 Apologies
to the Queen Mary
Wolf Parade sound like a lot of other bands
and none at all. How is that possible? They take the Brooklyn,
indie aesthetic and put their weird, vampire spin on it. I'm
not sure why vampires come to mind, but some of it is the kind
of yelping chorus in the back of a lot of their songs. Of course
they're Canadian, and not Brooklynites, but everyone who's anyone
knows that Canada is the new Brooklyn. I can only liken their
sound (on some of the album) to Modest
Mouse doing some sort of evil mash up with countrymates
Arcade Fire--especially on the
song ''Grounds for Divorce.'' The album swings wildly between
styles, but all the styles are really, really good. This is
without a doubt one of the best albums of 2005, and a constant
treat from listen to listen. Like a nice red wine, the thing
just opens up as it plays, expanding and growing and working
its way into your brain. |
 At
Mount Zoomer
|
 Expo
86
This is certainly Wolf Parade's most straightforward
album, less moaning and broken gears and almost hopeful in its
vibrancy. Hell, the second track on the album could be like
the spookiest song on a Gaslight
Anthem record. Granted, the subject matter will never be
cheerful, but the song structures and sounds are less akin to
a broken calliope and more like something someone other than
an actual fan of WP might recognize as a song. Shit, some of
the stuff is almost nostalgic (like "Little Golden Age".) Even
Krug's voice has been reigned in slightly, not building to that
frantic warble as often, and his keyboards meld with drums and
guitars rather than being the eerie echo fronting the band.
Maybe that's what's going on. These guys sound more like a band
on this album, more mature in their approach and, heck, more
staid. I'm not sure that's necessarily a good thing, as the
music isn't quite as immediately striking, but upon multiple
listens I have a feeling this one will actual form a more cohesive
and ultimately listenable record. |
Musical Connections:
Frog Eyes
Hot Hot Heat
Sunset Rubdown
Swan Lake
|
Booze
& Grub
Hipster
Movie Reviews
Hipster
Book Reviews