A Frighteningly Enlightening Experience

Wolf Parade
Apologies to Queen Mary (Sub Pop)

Let's cut the bullshit. I'll put it right out there. Every word of hype, every second of anticipation was worth it. Wolf Parade is all they're cracked up to be, with a slight possibility of more.

For the past two weeks I've been griping about the block that has plagued me in writing a review on the Montreal-based band's full length debut Apologies to Queen Mary. I was worried that when I settled myself to actually write, nothing but nonsensical gushing would spew out, singing praises like every indie publication, hopping on the overcrowded bandwagon.

I know this inevitable. Let the gushing begin.

The beautiful thing about Wolf Parade is their ability to embody a yin-yang sort of duality. On one hand, they're totally abrasive, visceral and jarring. On the other, they are melodic and strangely accessible. They gracefully go from pummeling rock to disco dance to atmospheric noise, and don't miss a beat. How do they do it? Why does it work so goddamn well? Why am I so moved?

Perhaps the vocals can best begin to explain this strange existence of good and evil. The meshing of two vocalists, Dan Boeckner and Spencer King, creates a off-setting harmony. Neither can claim a pure form of voice, in fact, both voices posess a nervous, spastic energy found in the likes of David Bryne, Ian Curtis and Isaac Brock. Brock produced Apologies to Queen Mary, and his Mouse-y fingerprints are smudged all over the record, and the popular comparison to (somewhere in between) Modest Mouse and friends The Arcade Fire are right on.

The album opens with "You Are a Runner and I Am My Father's Son" a raucous, eerie stomp. It moves like a lumbering Bigfoot smashing through trees in the forest. Then, seemlessly it fades into the comparatively understated "Modern World", an acoustic guitar-led, piano plinking echo of the Arcade Fire, haunting and comforting, if that's even possible.

Most of the offerings on Apologies to Queen Mary bleed into each other naturally. Wolf Parade has a great sense of sound. They have an ability to capture a great melodic burst in every track, that even the more subdued and slow tracks have life, even if its a dreary, painful one ("Same Ghost Everynight", which by the way reminds me of Spoon's "Chips and Dip"... anyone?). But the best moments still lie in their intense, driving numbers like "Grounds For Divorce", "Dear Sons and Daughters of Hungry Ghosts" or "I'll Believe in Anything". Each one of them tweak-free could be a hit single, but Wolf Parade twists and distorts them so much with vocals snaking its way through hooky guitar licks and omnious keys. It's so much better this way. They end the album with "This Heart's on Fire", a seemingly optimistic anthem. It's message passionate and encompassing: things can look bleak but "it's getting better all the time". This is language I understand.

Okay, so that's all laid out, still no answers. Shit, I'm always looking for answers. Wolf Parade's amazing because they make no sense, they can't solve all of my problems with a simple pop song about love. They know that life sucks and can be complicated. So in conclusion, I love Apologies to Queen Mary for its empathy. It itself is imperfect yet completely whole. It's good and evil. It's standoffish and inviting. It's impulsive but all wise. Perhaps Wolf Parade is the newest coming of Buddha? Just throwing it out there. Sleep on it.

Wolf Parade: http://wolfparade.cjb.net/