaning", "Some New Things")
Lloyd Swanton (The Necks) – double bass ("The Nub", "Leaving Meaning")
Baby Dee – lead vocal ("The Nub")
Fay Christen – backing vocals ("The Nub")
Ida Albertje Michels – backing vocals ("The Nub")
Cassis Staudt – accordion, harmonium (on various songs)
Anna von Hausswolff – choral/backing vocals ("Sunfucker", "Amnesia", "It's Coming Real")
Maria von Hausswolff – choral/backing vocals ("Sunfucker", "Amnesia", "It's Coming Real")
Ben Frost – guitar, synths, sound manipulations (throughout), engineer
Jennifer Gira – various backing vocals (throughout), cameo vocal ("Sunfucker")
Jeremy Barnes (A Hawk and a Hacksaw) – santur, hi-hat, fiddlesticks, accordion, engineering
Heather Trost (A Hawk and a Hacksaw) – Stroh violin, violin, viola, fiddlesticks, engineering
Dana Schechter – bass ("Some New Things"), sounds
Mika Bajinksi – additional backing vocals
Marie-Claire Schlameus – additional backing vocals
Swan Gira – laughter
Saoirse Gira – laughter
Tatiana Hahn – host

Other contributors^[22]^{[unreliable source?]}

Ingo Krauss – engineer on basic tracks at Candy Bomber Studio, Berlin; mixing
Jason LaFarge – engineer at Seizure's Palace, Brooklyn, NY
Francesco Fabris – assistant engineer at Ben Frost studio, Reykjavik
Sander Stuer – assistant engineer at Ben Frost studio, Reykjavik
Doug Henderson – mastering
Paul A. Taylor – art layout and execution

Charts

Chart (2019)	Peak position
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)^[23]	73
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)^[24]	93
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)^[25]	156
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)^[26]	58
Scottish Albums (OCC)^[27]	34
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)^[28]	70
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)^[29]	77

References

↑ "Swans' Leaving Meaning is a customarily monolithic work of experimental rock". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved April 30, 2023.
1 2 "leaving meaning". YOUNG GOD RECORDS.
↑ "Swans - leaving meaning. - Double Vinyl". Mute Bank.
↑ "Leaving Meaning. by Swans reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved November 28, 2019.
1 2 "Leaving Meaning. by Swans Reviews and Tracks". Metacritic. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
↑ Simpson, Paul. "leaving meaning. – Swans". AllMusic. Retrieved November 28, 2019.
↑ Morin, Max (October 30, 2019). "Swans: Leaving Meaning". Exclaim!. Retrieved October 30, 2019.
↑ Lilly, Evan (October 31, 2019). "Swans' Leaving Meaning is a customarily monolithic work of experimental rock". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved February 1, 2020.
1 2 Perry, Andrew (November 2019). "Swans: Leaving Meaning". Mojo. No. 312. p. 89.
↑ Shepherd, Sam (October 25, 2019). "Swans – Leaving Meaning". MusicOMH. Retrieved February 1, 2020.
↑ Sherburne, Philip (November 13, 2019). "Swans: Leaving Meaning". Pitchfork. Retrieved November 14, 2019.
↑ Mongredien, Phil (January 2020). "Swans: Leaving Meaning". Q. No. 406. p. 114.
↑ Hamnett, Alun (December 2019). "Swans – Leaving Meaning". Record Collector. No. 499. Retrieved November 28, 2019.
↑ Wilson, Seth (October 20, 2019). "Review: Swans's Leaving Meaning Depicts a Grim and Unrelenting Hellscape". Slant Magazine. Retrieved November 28, 2019.
↑ Wallace, Wyndham (December 2019). "Swans: Leaving Meaning". Uncut. No. 271. p. 32.
↑ "Notre Top 100 des meilleurs albums de 2019" (in French). December 11, 2019. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
↑ "Magnet's Top 25 Albums of 2019". Magnet. December 23, 2019. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
↑ "Los mejores discos internacionales de 2019 para Mondo Sonoro" (in Spanish). MondoSonoro. December 3, 2019. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
↑ "Albums of the Year". Rough Trade. Archived from the original on January 15, 2020. Retrieved May 10, 2020.
1 2 "ACE Repertory". ASCAP. Retrieved July 7, 2023.
↑ "Swans – Leaving Meaning. (2019, CD)". Discogs. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
↑ "Various Personnel Swans Leaving Meaning grande".
↑ "Austriancharts.at – Swans – Leaving Meaning" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 7, 2019.
↑ "Ultratop.be – Swans – Leaving Meaning" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 2, 2019.
↑ "Ultratop.be – Swans – Leaving Meaning" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved November 2, 2019.
↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Swans – Leaving Meaning" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved October 31, 2019.
↑ "Official Scottish Albums Chart on 1/11/2019 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 2, 2019.
↑ "Top 100 Albumes – Semana 44: del 25.10.2019 al 31.10.2019" (in Spanish). Productores de Música de España. Retrieved November 6, 2019.
↑ "Swisscharts.com – Swans – Leaving Meaning". Hung Medien. Retrieved November 6, 2019.

External links

Young God Records official website

v t e Swans
Michael Gira Norman Westberg Kristof Hahn Larry Mullins Phil Puleo Christopher Pravdica Dana Schechter Jonathan Kane Thurston Moore Dan Braun Roli Mosimann Jarboe Ted Parsons Algis Kizys Virgil Moorefield Vincent Signorelli Anton Fier Bill Rieflin Vudi Thor Harris Paul Wallfisch Ben Frost
Studio albums	Filth Cop Greed Holy Money Children of God The Burning World White Light from the Mouth of Infinity Love of Life The Great Annihilator Soundtracks for the Blind My Father Will Guide Me Up a Rope to the Sky The Seer To Be Kind The Glowing Man Leaving Meaning The Beggar Birthing
Fundraiser albums	I Am Not Insane We Rose from Your Bed with the Sun in Our Head Not Here / Not Now The Gate What Is This? Is There Really a Mind?
Live albums	Public Castration Is a Good Idea Feel Good Now Anonymous Bodies in an Empty Room Omniscience Kill the Child Swans Are Dead We Rose from Your Bed with the Sun in Our Head Not Here / Not Now The Gate Deliquescence Live Rope
Compilation albums	Body to Body, Job to Job Various Failures Forever Burned
EPs	Swans Young God A Screw Love Will Tear Us Apart Die Tür ist zu Oxygen
Singles	"Time Is Money (Bastard)" "New Mind" "Can't Find My Way Home" "Saved" "Paradise Is Mine"
Related articles	Discography Young God Records Angels of Light The Body Lovers / The Body Haters Cop Shoot Cop Of Cabbages and Kings Prong Sulfur Unsane World of Skin Where Does a Body End?

Authority control databases	MusicBrainz release group

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