Soundtracks For The Blind (studio album) by Swans

Soundtracks For The Blind by Swans
Year: 1996
Overall rank: 409th   Overall chart historyOverall chart history
Average Rating: 
83/100 (from 499 votes)
  Ratings distributionRatings distribution   Average rating historyAverage rating history
Accolades:
Award Top 10 albums of 1996 (7th)
Award Top 100 albums of the 1990s (74th)
Award Top 500 albums of all time (409th)
Product Details
Availability

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Swans Soundtracks For The Blind Die Tut Ist Zu CD
Condition: Like New


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Swans Soundtracks For the Blind CD 2002 Repress Matrix Confirmed Post Rock Noise
Condition: Very Good


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Swans – Soundtracks For The Blind (2CD) ORIGINAL 1996 EDITION BRAND NEW SEALED
Condition: Very Good


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Swans bestography

Soundtracks For The Blind is ranked 2nd best out of 39 albums by Swans on BestEverAlbums.com.

The best album by Swans is To Be Kind which is ranked number 249 in the list of all-time albums with a total rank score of 6,757.

Swans album bestography « Higher ranked (249th) This album (409th) Lower ranked (477th) »
To Be KindSoundtracks For The BlindThe Seer

Upcoming concerts

Sep
13
Sat
20:00
Swans @ Rialto Theatre
Rialto Theatre-Tucson, Tucson, United States. United States
Tickets from Ticketmaster Get tickets
 
Sep
23
Tue
20:00
Swans
Neptune Theatre, Seattle, United States. United States
Tickets from Ticketmaster Get tickets
 
Oct
06
Mon
19:00
Swans
Paradise Rock Club presented by Cit, Boston, United States. United States
Tickets from Ticketmaster Get tickets
 
Discover more upcoming concerts

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Soundtracks For The Blind track list

  Track ratingsTrack ratings The tracks on this album have an average rating of 83 out of 100 (all tracks have been rated).

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Track
Rating/Comments
3.
Track pick
Rating: 91 (202 votes)Comments: 8
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7.
Rating: 86 (125 votes)Comments: 4
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8.
Rating: 82 (95 votes)Comments: 0
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9.
Track pick
Rating: 87 (125 votes)Comments: 2
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10.
Rating: 80 (92 votes)Comments: 1
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11.
Rating: 83 (94 votes)Comments: 2
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12.
Rating: 87 (111 votes)Comments: 0
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13.
Rating: 82 (92 votes)Comments: 0
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14.
Track pick
Rating: 91 (150 votes)Comments: 1
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16.
Rating: 82 (93 votes)Comments: 0
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17.
Rating: 79 (93 votes)Comments: 2
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18.
Rating: 81 (91 votes)Comments: 0
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19.
Rating: 85 (99 votes)Comments: 0
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21.
Rating: 83 (92 votes)Comments: 2
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22.
Rating: 80 (88 votes)Comments: 1
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23.
Rating: 82 (90 votes)Comments: 1
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25.
Rating: 78 (85 votes)Comments: 1
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26.
Rating: 80 (87 votes)Comments: 3
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Track pick Top-rated track as rated by BestEverAlbums.com members.

Soundtracks For The Blind rankings

Soundtracks For The Blind collection

Soundtracks For The Blind ratings

Average Rating: 
83/100 (from 499 votes)
  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 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 499 ratings for this album.

Sort ratings
RatingDate updatedMemberAlbum ratingsAvg. album rating
 
95/100
 Report rating
5 days ago AvalancheGrips  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 69789/100
 
85/100
 Report rating
03/14/2025 11:40 doombringer  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 1,90677/100
 
85/100
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03/04/2025 20:53 Mafedere  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 23678/100
 
40/100
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02/07/2025 18:57 gmessian  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 46062/100
 
95/100
 Report rating
12/26/2024 11:28 AmeeI  Ratings distributionRatings distribution 792/100

Rating metrics: 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 1% of all albums on BestEverAlbums.com. This album has a Bayesian average rating of 83.0/100, a mean average of 82.1/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 83.2/100. The standard deviation for this album is 17.0.

