Seattle Subsonic

Secret Wolf Parade Show Is Secretly A Success

July 18th, 2008

If there’s one thing that Wolf Parade has perfected, it’s the ability to evoke emotion in the listener through its heartfelt songwriting and impassioned live performances. Where some bands are content with simply delivering an album or set of songs in a workmanlike fashion, this quintet from Montreal makes it quite clear that they’ve poured their heart, their soul, their philosophies, and their everyday experiences into every note penned. None of this was more evident this past Monday night (7/14) at Neumos, where the band played an encore set to their headline duties Sunday at SP20 (you probably think I went to both; I did not.)

 

Despite my recent barrage of posts on a band I so obviously worship, I’d still like to take one more stab at conversion with my amateur evangelism. One reason that I geek out on them so freely is the way the recordings compare to the live versions of their songs. On record, the songs are intricate, layered, clean, and meticulous, with the proper balance of guitar angularism and enigmatic lyricism to mesh with melodious and catchy keyboards. They sound equally remarkable through either headphones or your living room stereo. But when the instruments are plugged into a stage, and an audience, there is an unmistakable rush from the sonic volley between key members Dan Boeckner and Spencer Krug. I’m not sure there’s a more prolific songwriting duo out there than these two, what with their ancillary successes (Swan Lake, Sunset Rubdown, Handsome Furs) to complement their kingpin project of Wolf Parade. I suppose I’m exaggerating, but I honestly can’t think of one. Both are a force to be reckoned with, and it’s really fun to watch them play out a record they’ve claimed is their own, with “no one else involved.”

 

Photos by Laura Musselman

 

Foals, part of Sub Pop’s New International Dance-Rock Contingent (see Brazilian brats CSS and British hip-pop ensemble The Go! Team), was a surprise addition to the bill, despite this being the fourth time the Britons have played Seattle this year. I’ve increasingly enjoyed their debut, Antidotes, mostly for its awesome up-tempo rhythm section (bassist Walter Gervers is ridiculously talented), but also for its sounds-like-insects-by-design distinctiveness. Plus their name means “little lover of horses” in Greek. I, too, fancy the equine ungulates <link fixed>.

 

 

Compared to their last show back at the end of May, the band made no bones that they were pissed off at somebody (the label or Neumos, I presume) for chiding their inebriated antics displayed that night. Lead singer Yannis Philippakis mentioned it at least twice. Fortunately for the audience, they channeled the discontent into a fuller and more focused set that had the crowd bouncing high and mightily. The anticipation built from elongated, droning intros sets this band apart, as the exuberant dance-guitar flair feels like it might burst forth at any moment. Yes, they may sound a bit like Silent Alarm Bloc Party, but there is enough disparity in the lyrics and arrangement to create a new and exciting sound. For me, anyway.

 

Wolf Parade’s set started off with a bona fide bang, as Krug intimated that they hadn’t played this song—”Grounds for Divorce”—in over two and a half years due to “uh, personal reasons”. It came across powerful and polished, and the crowd was fully familiar with the tune. Boeckner manned the microphone next for “Language City”, one of the outstanding songs on At Mount Zoomer, and the torrential pleas of the closing verse sounded impossibly urgent. The two continued to alternate vocal duties throughout the rest of the songs, mixing in eight of Zoomer’s nine tracks amongst five off Apologies to the Queen Mary, including “You Are A Runner And I Am My Father’s Son”, “Shine A Light” and “Dear Sons And Daughters Of Hungry Ghosts”.

 

Pretty much everything was a highlight (obviously) but the best IMHO were saved for last. I somehow feel validated if my favorite song is played last or towards the end—as was the case with “California Dreamer”—because that means I’m cool with the band, and the band is cool with me. No qualms or fist fights, for sure. Tight bros, even. Boeckner next introduced “This Heart’s On Fire” by saying they had originally planned to drop it from the set list, but a friend “convinced” him otherwise. Good thing, because the band was flawless in its execution. “Kissing the Beehive” closed out the pre-encore set, and damned if it seemed to last only three minutes as opposed to its actual 11-minute length (seeing as how it all gushed together so nicely and all).

 

Unfortunately, I had to skip the encore, as it was past 1AM and I had just returned from a 1,400 mile road trip. I had seen what I came to see.