The Fourteenth Trilogy & The Birth of Venus
Everybody knows SWANS albums come in ones and twos, forming threes, 2 fours, 2 fives, 2 sixes, and a twelve. The doublet Filth & Cop \[1\] becomes the 1st tetrad, SWANS EP/Filth & Cop/Young God
The doublet Greed & Holy Money \[3\] becomes the 2nd tetrad, Greed/Time is Money (Bastard) & Holy Money/A Screw and become the 1st trilogy: Greed, Holy Money, & Public Castration Is A Good Idea
with the doublet PCIAGI & Real Love \[6\]
The doublet Children of God & Feel Good Now \[7\]
The doublet The Burning World & Anonymous Bodies In An Empty Room \[8\] becomes the 2nd trilogy: The Burning World, Anonymous Bodies In An Empty Room, & White Light From the Mouth of Infinity
with the doublet White Light From the Mouth of Infinity & Love of Life \[10\] which becomes the 3rd trilogy: White Light From the Mouth of Infinity, Love of Life, & Omniscience
becoming the 1st quintad: The Burning World, Anonymous Bodies In An Empty Room, White Light From the Mouth of Infinity, Love of Life, & Omniscience
The Great Annihilator is best understood as the centerpiece of the transverse trilogy: The Great Annihilator, Drainland, & Sacrificial Cake
however it also properly belongs to the 4th trilogy \[14\]: The Great Annihilator, Soundtracks for the Blind, & Swans Are Dead with the doublet Soundtracks for the Blind & Swans Are Dead \[15\] from the 5th trilogy: Die Tür ist zu, Soundtracks for the Blind, & Swans Are Dead
with the doublet Die Tür ist zu & Swans Are Dead \[17\]
Now, of course, the Reunion is when the syzygystic releases are most pronounced, with near-perfect correspondences between fundraiser/live albums and studio releases.
The doublet I Am Not Insane & My Father Will Guide Me up a Rope to The Sky \[18\]
The doublet We Rose from Your Bed with the Sun in Our Head & The Seer \[19\]
The doublet Not Here / Not Now & To Be Kind \[20\]
The doublet The Gate & The Glowing Man \[21\] becomes the 6th trilogy: We Rose from Your Bed with the Sun in Our Head, Not Here / Not Now, & The Gate
as well as the 7th trilogy: The Seer, To Be Kind, & The Glowing Man
and the 1st hexad: We Rose from Your Bed with the Sun in Our Head, The Seer, Not Here / Not Now, To Be Kind, The Gate, & The Glowing Man
as well as the 8th trilogy: The Gate, The Glowing Man, & Deliquescence
with the doublet The Glowing Man & Deliquescence \[26\] becoming the 9th trilogy: Public Castration Is A Good Idea, Swans Are Dead, & Deliquescence
The doublet What Is This? & leaving meaning. \[28\] becomes the 10th trilogy: Children of God, Love of Life, & leaving meaning.
The doublet Is There Really a Mind? & The Beggar \[30\] becomes the 11th trilogy: I Am Not Insane, What Is This?, & Is There Really a Mind?
and the 2nd hexad: 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?
The doublet Live Rope & Birthing \[33\] becomes the 12th trilogy: leaving meaning., The Beggar, & Live Rope
as well as the 13th trilogy: Live Rope, Birthing, & Newly Sentient Being
which becomes the 14th trilogy: Deliquescence, Live Rope, & Newly Sentient Being
and the 2nd Quintad: Public Castration Is A Good Idea, Swans Are Dead, Deliquescence, Live Rope, & Newly Sentient Being.
The 2nd Quintad is the absolute cream of SWANS' discography, being made up of live albums which culminate the distinctive periods of the band's creative focus.
The Childbirth trilogy (13th) is overrated. The Reincarnation trilogy (14th) is legendary.
But the 2nd Quintad will be remembered for centuries as Gira's high water mark on the mountains of music. Because of the progression of the titles in the 2nd Quintad, and to give it a more memorable and apt name, I call this intergenerational run of albums The Birth of Venus.
Finally, here are the albums that make up the Reunion's Big Sound Era.
