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swanbird III: cygnus atratus

by swanbird

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  • Streaming + Download

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    Purchasable with gift card

      $9 AUD  or more

     

  • T-Shirt/Shirt + Digital Album

    ltd run of 20 one-off, not to be repeated, album-specific shirts featuring swanbird logo and cartoon figure art by billie larsen on breast and 'swanbird III: cygnus atratus' design on back

    lovingly hand-printed on AS Colour tees by SICKNASTY

    while much has been done to accurately portray the colour(s) of the items as closely as possible to real life, the attached photos may not be perfectly representative of the exact tones you receive.
    some minor printing 'ghosts' may also be present. these are a natural bi-product of hand screen-printing apparel on mass. every item was produced manually, without a single perfectly automated machine transfer in sight.

    currently available only within Australia because of egregious international postage costs, although if you're across an ocean and desperately want one flick me an email at swanbird.the.rapper@gmail.com and we'll sort something out

    Includes unlimited streaming of swanbird III: cygnus atratus via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    ... more
    ships out within 14 days
    edition of 20 

      $35 AUD or more 

     

  • Sweater/Hoodie

    mid-weight crewneck featuring swanbird logo and cartoon figure art by billie larsen filling the front and tasteless "honk honk bitch" slogan down the back

    lovingly hand-printed on AS Colour sweaters by SICKNASTY

    while much has been done to accurately portray the colour(s) of the items as closely as possible to real life, the attached photos may not be perfectly representative of the exact tones you receive.
    some minor printing 'ghosts' may also be present. these are a natural bi-product of hand screen-printing apparel on mass. every item was produced manually, without a single perfectly automated machine transfer in sight.

    currently available only within Australia because of egregious international postage costs, although if you're across an ocean and desperately want one flick me an email at swanbird.the.rapper@gmail.com and we'll sort something out
    ... more
    ships out within 14 days

      $50 AUD or more 

     

  • T-Shirt/Shirt

    baby pink shirts featuring swanbird logo on breast and cartoon figure art by billie larsen on back

    lovingly hand-printed on AS Colour tees by SICKNASTY

    while much has been done to accurately portray the colour(s) of the items as closely as possible to real life, the attached photos may not be perfectly representative of the exact tones you receive.
    some minor printing 'ghosts' may also be present. these are a natural bi-product of hand screen-printing apparel on mass. every item was produced manually, without a single perfectly automated machine transfer in sight.

    currently available only within Australia because of egregious international postage costs, although if you're across an ocean and desperately want one flick me an email at swanbird.the.rapper@gmail.com and we'll sort something out
    ... more
    ships out within 14 days

      $35 AUD or more 

     

1.
2.
ssshhh 02:46
3.
sick 02:10
4.
greyside 03:07
5.
6.
7.
8.
4.13am 02:48
9.
the church 02:48
10.
11.
dark 02:18
12.
light 02:18
13.
home (outro) 02:15

about

cygnus atratus, a taxonomic species within the family anatidae, more commonly known as the black swan, is a variety of bird native to australia, found predominantly in the southern regions of the country

~~~

the tale of the ugly duckling has become important to me

this lil baby creature grows up amongst all the ducklings, not knowing why or how it's different, except that it's constantly harassed for looking, acting and sounding wrong and is a certified misfit
the ugly duckling becomes a pariah amongst it's only social groups, outcasted, bullied and thrown away like trash

one day though, when all the lil ducklings are growing into their own, it becomes apparent that the ugly one is much bigger than them all and comes to flourish into a swan, a thing of beauty in it's own right

it wasn't that the ugly duckling was actually broken, it's everyone else that had the ugly duckling fucked up that was the problem

the swan that came of it all was perfectly gorgeous by its own merit when not levelled against a horde of antagonistic peers and, when it came to outgrow its awkward youth and entered adulthood, became a beast of sublime magnificence in the face of all the ducks

~~~

in the 16th century, a common phrase used to describe the impossible was to characterise something as "a rare bird in the lands and very much like a black swan" (from the latin - "rara avis in terris nigroque simillima cygno")
at that point in time, all known historical records of swans indicated they had white feathers and, thus, a black swan was impossible or, at the very least, non-existent
in 1697, however, dutch explorers found themselves in australia and were the first europeans to lay witness to black swans

and so, the perceived impossibility became disproven, with rather dramatic ramifications for science at the time

~~~

nassim nicholas taleb, coined the 'black swan theory' in 2007, which describes an event that functions as follows, in his own words:

"first, it is an outlier, as it lies outside the realm of regular expectations, because nothing in the past can convincingly point to its possibility

second, it carries an extreme 'impact'

third, in spite of its outlier status, human nature makes us concoct explanations for its occurrence after the fact, making it explainable and predictable

i stop and summarize the triplet: rarity, extreme 'impact', and retrospective (though not prospective) predictability

a small number of black swans explains almost everything in our world, from the success of ideas and religions, to the dynamics of historical events, to elements of our own personal lives"

~~~

how's the impossibility of growing up a lil duckling, only to find you grow into a swan?
that kinda upheaval has a huge impact on everything you thought you knew and how others knew you too
but in retrospect, maybe it was all too obvious, for you were never really one of the ducks at all and they made sure of it

all the signs were there in an impossible circumstance

now look at the beautiful black swan you've become
xx

credits

released April 7, 2023

lyrics and their performance, beats and production by swanbird

additional lyrics and their performance on 'laid bare the wack flow masters' by Lil Meatus

additional lyrics and their performance on 'terminally swanline' by CRIIMES

additional lyrics and their performance on 'headcan(n)on' by Realname

mastered by Jarvis Halfpenny at Halfpenny Music Production
www.halfpennymusicproduction.com

manifested in the fuckdungeon 2022-2023

~~~

shouts out Lil Meatus, CRIIMES and Realname who killed their verses on swanbird III, thanks for your words and being a part of the album

shouts out my mum for always giving my tunes a spin even when they're confronting or she don't fucks with the genre and style

biggest shouts out to louie for being the most special and supportive person to ever enter my life and who always remembers my lyrics better than i do, much to my joy and, at times, frustration
i love you forever

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about

swanbird Melbourne, Australia

i make rap music

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