Swan Lake — Enemy Mine

Swan Lake's second record is more of a group effort than Beast Moans, the indie supergroup's debut. While that record was more a sum-of-its-parts affair, Enemy Mine is more cohesive. There are still no shared writing credits on any of the album's nine tracks, but you get the impression that the trio — Frog Eyes' Carey Mercer, Wolf Parade's Spencer Krug and Destroyer and The New Pornographers' Dan Bejar — at least sat down to chat about the album's concept before each ran off and wrote their three tracks.

Bejar has the most instantly recognizable writing style, so his contributions tend to stick out the most. Mercer and Krug's voices, always distinctive on their own, are surprisingly similar.

A swamp-stomp beat binds the album. The drums lunge ahead and then come to an abrupt halt while the rest of the song catches up. You can almost imagine each member leading the other two through their own compositions, steaming ahead then yelling, "Come on guys!" That each member is willing to keep pace is a testament to their respect for one another and the music they're creating.

Get it from