Swan Parade

Not that you read this blog for news (you could always just ask your friend) but today was a pretty big day in Indie Rock Land, especially if you like Isaac Brock and his pals. Onward:

I was only excited about hearing Swan Lake because it meant new songs by Dan “Album of the Year” Bejar, but after hearing the Spencer Krug-sung “All Fires,” I’m pretty much beyond hyped for this record. As a collaboration between Bejar (Destroyer), Krug (Sunset Rubdown, the better songs by Wolf Parade) and Carey Mercer from Frog Eyes, Swan Lake is a supergroup for the indier-than-thou. Destroyer’s new album aside, none of these guys is particularly digestable but according to “Weird Food of Asia” last night, that makes them delicacies.

It’s Krug who I was worried about. Half of his material with Wolf Parade is unbelievably great (“Sons and Daughters of Hungry Ghosts,” “I’ll Believe In Anything”) but the rest of his stuff (Sunset Rubdown) I just can’t get behind. But hey, dude has the potential to be awesome, and he certainly is on this track. Krug’s usual convulsive wail is toned down to a slow growl, the perfect instrument to carry a craggy, scorched earth guitar backdrop. And the lyrics? A little less abstract than his usual complexities. Get hyphy, guys. The album, Beast Moans, is due on Jagjaguwar on Nov. 21.

Swan Lake – “All Fires”: mp3

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In other news, Wolf Parade pal/producer/album ruiner Isaac Brock has a new supergroup himself, and it’s called, er, Modest Mouse. Yes, guitarist Johnny Marr – formerly of the Healers, not to mention the motherfucking Smiths, is actually straight-up officially joining the long-running indie rock stalwarts for a new record. Kind of a shame Marr’s solo work is a bit rubbish, but former bandmate Morrissey’s new disc is kind of a clunker sometimes too. Smiths reunion at Coachella next year? Let’s make this happen. Although in my dream world, next year is headlined by the reformed Pavement and the Dismemberment Plan opens. But I digress. Read the full story from Rolling Stone.

Wolf Parade – “Killing Armies”: mp3 (from the un-Brock’d 2004 Wolf Parade EP)