raised by swans

“More than worth the wait….No Ghostless Place shimmers with emotion and fragile beauty. A+” - Dave Clarke, Scene Magazine

“More than worth the wait….No Ghostless Place shimmers with emotion and fragile beauty. A+” - Dave Clarke, Scene Magazine

"Raised by Swans excel in creating gorgeous ambient soundscapes of heartbreaking indecision, hope against the odds, disillusionment, and dogged perseverance, bolstered by Eric Howden’s gently drifting vocals and Alex Wright’s scintillating guitar riffs. Songs that sound like the moment you realize that even though you never really liked him/her anyway and they have stupid hair, you’re still going to spend two weeks thinking about the streetlight you stopped and talked under at three in the morning about how you’re sure no one else on the planet breathes the exact way the two of you do, but only when no one else is around.

Haunting atmospherics aside, if the music sounds familiar to you, well, there might be a good reason. The band has had their music featured on television shows like CTV’s “Whistler” and MTV’s “Peak Season” (coincidence?), in a couple of Atom Egoyan movies, and in a Douglas Coupland film called Everything’s Gone Green.

But No Ghostless Place, their most recent release, has its stand-out moments too, as the Garrison show proved. The band chose to open their set with the wistful “We Were Never Young”, that served to transport the audience to a place where voices speak softly and disappointment can still be beautiful, before picking up the pace with the jumping-into-cold-water shock of album stand-out “Hail of Arrows”. New favourites (“Old Fires”) and old favourites (“Sandcastles”) were played with the same level of perfection I’ve come to expect from my Raised by Swans CD the band: no hiccups, no screw ups, just pure audio bliss.

Throughout the set, the Swans kept their banter brief and the music steady, only breaking to do the polite-Canadian thing and thank their support acts, Carnival Moon and Pink Moth, half a dozen times. The crowd, as I mentioned, who were already drifting on a wonderfully-layered wave of sound, didn’t appear to mind.

The band concluded the set with “Violet Light”, the song that’s pretty much been everywhere (because it’s that good), and got the most cheers out of the audience. However, whether it was because it was Thursday or because of the venue, rabid music fans (me), were left to only dream of an encore. That said, it was a really awesome dream." - muchmusic.com

“No Ghostless Place” opens with “We Were Never Young”, and it’s this sole reason which compelled me to listen onwards. The neat, tidy juxtaposition between vocals and guitar are appropriately contrasted: while Howden takes the highs, guitar will often help balance sound so as to not make the track too asymmetrical. This delicate duet between vocals and guitar is wonderfully displaced by resonance, and the accompanying lyrics are absolutely soy-perb!

“We were you-u-u-ng…

We didn’t heed* those things…

If birds were singing then…

We were loved…

We were young,

like the universe,

like our mothers were,

like these words…*”

With my newfound appreciation for well-thought-out lyrics, it makes a song all that much better when I hear something simple, yet effective, poetic in its own right; this track is a shining example of what you can expect from ‘Raised By Swans’. I will finish by saying that you’d be foolish not to listen to “No Ghostless Place”. Once ensnared, you’ll never escape; I know I’m still struggling in its web. - highlyevolvedau.com

“No Ghostless Place” opens with “We Were Never Young”, and it’s this sole reason which compelled me to listen onwards. The neat, tidy juxtaposition between vocals and guitar are appropriately contrasted: while Howden takes the highs, guitar will often help balance sound so as to not make the track too asymmetrical. This delicate duet between vocals and guitar is wonderfully displaced by resonance, and the accompanying lyrics are absolutely soy-perb!

“We were you-u-u-ng…

We didn’t heed* those things…

If birds were singing then…

We were loved…

We were young,

like the universe,

like our mothers were,

like these words…*”

With my newfound appreciation for well-thought-out lyrics, it makes a song all that much better when I hear something simple, yet effective, poetic in its own right; this track is a shining example of what you can expect from ‘Raised By Swans’. I will finish by saying that you’d be foolish not to listen to “No Ghostless Place”. Once ensnared, you’ll never escape; I know I’m still struggling in its web. - highlyevolvedau.com

