Sunset Rubdown - Shut Up I Am Dreaming

Sunset Rubdown
Shut Up I Am Dreaming
Absolutely Kosher Records
Grade: A-

Unquestionably, Sunset Rubdown has benefited from the absurd upwards flight of uber-hot indie rockers Wolf Parade. The connection for those floating along to the non-hip news is that Sunset Rubdown is fronted by Wolf Parade’s Spencer Krug. Besides from the help of Wolf Parade, Shut Up I Am Dreaming also benefits from the obvious fact that it’s light years better than the band’s first full-length Snake’s Got a Leg from last summer. The eccentrics remain and lo-fi quirks lie underneath, but the ten songs on Shut Up are for the most part a full-band realized affair. Joined by Jordan Robson Cramer, Mike Doerksen, and Camilla Wynn Ingr, Krug opens up Shut Up with a teaser for all Wolf Parade fans on “Stadiums and Shrines II.” “Stadiums and Shrines II” moves like a slow WP song and is the first highlight of Shut Up. This is followed by two more stirring numbers, the uptempo rock of “They Took a Vote and Said No” and the glorious piano-driven Canadiana of “Us Ones In Between.” After these first three songs, you think Sunset Rubdown is completely brilliant and has emerged from the shadow with its own set of spellbinding songs. Yet, the fourth song “I’m Sorry I Sang On You Hands that Have Been in the Grave” begins the slow decent into a set of solid, but average indie songs. Wadding through some of the murk, highlights pop up from “The Men are Called Horsemen There” and the excellent closer “Shut Up I Am Dreaming of Places Where Lovers Have Wings.” For those bent on their next Wolf Parade fix, Shut Up I Am Dreaming will suit you fine. You should really treat Sunset Rubdown as a separate entity, but it’s difficult with Krug’s unique voice leading the charge.