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Originally Posted by Blood_Promise
Well, I wouldn't mind a live album in the vein of Swans Are Dead, Swans live are much better anyway. Don't think they've captured the ferocity of their sound on these post-reunion studio records. Last time I listened to To Be Kind it sounded quite flat.
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That's part of the problem with being an unbelievably inventive live music act. Again, I can't help but think of Sonic Youth. On record, I definitely had my preferred tracks, and even a few that I occasionally skipped, like "My Friend Goo" and "Rats." But live those songs seemed to hit whatever target they missed during the recording process. "Rats" actually became a favorite of mine after hearing it played live a few times. "My Friend Goo" remained a fairly skippable track on an otherwise perfect album, but live it took on an energy of its own.
I Really don't know if I agree that their recent studio albums haven't compared well to the live versions. There's definitely an seamless quality to their shows that makes the songs sound perfect regardless of where they're placed, but I think The Seer in particular actually has some moments that sound quite a bit better (or at least as good in some hard to explain way) on record than on stage. "Avatar" has such a moody opening, that I prefer listening to it in the car during a snowfall than I would in a club during a sweat-fall (yuck).
To Be Kind is different, I guess. It comes from a somewhat more kinetic place than Seer or My Father Will Guide Me Up a Rope to the Sky, both of which feel to me like a band easing into a new version of itself, and because of this, possibly feeling a bit more comfortable in studio than out in the open.
But I'm reeeeeally bored, so keep that in mind when you read this nonsense.