Yellow Swans
| Company type | Independent music duo |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 2001 in Portland, Oregon, United States |
| Founder | Pete Swanson, Gabriel Mindel Saloman |
| Defunct | April 2008 (hiatus until 2023) |
| Headquarters | Portland, Oregon , United States |
| Products | Experimental noise music, live performances |
| Website | yellowswans |
Yellow Swans is an experimental music duo originating from Portland, Oregon, recognized for their improvisational noise compositions and distinctive live shows. The pair, comprising Pete Swanson (handling vocals, drum machines, and electronics) and Gabriel Mindel Saloman (guitar, feedback, electronics), characterized their music as "an ever-changing blend of psychedelic noise that captivates physically and frees mentally." Although they disbanded in April 2008, they announced a return performance at the Oblivion Access Festival in 2023.
Career
Established in Portland in 2001, Yellow Swans created the JYRK collective art label to independently distribute CD-Rs and cassette recordings. This collective featured artists such as E*Rock and Pat Maherr. After extensive tours alongside bands like Tussle, Xiu Xiu, and Japanther, the duo moved to Oakland, California for a two-year period. Their first album, Bring The Neon War Home (2003), received acclaim and supported tours throughout Europe, Australia, and New Zealand.
Their sophomore studio album, Psychic Secession, was released in 2005 by the Melbourne-based label Numerical Thief. This work was subsequently remastered by Load Records and later issued on vinyl through Weird Forest. The group also adopted the name D Yellow Swans—replacing "D" with different words—as a tongue-in-cheek approach to anti-branding.
In April 2008, Pete Swanson revealed that the duo had decided to part ways amicably to explore individual musical directions. Their last live show in the United States took place in Chicago. After a hiatus exceeding ten years, Yellow Swans initiated an archival endeavor in 2020, reissuing previously unavailable records and releasing archival material on Bandcamp. This resurgence culminated in their first live appearance in 15 years at Austin’s Oblivion Access Festival in June 2023. In June 2024, they announced Out Of Practice, a new release featuring live recordings from their 2023 performances.