12 Jun 2007

Jarboe / Swans

"a ritual awakening
transport transformation
in her altar of temptation
taste of bliss, anunciation

treasure book and temple
eternal idol mystica
transcendental satisfaction
the sweet meat - love and holy cult"


I have no idea what Jarboe is actually trying to say here; it's just always a little funny to hear the word 'transcendental' in a song (definitely not a word with good pop-credibility). Anyway, Jarboe is still, after so many years one of the most fascinating women in rock music. The song 'ode to v' is from her 1995 album Sacrificial Cake.
Added are also two Swans songs. Jarboe became part of the Swans in 1986 and married frontman Michael Gira. For 10 years as a creative duo, they made some of the most intense music, anticipating many developments in rock (in the early eighties they started the whole noise/industrial movement, in the early nineties postrock). The end of the band was also the end of their marriage. The both still continue as solo-artists. Michael Gira also performs with his band Angels of Light, and owns his own underground record label 'Young God records' (he discovered for example Devendra Banhart).
Swans - Failure (mp3) (from the 1991 album White Light from the Mouth of Infinity)
Swans - 1000 years (mp3) (from the 1988 Lp World of Skin)

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi, I stumbled on your blog. Just a quick note about these songs. Most the songs on "Sacrificial Cake" deal with the female condition. The "V" of "Ode to V" stands for vagina and therefore, the song is about female sexuality and orgasm. Apparently Jarboe did a lot research finding all sorts of terms and words that implied the female orgasm and that is how the lyrics formed. Also, I believe "1,000 Years" was inspired by Anne Rice's "Interview with the Vampire." Of course, no matter what the origins of a song, they are always open to interpretation.

tom jacobs said...

Thanks for your interpretation. That makes sense, even in combination with the use of the word 'transcendental'. As both Irigaray and Kristeva try to point out, the semiotic (that which precedes language and thus remains transcendent to the symbolic order of male power)is essentially feminine and the vagina symbolises the transcendental wound, which makes us fall out of the world (at least during some moments).

Viagra Online said...

I don't know because the word transcendental has many meanings it depends on the interpretation you wanna give it, I saw a commentary which say that's related to the vagina but I don't really sure about it, by the way this topic is extremely good I had never read something like this.