SWAN LAKE
Beast Moans
Scratch/Jagjaguwar
· What it would sound like if the Chess Club made an album – debut from a songwriters’ project comprised of Dan Bejar (Destroyer, New Pornographers), Spencer Krug (Sunset Rubdown, Wolf Parade) and Carey Mercer (Frog Eyes).
The formation of this supergroup was inevitable. Spencer Krug logs time with Carey Mercer in Frog Eyes and is Mercer’s former roommate. Frog Eyes has repeatedly appeared on Dan Bejar’s albums and tours. Drawn together by a quirky sensibility, these musicians are so off-kilter – lyrically and melodically – they must walk on a tilt.
Frugally, Beast Moans reveals little of itself on repeat listens. Each spin offers another chance to get inside baroque and ornate swirls, but there aren’t any water-wings in sight to get through lyrics of Hadean depths. The lyrics come off like vivid dreams that happen after ingesting too much MSG and passing out on a stack of history books. "In the park was Caravaggio’s Christ who fucked the police and put an end to the price of automobile radio heists" (Mercer’s "City Calls"). Adding to the obscurity, Mercer’s words are nearly muffled by pianos.
While the trio’s convoluted words fit the convoluted music, songs are considerately sequenced in digestible sections. Even-numbered tracks are more accessible than the sprawling odd-numbered tracks framing them. Although cacophonic in parts, Beast Moans is an intuitive and seamless effort giving fans more of what they love about each songwriter. It’s the safe extra-curricular project that will complement without overshadowing each songwriter’s original gig.
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