The Ascension
by Glenn Branca

The Ascension by Glenn Branca
Year: 1981
Release date: 1981-00-00
Overall rank: 1,115th   
Average Rating: 
79/100 (from 214 votes)
     
Accolades:
Award Top 20 albums of 1981 (15th)
Award Top albums of the 1980s (172nd)
Award Best albums of all time (1,115th)

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Availability

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Glenn Branca – The Ascension 12" Vinyl LP 99 Records 99-001LP 33 RPM Ranaldo
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Glenn Branca The Third Ascension (CD) Album
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Glenn Branca The Third Ascension (CD) Album (UK IMPORT)
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Glenn Branca bestography

The Ascension is ranked as the best album by Glenn Branca.

Glenn Branca album bestography « Higher ranked
-
This album (1,114th)
The Ascension
Lower ranked (1,114th) »
The Ascension

(N.B. Bestographies include all albums by an artist (and their variations), but do not include albums ranked outside the top 100,000).

Upcoming concerts

Feb
20
Fri
Dwight Yoakam
Trilith LIVE, Fayetteville, United States. United States
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Mar
07
Sat
NEEDTOBREATHE: The Barely Elegant Acoustic Tour
Will Rogers Auditorium, Fort Worth, United States. United States
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Feb
25
Wed
MAGGIE LINDEMANN - I Feel Everything Tour
Neighborhood Theatre Main Room, Charlotte, United States. United States
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The Ascension track list

   The tracks on this album have an average rating of 81 out of 100 (all tracks have been rated).

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Track
Rating/Comments
1.
Average Rating: 78 (42 votes)Comments: View 2
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3.
Average Rating: 80 (36 votes)Comments: View 0
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5.
Average Rating: 83 (39 votes)Comments: View 0
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The Ascension rankings

Rankings summary
Overall rank: 1,115th | 1980s rank: 172nd | 1981 rank: 15th

The Ascension collection

The Ascension ratings

Average Rating: 
79/100 (from 214 votes)
   Help Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AV
where:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.

Showing latest 5 ratings for this album. | Show all 214 ratings for this album.

Sort by
RatingDate updatedMemberAlbum ratingsAvg. album rating
 
70/100
 !
01/20/2026 23:26 Untitled   1,66077/100
 
75/100
 !
01/14/2026 19:35 Exist-en-ciel   7,41670/100
 
75/100
 !
01/11/2026 23:23 JoaoMoreira   49574/100
 
60/100
 !
11/12/2025 09:49 MadhattanJack   5,58465/100
 
80/100
 !
09/06/2025 16:14 matterhornrider   4,87281/100

Rating metrics: Help Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some albums can have several thousand ratings)

This album is rated in the top 2% of all albums on BestEverAlbums.com. This album has a Bayesian average rating of 78.8/100, a mean average of 77.3/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 79.1/100. The standard deviation for this album is 18.8.

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The Ascension comments

Showing latest 10 comments | Show all 14 comments |
Most Helpful First | Newest First | Positive Sentiment First | Longest Comments First
(Only showing comments with -2 votes or higher. You can alter this threshold from your profile page. Manage Profile)

Rating:  
70/100
From 04/16/2023 03:44 | #296120
Fascinating and spellbinding instrumental music. I haven't listened to a lot of Swans, but I can hear their origins in the pounding drone-grooves that these compositions frequently settle into. All in all, this is a powerful listen, but I honestly can't see myself returning to it.

Edit: I returned to it
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
95/100
From 06/16/2021 16:14 | #270715
If you listen to this, then listen to Godspeed You! Black Emperor, the influence is extremely apparent.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
95/100
From 05/06/2021 02:48 | #269398
What an enthralling listen. If you are into noise or no wave, this is a must. I don't even know what else to say, just WOW. Really good.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
100/100
From 05/03/2021 00:18 | #269288
A modern masterpiece. Rock? Classical? it's both and none at the same time. The 9th Sysmphony for the Gen X.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
60/100
From 06/19/2016 01:10 | #169097
Swans did a better cover of Lesson No 2
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (1 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
Rating:  
80/100
From 02/12/2015 19:45 | #134812
damn no one getting good ratings in this comment section
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (3 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
Rating:  
80/100
From 10/26/2014 14:55 | #125436
Don't be a prick
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (3 helpful | 3 unhelpful)
Rating:  
100/100
From 11/04/2012 15:36 | #54212
A guitar symphony.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +6 votes (7 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
Rating:  
90/100
From 06/21/2010 22:29 | #13088
What Elston said. =P
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (2 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
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Best Albums of 1981
1. Moving Pictures by Rush
2. Computerwelt by Kraftwerk
3. Discipline by King Crimson
4. Juju by Siouxsie And The Banshees
5. My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts by Brian Eno & David Byrne
6. Time by Electric Light Orchestra
7. Dare by The Human League
8. Faith by The Cure
9. Damaged by Black Flag
10. Deceit by This Heat
11. Youth Of America by Wipers
12. Tattoo You by The Rolling Stones
13. Fire Of Love by The Gun Club
14. Ghost In The Machine by The Police
15. The Ascension by Glenn Branca
16. Heaven Up Here by Echo & The Bunnymen
17. Face Value by Phil Collins
18. Killers by Iron Maiden
19. Nightclubbing by Grace Jones
20. Movement by New Order
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