Enemy Mine is the second release by Canadian supergroup Swan Lake, which features songwriting heavyweights Carey Mercer (Frog Eyes, Blackout Beach), Spencer Krug (Wolf Parade, Sunset Rubdown) and Dan Bejar (Destroyer, Hello Blue Roses). The album is a testament to their dedication to the project — their 2006 debut, Beast Moans, was underwhelming at best, and few would have been surprised to see all three return to their other projects, nearly all of which are stand alone successes. Fortunately, they decided to give it another crack. The outcome is a great listen, even for those who didn’t care for their earlier oeuvre.

The flow of the project has been maintained — for the most part, each track is penned by one of the three contributors, and the other two pitch in whenever they’re needed. “Spanish Gold, 2044” is classic Mercer — much like the better moments on 2007’s Tears of the Valedictorian, it will inspire outbursts of song from headphone-bedecked listeners who just can’t resist singing along. Krug delivers an absolute gem with “Settle on Your Skin,” providing a catchy counterpoint to the plodding pace preferred elsewhere on the. Last but not least, a consummately consistent Bejar brings to the table a handful of cuts like “Heartswarm” and “Spider” that would feel perfectly at home on a Trouble In Dreams B-sides disc.

Digressions from the one-songwriter formula — the ramshackle “Ballad of a Swan Lake” and the stitched-together three-way chaos of “Warlock Psychologist” — would have benefited from a longer gestation period. Nonetheless, those willing to listen to a Swan Lake album in the first place are likely to be willing to indulge the trio. Enemy Mine is a big improvement on Beast Moans, and the continuation of an intriguing experiment that smashes together three unique flavours of genius.