Wolf Parade
November 19, 2010
Though it's been years since Montreal
was the "next big thing" on the music scene, the bands it spawned in the
boom of 2004-2005 are still making great records. (Lately, though, the new next-big-thing prodigies have dwindled due to a 15-minutes-of-fame outlook that
emphasizes a
better-get-it-while-the-getting's-good-because-your-star-is-fading-fast
mentality. Thus, we have Brooklyn circa, um, right now, which is already
poising itself to be a footnote in the history of next-big-things.)
But still, groups like Wolf Parade (and their magnificent side projects Sunset Rubdown and Handsome Furs), Arcade Fire, and Owen Pallett continue to make great and truly valuable records. Unlike the buzz bands of today, they seem imbued with a different ethic. It could be the "change or die" mantra -- which is what Wolf Parade did on their follow-up to their now indie-classic debut Apologies to the Queen Mary, At Mount Zoomer and did again on their most recent, Expo 86. The incredible formula they concocted for Queen Mary was one most bands would dream of squeezing every drop of blood out of, but that's how co-frontmen Spencer Krug and Dan Boeckner work. They get bored, and they find a way to tweak their sound into something different.
While I assumed the set would be heavy on the dark and dancey numbers of Expo 86, it seemed like they played more tracks from Queen Mary -- at least, it felt that way. Wolf Parade opened with "You Are a Runner and I Am My Father's Son," one of the most compelling songs of their debut and one of the song that hooked countless music nerds in the mid '00s. Other positive jams like "Sons and Daughters of Hungry Ghosts," "This Heart's On Fire," and "Modern World" made appearances as well. Though "dancey" tends to be a word used a lot for Expo 86, I'd argue that their whole back catalog is just as danceable. (Well, at least based on the flock of girls next to me moving and shaking all night.)
Starting with the propulsive "This Heart's On Fire," the show ramped up to a fairly triumphant conclusion, following with the perpetual fan favorite "I'll Believe in Anything," "Modern World," and the Krug-led kraut-rock tinged "California Dreamer" to finish off the set proper. They returned with "Fancy Claps" and the 11-minute closer from At Mount Zoomer, "Kissing the Beehive."
This was unexpected. Though I'd spent the duration of the show with my fingers crossed, it was the wild card. Many concert-goers attend shows with a list of songs they'd like to hear. (Sometimes, the more boisterous ones yell out these songs and then, more often than not,
those songs are not played.) Then, there's the one song you think they're probably not going to play, but if they do, it's going to be legendary. And so it was. "Kissing the Beehive" is the perfect example of what Wolf Parade becomes when Krug and Boeckner take a break from writing their songs separately and truly collaborate, and it shows them at their best. The swagger in Boeckner's vocals and his unwieldy guitar work marry Krug's dramatic wail and the keyboard that he seems keen to break. At one point during the song, the girls stopped dancing and the young men up front put their fists in the air, heralding the four-minute instrumental lead-out.
The formula Wolf Parade utilized on Friday night was set up to appeal to every fan. No one could complain that they didn't play enough deep cuts -- they played a number of songs from their very first EPs. They played every surefire jam from Expo 86 -- namely "Cloud Shadow on the Mountain," "Palm Road," "What Did My Lover Say?(It Always Had to Go This Way)" and "Oh You, Old Thing." If anyone wanted to complain that At Mount Zoomer wasn't fairly represented, one just need point at the majesty of "Kissing the Beehive." There was no "Shine a Light" or "Soldier's Grin" or "Grounds for Divorce," but I only had time to think about that in retrospect because, as much as I'd have liked to have heard those songs, I don't know what would have been subbed out. It was a testament to the last 3 albums and 7 years, and a perfect example of why Wolf Parade remains an incredibly vital, exciting band as indie rock becomes an endangered species.
Critic's Bias: I tend to fawn over Spencer Krug like a drooling fanboy, even when he's not up on stage in front of me.
Random Notebook Dump: This sketch made for reference.
Showing 1-2 of 2
You Are a Runner and I Am My Father's Son
Language City
What Did My Lover Say
Palm Road
Dear Sons and Daughters of Hungry Ghosts
Ghost Pressure
Oh You, Old Thing
Fine Young Cannibals
Cloud Shadow on the Mountain
This Heart's On Fire
I'll Believe in Anything
Shine a Light Play Video
California Dreamer
Encore:
Fancy Claps
Kissing the Beehive
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