Swan Lake - Enemy Mine

The opener on Swan Lake's debut, "Spanish Gold, 2044," sounds as though David Bowie and Hawksley Workman got drunk listening to Purple Rain. A belaboured description to be sure, but when you combine the oddest member of the New Pornographers (Dan Bejar), a member of the slightly-odd Sunset Rubdown (Spencer Krug) and the immensely-odd Frog Eyes (Carey Mercer), things are bound to defy description without some inventive imaginings. After that twisted, excellent opening (sung, as the album's weirdest songs are, by Mercer), things move into more accessible places, though not for long; much of Enemy Mine is cryptic, subtly melodic and oddly left of centre. A song as simultaneously bent, catchy and mysteriously named as "Warlock Psychologist" could only come from this combination of unusual talents.