It’s November 21st, and that means that Swan Lake’s Beast Moans is now out there on the shelves. There’s definitely very little fanfare, which is to be expected considering that A.) this is a late-in-the-year release, B.) the record leaked months ago, and bloggers’ attention spans are about a day and a half long, C.) Hell, it’s No Music Day.

Still, I‘m happy about it. And tipped off by Carl, I just read through that nice three-part Swan Lake interview by Michael Barclay over at Radio Free Canuckistan. I heartily agree with Barclay’s assessment that the first few listens of the record are less-than-rewarding. Barclay says, “baffling and impenetrable,” but I would’ve said “disappointing.” Still, that was just the first few listens, as I also agree with Barclay that this record pays off after spending some time with it, which, again, is not something I would expect many (critics, bloggers) to do.

Anyway, all I’m sayin’ is: I like it, and yet, at the same time, I definitely wouldn’t recommend it to anyone who’s not already a fan of Dan, Spencer, or Carey. It’s not an easy record to process, but then again, the same can be said about each of the guys’ other work as well.

::: Swan Lake - All Fires :::
::: Swan Lake - The Freedom :::

Side Note: In the interest of showcasing my extreme nerdiness, I would like to point out that nearly 4 months ago, well before the record even leaked, I predicted which songs were Dan’s with 75% accuracy. My only misstep was “City Calls,” but even now, I swear that title sounds positively Bejarian.