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Soundtracks For The Blind comments

Showing latest 10 comments | Show all 33 comments |
Most Helpful First | Newest First | Maximum Rated First | Longest Comments First
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Rating:  
85/100
From 33 hours ago
The more often you listen to this album , the more addicted you get . I'm the living proof . : P
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
80/100
From 03/06/2023 22:24
A great early record for Swans that is probably the most dark and mysterious album they have ever created. This is because the music on here is closer to post rock than their later releases which are more near the experimental rock sort of genre. This leads to a tense and atmospheric listen with the group creating an amazing environment for us. Where they shine, as they always do, is on the longer tracks with The Final Sacrifice, The Sound and Helpless Child being the peak of the record and the latter being amongst the greatest ever Swans songs. Swans are just the masters of longer songs as they have this ability to make them so engaging and complex that they become so rewarding to listen to. However, this release is held back by the shorter songs. There is quite a few of them on here and they just feel pointless for the most part and a lot of them could be skipped. I am someone who loves the fact that Swans albums are extremely long but when they have songs like this that continuously take me out of the music it makes the record drag and feel elongated. Overall, I personally prefer their more experimental albums that came later in their career but this is still great and I can easily see why people would rank it so highly as its full of a lot of high quality moments.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
95/100
From 08/19/2022 05:50
This band and this album are not first listen lovable, but when it hits you, it hits you veeeeeeeeeery hard
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
95/100
From 05/29/2022 13:14
One of the most interesting, beautiful, and scariest albums of all time.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +3 votes (3 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
80/100
From 12/01/2021 22:41
Gigantic sound, gigantic album
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
100/100
From 08/31/2020 10:54
Fav. Tracks:

-Red Velvet Corridor
-I Was A Prisoner In Your Skull
-Helpless Child
-The Beautiful Days
-Volcano
-All Lined Up
-Animus
-The Sound
-YRP
-The Final Sacrifice
-YRP 2
-Surrogate Drone
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | -1 votes (0 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
Rating:  
90/100
From 06/28/2020 04:07
Interesting music I like to hear this. Some songs are not so good but other songs are immense good. Very good I mark this as favorable. Very recommended to listen.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
100/100
From 05/09/2020 23:19
This was powerful. It felt like all the music I have ever listened to had been in preparation for this arresting sonic experience, and I can’t wait to truly get to know this record, a feeling that doesn’t happen often when you’re always trying to listen to new stuff. A true contemporary epic!
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
85/100
From 03/30/2020 23:23
Even though this may not stand up to wonderful trio of albums Swans crafted in the 2010's, it still is a polarizing and infinitely interesting piece of work that never loses its luster, instead it evolves with each listen.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
95/100
From 09/17/2019 22:24
The first half is perfect and the second half is almost perfect. When climate change hits, I'm blasting this album.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)

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Best Albums of 1996
1. If You're Feeling Sinister by Belle And Sebastian
2. Pinkerton by Weezer
3. Endtroducing..... by DJ Shadow
4. Ænima by Tool
5. Odelay by Beck
6. Long Season by フィッシュマンズ [Fishmans]
7. Soundtracks For The Blind by Swans
8. ATLiens by OutKast
9. Tigermilk by Belle And Sebastian
10. Everything Must Go by Manic Street Preachers
11. The Score by Fugees
12. Reasonable Doubt by Jay-Z
13. Richard D. James Album by Aphex Twin
14. Murder Ballads by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
15. Sublime by Sublime
16. New Adventures In Hi-Fi by R.E.M.
17. Beautiful Freak by Eels
18. Being There by Wilco
19. On Avery Island by Neutral Milk Hotel
20. Emperor Tomato Ketchup by Stereolab
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