Raised by Swans is the recording alias of Canadian solo artist Eric Howden. A singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Howden chose the name 'Raised By Swans' in 1997 following a cathartic dream he had after leaving his previous band,

The Gandharvas The Gandharvas was a Canadians, Canadian alternative rock Musical ensemble, band formed in 1989 in London, Ontario. History The band formed in 1989 as The Droogs (later The London Droogs), and released a self-titled EP in 1991. They changed thei ...

; the name relies on a

homonym In linguistics, homonyms are words which are either; '' homographs''—words that mean different things, but have the same spelling (regardless of pronunciation), or '' homophones''—words that mean different things, but have the same pronunciat ...

(''‘raise’: to rear; to elevate'') to convey a simultaneous sense of connection and freedom. Howden composes his songs using a multi-track recorder, guitar, bass, drum machine, and keyboard, writing all parts for all instruments, as well as all the lyrics. This process contributes to his relatively slow recording and releasing pace. His music has been described as haunting and contemplative. In a 2013 interview, Howden explained that pride in his body of work eventually overcame his discomfort in referring to Raised By Swans as "I" instead of "we". In his words: "Raised By Swans is and always has been a solo project, not a band. That fact hasn't been made clear in the past, which is wholly my fault; well-meaning but misguided attempts at modesty and inclusion have clouded the truth. I'm honoured to have such gifted musicians alongside me onstage...but if someone else happens to play a part on an album of mine, for instance, they're playing a part I've written."

Discography

Studio albums

*''

Codes and Secret Longing ''Codes and Secret Longing'' is the debut studio album by Canadian solo artist Raised by Swans. It was written in its entirety by Eric Howden, recorded at Andy Magoffin's studio, House of Miracles, and released on April 11, 2005. The album cover f ...

'', 1101 (independent), 2005 *'' No Ghostless Place'', 1101 (independent), 2010 *''Öxnadalur'', 1101 (independent), 2014 *''Raised by Swans Is the Name of a Man'', 1101 (independent), 2021

Singles

*''Sightings'', 1101 (independent), 2013 * ''Trains We Both Missed / Pale Blue Black Holes'', 1101 (independent), 2016 Raised By Swans' first two full-length studio albums (

, 2005, and No Ghostless Place, 2010) were recorded, mixed and mastered at

Andy Magoffin Joel Andrew Magoffin, best known as Andy Magoffin, is a Canadian musician and record producer. He is the songwriter, vocalist and guitarist for the indie rock band Two-Minute Miracles and the touring bass guitarist for Raised by Swans. His exten ...

's House of Miracles studio, then located in London, ON. The studio has since moved to Cambridge, ON. Raised By Swans released the single 'Sightings' on 19 July 2013, through

Bandcamp Bandcamp is an American online music distribution platform founded in 2008 by Oddpost co-founder Ethan Diamond and programmers Shawn Grunberger, Joe Holt and Neal Tucker, with an office and record store in Oakland, California. Acquired by Epic ...

exclusively. The song was written and recorded by Howden following a trip to

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

, Germany in 2012. This was followed by his third studio album, ''Öxnadalur'', in November 2014 and a double single ''Trains We Both Missed / Pale Blue Black Holes'' in September 2016.

In film

Raised By Swans' song 'Violet Light' is featured in

Douglas Coupland Douglas Coupland (born 30 December 1961) is a Canadian novelist, designer and visual artist. His first novel, the 1991 international bestseller '' Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture'', popularized the terms Generation X and McJob. He ...

's film ''

Everything's Gone Green "Everything's Gone Green" is the third single by the English rock band New Order, released in December 1981. As usual per New Order and Joy Division's releases, the recording date and location of the music is not disclosed on the original sleeve ...

''. Armenian-Canadian film director

Atom Egoyan Atom Egoyan (; ; born July 19, 1960) is an Armenian Canadians, Armenian-Canadian filmmaker. One of the most preeminent directors of the Toronto New Wave, he emerged during the 1980s and made his career breakthrough with ''Exotica (film), Exotica ...

is a fan of Howden's music, and has included his songs in two of his films. Three songs from

are featured in ''

Adoration Adoration is respect, reverence, strong admiration, and love for a certain person, place, or thing. The term comes from the Latin ''adōrātiō'', meaning "to give Homage (arts), homage or worship to someone or something". Ancient Rome In class ...

'' (2008), and two songs from No Ghostless Place appear in ''

Chloe Chloe (; ), also spelled Chloë, Chlöe, or Chloé, is a feminine name meaning "blooming" or "fertility" in Greek. The name ultimately derives, through Greek, from the Proto-Indo-European root , which relates to the colors yellow and green. Th ...

'' (2009). The live version of the band, as it was in 2009, also plays themselves in ''

'', performing sections of ‘We Were Never Young’ and ‘Longer Shadows, Shorter Days’ live at

The Rivoli The Rivoli is a bar, restaurant and performance space, established in 1982, on Queen Street West in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The club originally earned a reputation as one of Canada's hippest music clubs, and many major Canadian comedy and musi ...

in Toronto, Ontario.CBC Radio 3 – New Music Canada – Artist – Raised by Swans
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References

External links

Raised by Swans
official website
Raised By Swans' Facebook page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Raised By Swans Canadian indie rock groups 1998 establishments in Ontario Musical groups from London, Ontario