“No Ghostless Place is a moving, atmospheric journey through the catacombs of haunting vocal melodies and tenderly plucked guitars. We Were Never Young opens the album in a deliberately delicate style, with the stunning vocals leading the song affectionately along. Next track Hail Of Arrows is a more upbeat affair, in which lead singer Eric Howden optimistically proclaims “it’s hard, to lay arms down, in the arms of the one, who lays you bare”. Throughout the first listen of the album, the delicate and compassionate vocals of Howden seem to lead many of the songs, a few listens on however and the nature of the harsh drumbeats and eerie yet fascinating guitar combine perfectly to provide each and every track with a real fragility. These are songs which work because of the multiple layers on which they are formed upon, most notably on Easier where the layered vocals set a fitting scene for the rest of the instruments. Imagine a Jim Adkins fronted Explosions In The Sky, and you begin to realise the level on which the lush vocals entwine with the expertly composed melodies, leaving the listener trapped in a web of emotional devastation and ardent wonder. The untarnished form that each of the songs are delivered in really begins to drag the listener into the music, the ghosts are not the type you see in children’s fairytales, nor in decrepit desolate shacks, but more the agonising memories of squandered loves. The Waiting’s Over is a chilling ode to the future in which we may be blindly be leading ourselves into,“where once slept a sinking continent, now there is nothing more” yearns Howdennostalgically. His love of Brian Wilson’s vocals (mentioned in the interview) is clearly evident, both in delivery and subject matter. They are despondent and regretful to a point, whilst leaving the listener at the entrance to a tunnel of aspiration, allowing them to make their own future decisions. Old Fires is another beautiful example of the densely layered vocal harmonies, and serves as a real testament to both the elegance and charm which Raised By Swans possess. Standout track and six minute epic The Past Is The Prey is a guilt soaked lullaby to an absent partner. In the opinion of many, last years Hospice by Antlers was the bewitching, captivating masterpiece of the year, and whilst only a few months into this year, it would not be too forthcoming to suggest that the formidable, breathtaking No Ghostless Place could well steal their crown.” – crackintheroad.com (UK) - www.crackintheroad.com

“No Ghostless Place is a moving, atmospheric journey through the catacombs of haunting vocal melodies and tenderly plucked guitars. We Were Never Young opens the album in a deliberately delicate style, with the stunning vocals leading the song affectionately along. Next track Hail Of Arrows is a more upbeat affair, in which lead singer Eric Howden optimistically proclaims “it’s hard, to lay arms down, in the arms of the one, who lays you bare”. Throughout the first listen of the album, the delicate and compassionate vocals of Howden seem to lead many of the songs, a few listens on however and the nature of the harsh drumbeats and eerie yet fascinating guitar combine perfectly to provide each and every track with a real fragility. These are songs which work because of the multiple layers on which they are formed upon, most notably on Easier where the layered vocals set a fitting scene for the rest of the instruments. Imagine a Jim Adkins fronted Explosions In The Sky, and you begin to realise the level on which the lush vocals entwine with the expertly composed melodies, leaving the listener trapped in a web of emotional devastation and ardent wonder. The untarnished form that each of the songs are delivered in really begins to drag the listener into the music, the ghosts are not the type you see in children’s fairytales, nor in decrepit desolate shacks, but more the agonising memories of squandered loves. The Waiting’s Over is a chilling ode to the future in which we may be blindly be leading ourselves into,“where once slept a sinking continent, now there is nothing more” yearns Howdennostalgically. His love of Brian Wilson’s vocals (mentioned in the interview) is clearly evident, both in delivery and subject matter. They are despondent and regretful to a point, whilst leaving the listener at the entrance to a tunnel of aspiration, allowing them to make their own future decisions. Old Fires is another beautiful example of the densely layered vocal harmonies, and serves as a real testament to both the elegance and charm which Raised By Swans possess. Standout track and six minute epic The Past Is The Prey is a guilt soaked lullaby to an absent partner. In the opinion of many, last years Hospice by Antlers was the bewitching, captivating masterpiece of the year, and whilst only a few months into this year, it would not be too forthcoming to suggest that the formidable, breathtaking No Ghostless Place could well steal their crown.” – crackintheroad.com (UK) - www.crackintheroad.com

“It’s fair to say that Raised by Swans could be placed in the league of those unsigned, unadvertised titans like the post-hardcore, mysterious gods The Pax Cecilia, Sufjan Stevens-like Freelance Whales, or, until a year and a half ago anyway, melodic death metal heroes Be’lakor. The Canadian quartet’s debut Codes and Secret Longing in 2005 was the kind of album that few might share in secret, a treasure that a small number ever discovered. This year’s sophomore No Ghostless Place finds the band developing their lush sound into a Clarity-era Jimmy Eat World mixed in with a Final Straw-aged Snow Patrol concoction of sorts. While that might sound interesting and appealing to many listeners as it stands, throw in some post-rock guitar tones in the style of Explosion In The Sky, and you have yourself something really promising. Whether it’s the mournful, heartfelt tale of “Night Fighter” or the sheer bliss of pop, hit-in-the-making “Hail Of Arrows”, [the band] has a way with crafting a subtle, retrained happiness, or, in the case of the former, bringing me to tears with a mere suggestion…..Raised By Swans are sure to light up the unsigned underground.” - sputnikmusic.com

