Review of Beast Moans Album by Swan Lake

Swan Lake
Beast Moans
Album Review

Swan Lake Beast Moans Album

Indie 'supergroups' are usually something of a misnomer, as they tend to comprise members of bands nobody has ever heard of to make another project no-one else will ever hear of. Here, Swan Lake is made up from members of New Pornographers (the best of the Canadian indie bands), Wolf Parade and Frog Eyes.

The best thing is that it sounds like none of the three, instead aiming at a kind of rock version of The Decemberists. However, it is a bit of a shambling mess, all lo-fi and experimental. On one hand, there is something worth digging towards, but on the other, one gets the feeling that the men involved didn't spend too much energy on it themselves. There are ideas there, but the lyrics seem almost wilfully obscure, and the looseness does the songs no favours at all. Also, you have to get past the respective voices of the main players - not itself an easy job. Worth it? Depends on how wilful you like your Californian indie...

3/5

Mike Rea
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