Pitchfork

The mighty (and mightily prolific) noise-drone duo Yellow Swans have called it quits after six years and upwards of 70 releases.

In an e-mail to Pitchfork, band member Pete Swanson writes, "There have been some murmurs floating around the web the last few weeks and I figure the time has come to clarify things. Yellow Swans will not be playing at all as a band beyond June of this year. There are no specific reasons why we've come to this point, but both Gabriel [Mindel Saloman] and I have decided that it's in our best interest to move on from the project. Neither of us have any intention to stop playing music anytime soon, but we will not be playing or performing with each other again."

However, the breakup doesn't mean that the band's bulging discography is finished. "We have been working on a final studio album that should be released at some point in 2009," adds Swanson. "And there are a handful of other releases that will become available after we've disbanded."

Yellow Swans formed in Portland in 2001 and moved to Oakland for a few years before returning to Oregon. The duo is often referred to as D. Yellow Swans, due to their habit of adding "D"-words to their name. Their website lists almost 40 examples in their discography, including Drill, Dove, Damaged, Declawed, and, best of all, Duh.

Using guitar, electronics, and vocals, they forged a sound both abrasive and ambient-- equal parts massive noise, drifting drone, and throbbing beat. The band collaborated with a wide range of international noisemakers, including Skaters, Mouthus, and Birchville Cat Motel, and released records on Load, Narnack, Important, and their own imprint, Collective Jyrk. Despite the huge discography, Yellow Swans have made only three studio albums, the most recent being the Pitchfork-recommended At All Ends, whose title gains new meaning with the duo's demise.

But Yellow Swans' ultimate end is still a few months away. "We have decided to fulfill previous commitments we've made, so no shows or releases are being cancelled," Swanson concludes. "Thanks are due to so many people I can't even begin. To anyone that's ever put us up, put on shows for us, bought our records, came to gigs, put out records, toured with us-- thanks a ton. I hope to see you all soon."

Yellow Swans dates:

04-21 Portland, OR - Backspace
05-03 Portland, OR - Someday Lounge
06-06 Minneapolis, MN - The Triple Rock
06-08 Iowa City, IA – The Picador
06-09 Chicago, IL - AV-Aerie
06-19 Barcelona, Spain - Sonar Festival