The Seer

In music, 'lengthy' doesn't necessarily equal 'epic'. But in the case of The Seer, the 12th studio album from experimental post-punk act Swans, the two terms are basically interchangeable.

Michael Gira, the veteran band's front man and guiding visionary, told the Quietus this album 'took 30 years to make', and based on the album's jaw-dropping length alone (clocking in at just under two full hours) it's tempting to interpret that quote literally. But The Seer is equally ambitious from a sonic standpoint; blending disgruntled noise-rock, fragile acoustic balladry, terrifying post-rock grooves, and strange experimentation - more or less every sound Swans have previously attempted over the past 30 year - into one of the year's most divisive (and unique) listening experiences.