Beast Moans
by Swan Lake
User Score
7.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 17 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 17
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 17
  3. Negative: 0 out of 17

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  1. matta
    Dec 1, 2006
    8
    Going into this, I knew that Swan Lake would give me 2/3 of a good album. Why? Because Cary Mercer is in the supergroup. I was only mostly right because luckily, there is only one really obvious Mercer song (The Partisan one) and it basically just sounds like a Frog Eyes b-side. Most of the rest of the album is brilliant and it is always interesting. All Fires, Nubile Days, Bluebird, and Going into this, I knew that Swan Lake would give me 2/3 of a good album. Why? Because Cary Mercer is in the supergroup. I was only mostly right because luckily, there is only one really obvious Mercer song (The Partisan one) and it basically just sounds like a Frog Eyes b-side. Most of the rest of the album is brilliant and it is always interesting. All Fires, Nubile Days, Bluebird, and Are You Swimming in Her Pools? are all amazing, and are the product of the the great Spencer Krug. This is a good album, certainly deserving of more than a 70. I would check out especially if you are a fan of Destroyer or Sunset Rubdown.… Expand
  2. atticush
    Feb 9, 2007
    7
    interesting stuff but ultimately kind of disappointing. it all kind of mixes into one long sludge. albeit sludge with pretty cool moments.
  3. BigTomCasual
    Nov 28, 2006
    9
    I don't understand why more people aren't embracing this album. Destroyer, Wolf Parade, Sunset Rubdown - if you even remotely enjoyed these releases, then you have to check this out. I'm not sure why I've been reading all these disappointed reactions. I think this is great. I love nearly all the songs.
  4. FredJ
    Nov 30, 2006
    8
    It'll take some getting used to, but Beast Moans is worth the repeated listens. "All Fires" is fantastic, as are "Rubella" and "Are You Swimming in Her Pools." I'd reccommend it, but only to those who are a little familiar with Wolf Parade/Frog Eyes/Destroyer.
  5. DaveG
    Dec 2, 2006
    9
    I think that most of this criticism is unfair. Yeah, it's true that the band doesn't always work as a band... but the project does. There's a reverb-soaked, haunting beauty to this album. Even if it doesn't structurally flow as some albums do, the songs themselves are all top-notch.
  6. ErikH
    Dec 9, 2006
    8
    At its best, this album is one of the top 2 or 3 releases of 2006. "Are You Swimming in Her Pools" is the best track I've heard all year. Unfortunately, it is plagued by inconsistencies and an obvious lack of cohesiveness from its members. I would recommend Wolf Parade's "Apologies," Destroyer's "Rubies," and Frog Eyes' "Golden River" all above this album.
  7. Martin
    Nov 27, 2006
    8
    A beautiful record..eerie and kinda disturbing on first listen but it only gets better each time you hear it. I don't know how Spencer Krug keeps coming up with these gems
  8. JohnnyL
    Nov 29, 2006
    7
    Moments of hauting brilliance. But unbalanced as a whole.
  9. kde
    Feb 23, 2007
    4
    there are a couple brilliant moments jammed into between far too much poorly produced and never quite fully flushed out songs.

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
66

Generally favorable reviews - based on 20 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 9 out of 20
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 20
  3. Negative: 2 out of 20
  1. Under The Radar
    70
    Completely uninhibited both to its credit and fault, Swan Lake doesn’t always reach the towering combined height set by it’s forerunners, but is able to stand alongside each of them individually. [#15]
  2. Prefix Magazine
    75
    Swan Lake has the literariness of the Decemberist's Colin Meloy, but its members are the kids with the intentional nerd glasses in the poetry workshop -- not the fiction one.
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  3. Dusted Magazine
    40
    As a relic relief map of an endearing school of Canadian pop weirdness, Swan Lake's first offering is an accomplishment; still, that doesn't make teasing the occasional shining strand out of so much ugliness any less of a chore.
    Read full review
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