Swans, the most skilled group of sound gods to ever rock the face of the Earth, and my favorite band, display one of their many grains in their song, Helpless Child. It is an emotionally engaging epic from their 1996 2 disc album, Soundtracks for the Blind, an impressive collection of live recordings and collaborations. Soundtracks for the Blind is my favorite Swans album, and Helpless Child is my favorite song on the album. I find myself discovering new sounds in the atmosphere of this song almost every time I listen to it. When you have 16 minutes, turn off all the lights, and listen to Helpless Child with the highest quality sound system to which you have access (I must emphasize the importance of this). Also, the louder you listen to this song, the better it is; all of Swans’ music is created to be listened to very loudly. Listen closely to how Michael Gira’s voice is complemented by the surreal instrumentals. I urge you to keep listening once the lyrical portion of the song is over: the meat of the song is in the instrumental layering.