Swans – “The Apostate” (Live Video)

Swans’ behemoth double-LP The Seer is a pretty safe bet to be included in most year-end top 10s, and the album hits its apex at its conclusion: the 23-minute “The Apostate.” Generally speaking, 23 minutes is about the length of a sitcom (sans commercials), not a single, so it’s appropriate that the band edited the thing down for its video; here it clocks in at a brisk 12 minutes. The song is as hypnotic and intense as a peyote ritual, and the live experience captured in this performance video makes that analogy seem especially apt.