Seattle Subsonic

Who’s Gonna Steam Up All Your Dancehalls?*

July 28th, 2010

Why, Wolf Parade, of course. Is the downtown Showbox a true dancehall? No, probably not, but the Montreal quartet was in a surprisingly nightclubbin’ mood Monday night in Seattle as they continued their ticker tape parade for Expo 86. Arlen Thompsen, drummer, and Dante DeCaro, bassist, completely tipped the scales during the band’s second song “What Did My Lover Say (It Always Had To Go This Way)”, locking LOUDLY in step like rhythm soldiers on a dancefloor march. I’m not sure I ever appreciated the consistent bass thump on many of their songs, but maybe Thompsen, the band’s producer, had something special in mind when he cranked the level on his kick drum. The all-ages crowd absolutely ate it up and it turned the show into a bona fide dance party.

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Of course, the stimulating sweatfest came about not only because of the undeniable thump behind the band’s relentless tunes, but also because of its two-headed frontman. Spencer Krug introduced the show by saying they’d “play a mix of old and new songs”, to which Dan Boeckner augmented, “like a Royal Dinner Buffet”. They were, of course, telling the truth, as the 15-song set consisted of four songs from their debut, four songs from At Mount Zoomer, and seven from their latest. I was a little surprised that they skipped “Little Golden Age”, one of their best new songs, but they atoned by playing “In The Direction of the Moon”, an ominous and operatic rendition of one of Expo 86‘s most elaborate and tangled tunes. Hearing that one live (especially Boeckner’s pristine opening guitar riffs) made for a welcome surprise. Both Krug and Boeckner were gracious to no end, and Boeckner noted how much he appreciated the “house party vibe” going on in the front rows.

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Maybe he knows this and maybe he doesn’t, but he is responsible for so much of that intensity and pure energy that transfers to a crowd during a Wolf Parade show. The guy probably sings about the heart so much because that’s what his fabric is made up of. He’s all passion, all spirit, and all heart. Never was this more clear than during “This Heart’s On Fire”—a real fist pumper, literally—and on “Palm Road”, where he made his line “You said it’s killing me / it’s killing me” appear as if it actually might be. I’m sure I wasn’t the only one who thought his Muppet-like herky-jerkiness was its own little fascinating sideshow. I guess Krug gave him a run for his money, though, by disappearing constantly beneath his keyboards, as well as pumping his neck muscles like the queen of the Headbanger’s Ball.

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Some other observations: Krug continues to be one of the nicest and most sincere musicians working today. His constant smile and soft-spoken demeanor, contrasted blatantly by his aberrant and outlandish lyrics, are contagious. “Dear Sons and Daughters of Hungry Ghosts”, with it’s la la la la la la sing-along refrain, could no doubt be an Irish pub song if someone let it. “Soldier’s Grin” was the perfect first song. My photos all pretty much sucked, but I did shoot this nice little video of “California Dreamer”, complete with cheesy little band introductions and a bouncy floor. Set list after the jump/cut/fold/whatever.

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* From “Oh You, Old Thing”

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Set List

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1. Soldier’s Grin
2. What Did My Lover Say? (It Always Had To Go This Way)
3. Palm Road
4. Dear Sons & Daughters of Hungry Ghosts
5. Ghost Pressure
6. Cloud Shadow on the Mountain
7. Fine Young Cannibals
8. In the Direction of the Moon
9. This Heart’s on Fire
10. I’ll Believe In Anything
11. Pobody’s Nerfect
12. California Dreamer
[encore]
13. You Are A Runner and I Am My Father’s Son
14. Yulia
15. Kissing the Beehive