Canada does a lot of things right, and one of them is music, specifically supergroups.  Comprised of three of the hardest working men in the music business, Swan Lake is releasing their sophomore album Enemy Mine.  Collectively involved with at least seven different bands/projects, you have to wonder where Spencer Krug, Dan Bejar and Carey Mercer find time for it all.  Most impressive, though, is their ability to nearly consistently release quality records, no matter the project.  Swan Lake collaborate indeed, and fairly: each member fronts three of the album’s nine tracks.

Carey Mercer gets the first turn with ‘Spanish Gold, 2044’.  Now, granted, each of these guys has a voice that would be filed under ‘acquired taste’, but Mercer is the only one that I can’t fully envelope myself in.  There is a lot of noise, though – a piano melody barely audible above the wall of guitars and crashing drums, and that’s good enough for me.  ‘Peace’ is about anything but, as the narrator spins into a chasm-y yelp as paranoia turns to thoughts of suicide.  He closes the album with ‘Warlock Psychologist’, which builds to a fever that will bring a smile to the face of any noise rock fan.

I will admit that Spencer Krug is my favorite part of the trio; I am a huge fan of Wolf Parade and Sunset Rubdown.  His first (and standout) track on the album, ‘Paper Lace’, features Krug’s vocals over a lilting guitar melody and sparse percussion.  ‘Settle On Your Skin’ is much more frantic in instrumentation and pace, contrary to what the lyrics would indicate: “if you’re uncomfortable with silence/let me shower you with these silly violets/you can listen to the petals/as they spin down and settle on your skin”.

Dan Bejar’s contributions, as you’d expect, are much more laid-back than his band mates.  ‘Heartswarm’, despite its breezy feel is a bitter breakup song: “I was coming off something particularly strong/you had your gloves on/they looked fucking brutal as a storm” .  ‘Battle Of A Swan Lake, Or, Daniel’s Song’ is a prime example of what Swan Lake succeeds at so well; just when you start to believe you’re listening to Destroyer, Mercer & Krug’s backing vocals kick in and the song transforms from minimalist to a mass of instrumentation.

Though it seems that Mercer’s noisy guitars, Krug’s melodic tracks and Bejar’s free-flowing music and vocals would clash with each other, Enemy Mine is more accessible and cohesive than its predecessor.  This album comes off as more of a collaborative effort than Beast Moans; Swan Lake truly sounds like a band and not just three guys taking turns at solo efforts.
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