Lenses was the first album from Dead, Dead Swans (aka Milwaukee, Wisconsin's John E Swan). It first appeared in 2022, and it showed the projects blend of raw and world-weary American folk music already firmly in place. Appearing at the tail end of last year here’s a CD reissue of the album from Punkerton Records.

The CD is presented in a card slip sleeve with minimal texts, featuring monochrome cover art of a ragged leafless tree and snow-bound landscape- with a figure holding up a shotgun at the edge of the photo.

The album features eleven tracks with runtimes between one and three minutes. The whole thing has a very lo-fi/ earthy production- though you can hear all of the instrumentation/ Swan’s croaky sing-song vocals with prefect clarity.

We move stark- yet tuneful pick ‘n’ twang of “Civil, Not Mutual” with its lonesome harmonica solo, and lyrics like ‘This doesn’t feel right me watching you pack, talking with you right now just hurts less”. Onto the ragged strum of “Bobby Pins” with lyrics regarding ‘breaking down again & getting emotional burnt”.

In the second half, we go even bleaker with “That Which Will Eventually Kill Me” as Swan talks about different ways to end it all over a tuneful-yet-forlorn acoustic guitar strum 'n' circle. The album plays out with “Used To You” with its steadily seesawing pluck ‘n’ twang flow, and lyrics regarding someone at the end of life- with talk of light from eyes passing, dead dogs, and getting used to someone being gone.

With Lenses Mr Swan managers a good balancing act between stark & grim lyrics, and tuneful to atmospheric musical fare. All in all, a decent opening shot from Dead, Dead Swans.