The Seer took 30 years to make. It s the culmination of every previous Swans album as well as any other music I ve ever made, been involved in, or imagined. But it s unfinished, like the songs themselves. It s one frame in a reel. The frames blur, blend and will eventually fade. The songs began on an acoustic guitar, then were fleshed out with (invaluable) help from my friends, then were further tortured and seduced in rehearsals, live, and in the studio, and now they await further cannibalism and force-feeding as we prepare to perform some of them live, at which point they ll mutate further, endlessly, or perhaps be discarded for a while. Despite what you might have heard or presumed, my quest is to spread light and joy through the world. My friends in Swans are all stellar men. Without them I m a kitten, an infant. Our goal is the same: ecstasy! Michael Gira --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.