“It’s fair to say that Raised by Swans could be placed in the league of those unsigned, unadvertised titans like the post-hardcore, mysterious gods The Pax Cecilia, Sufjan Stevens-like Freelance Whales, or, until a year and a half ago anyway, melodic death metal heroes Be’lakor. The Canadian quartet’s debut Codes and Secret Longing in 2005 was the kind of album that few might share in secret, a treasure that a small number ever discovered. This year’s sophomore No Ghostless Place finds the band developing their lush sound into a Clarity-era Jimmy Eat World mixed in with a Final Straw-aged Snow Patrol concoction of sorts. While that might sound interesting and appealing to many listeners as it stands, throw in some post-rock guitar tones in the style of Explosion In The Sky, and you have yourself something really promising. Whether it’s the mournful, heartfelt tale of “Night Fighter” or the sheer bliss of pop, hit-in-the-making “Hail Of Arrows”, [the band] has a way with crafting a subtle, retrained happiness, or, in the case of the former, bringing me to tears with a mere suggestion…..Raised By Swans are sure to light up the unsigned underground.” - sputnikmusic.com

“‘We were young/We didn’t heed those things,’ Eric Howden quietly sings in falsetto on opening track “We Were Never Young.” The first moment of No Ghostless Place begins a journey through 13 moments of aural splendour, as themes of fading youth and fleeting love evoke both mournful and triumphant emotions. Raised By Swans have grown from their debut album, Codes and Secret Longing, which was enjoyable, but not even close to their sophomore album’s transcendent, angelic presence. “Hail of Arrows” is a heart-wrenching song that has early Interpol guitar tones and a strong bass presence keeping the beat. Listening to Howden sing, “But if we don’t shield ourselves then we won’t have to fear the arrows,” creates an eerie sense that anything is possible. The album has staying power, growing in stature the more it’s listened to, as songs like “The Waiting’s Over” and “The Past is the Prey” create contemplative fields that can raise any grief-stricken spirit. This album cannot be missed." - Exclaim! Magazine

"On No Ghostless Place, the second full length effort from London, Ontario’s Raised By Swans, Eric Howden sings about the departure of a love he was never meant to lose, the loss of a youth he never noticed was slipping away, and the struggle to hold onto the only things he has left; lingering memories of everything that’s gone. No Ghostless Place isn’t about the kind of ghosts that wear white sheets, and it’s set somewhere far more haunted than the house at the top of the hill; inside the mind of a brokenhearted poet. Sorrow-laden guitar and piano mingle with ethereal vocal melodies, heightening the fatalistic regret in “Secret Garden /S.C.”, “Easier”, and “Old Fires”, while steady purposeful drums provide an edge that keep things from getting too airy. On “Night Fighter”, well-known songs from the past become distant hums, “and you and I will fall too,” mourns Howden, deciding that all that can be done is “sleep… sleep… sleep… sleep.” - drankinandsmokin.wordpress.com

"I threw it in and it was a total gem. It was beautiful....driving guitars, ethereal sounding..." - Amanda Putz, CBC Radio One (Bandwidth)

"beautifully constructed - and decidedly dark - musical visions." - The Ottawa Sun

"I threw it in and it was a total gem. It was beautiful....driving guitars, ethereal sounding..." - Amanda Putz, CBC Radio One (Bandwidth)

"Raised By Swans know how to write shimmery, sprawling, sensitive epics and producer Andy Magoffin knows how to make them sound just right."
- Eye Weekly

"Raised By Swans know how to write shimmery, sprawling, sensitive epics and producer Andy Magoffin knows how to make them sound just right."
- Eye Weekly

“a mournful masterwork.” - James Reaney, London Free Press

“a mournful masterwork.” - James Reaney, London Free Press

“A black and silver sheen drapes their downbeat guitars and pianos in reverb and shimmering gentility...devastating and dark.” - Lorraine Carpenter, Montreal Mirror

“A black and silver sheen drapes their downbeat guitars and pianos in reverb and shimmering gentility...devastating and dark.” - Lorraine Carpenter, Montreal Mirror