Swan Lake — Beast Moans

In the never-ending debate about what makes a supergroup, I'll say this: it's one thing when your band's super players are people like Nathan Larson and Emm Gryner; it's something else entirely when they're Destroyer's Dan Bejar, Wolf Parade's Spencer Krug and Frog Eyes' Carey Mercer. The three composers who've combined to form Swan Lake are true superpowers in the Canadian indie scene, and Beast Moans is exactly the kind of record you'd expect from the trio of eccentrics. Bejar, Krug and Mercer trade vocals throughout the disc, giving each an opportunity to show off their own impressive abilities. It's the junior member, Krug, who impresses on "Nubile Days" and "All Fires." He also easily outshines Bejar during their duet on "A Venue Called Rubella." The tracks, overall, lean toward the experimental side — they feature minimal percussion and plenty of keyboards. Despite low production values, the songwriting alone makes this record worthy of its marquee billing.

Get it from