Seattle Subsonic

“No, YOU Listen!” — At Mount Zoomer by Wolf Parade

June 26th, 2008

I still remember the first time I heard “Disco Sheets”, randomly one morning in the car on the way to work. After frantically searching through KEXP’s playlist, I discovered Wolf Parade. When Apologies to the Queen Mary came out later that year, I was shocked that the track list didn’t include that bombardier of a song—tells you a little something about the quality of the Montreal band’s debut.

-

That Apologies went on to critical and sustained success was a surprise to virtually no one. Not only was it produced by one of the most explosive songwriters of the past decade—Isaac Brock—but the band had, and has, binding ties to another rocket to recently soar out of Montreal: Arcade Fire. I’m not sure if I’m astounded or simply content that the inception of Wolf Parade came about because Spencer Krug just needed somebody to help him out in supporting one of Arcade Fire’s initial tours; or that drummer Arlen Thompson and AF guitarist Tim Kingsbury each did time on the other’s debut record; or that Wolf Parade recorded half of At Mount Zoomer in the very same church-cum-studio as Neon Bible. Truth is, it just makes sense that these two brilliant bands are undeniably linked.

-

So where does that leave us today? Eager fans have patiently (read: impatiently!) awaited the second record from this multifarious and sidetracked band while its two principle members have wandered in and out of various side projects. And despite what you may be thinking, I’m not going to sit here and tell you that At Mount Zoomer is superior to Apologies, because it’s probably not. But I will sit here and tell you that it is a damn fine record.

-

Where Apologies is rife with spectral and brooding imagery, tinged at times with unabashed optimism, the moods on Zoomer are consistently more upbeat, if not more progressive. Wolf Parade retains what they do best, however, and many of the songs still come off sort of weird and distant, yet all together heartfelt. Dan Boeckner, to be sure, retains his derision for modern amenities when he sings “All this work and / just to tear it down” in “Language City,” easily one of the most affecting and inspiring songs on the album. The lead guitarist later does his best interpretation of the Cars’ 80s romanticism on “Fine Young Cannibal”, a twisty turn of piano-woven balladry. And if Krug tends toward extravagance and complexity, Boeckner has refined and perfected his own songwriting. His lyricism, in particular, is on point during album opener “Soldier’s Grin” when he soulfully declares “And I rode horse-shaped fire / draggin’ stereo wire”.

-

The band has stated that Zoomer’s songs were written more collaboratively this time around (I read the word “Marxist” somewhere), but I’m not sure I believe them, quite frankly. Yes, Dante DeCaro’s impact is palpable, along with the knob-twistings of Hadji Bakara; but Krug finds himself ensconced in a truly decadent period of his own composition, à la David Bowie during the Aladdin Sane/Diamond Dogs era. His highly wrought contributions to “An Animal In Your Care”, “Kissing The Beehive” and “California Dreamer”—probably my favorite of Zoomer’s nine tracks—exhibit as much. The great thing about Wolf Parade as a singular unit, however, is its ability to tighten the reins on his sometimes-laborious Sunset Rubdown-type escapades to create a succinctly wonderful piece. “Kissing The Beehive”, you may have heard, is an 11-minute opus that sounds more ridiculous than it actually is. Savor the moment both vocalists share the spotlight on that one.

-

In the end, Krug’s voice remains a defining element of Wolf Parade’s sound, along with Boeckner’s “hearts on fire” temperament and Thompson’s above-the-fray drumming. Please don’t make the mistake of chalking this up to self-serious prog-rock. Put on the headphones and discover for yourself.