Wolf Parade - Apologies to the Queen Mary

Wolf Parade
Apologies To The Queen Mary
Sub Pop Records
Grade: A-

This Canadian four-piece first came to our attention last Spring with their phenomenal four-song self-titled EP. On the realization of the illustrated potential of the EP, this debut full-length is something to write home about and surely places Wolf Parade among the upper echelon of indie rock bands.

Part of the exploding Montreal indie rock scene, Wolf Parade has been considerably helped along their way by Modest Mouse’s Isaac Brock as well as the Arcade Fire. Brock not only helped get WP signed to Sub Pop, but also produced, along with Chris Chandler, Apologies to the Queen Mary. WP itself is kind of a hodge-podge of artists that together create glorious indie rock with both a nod to Springsteen as well as electronic underlyings. Composed of keyboardist/singer Spencer Krug (ex-Frog Eyes, Sunset Rundown), guitarist/singer Dan Boeckner (ex-Atlas Strategic), drummer Arlen Thompson and keyboardist/assorted electronics Hadji Bakara, WP sweep through a glorious set of twelve songs on AQM.

The one downside to AQM is that two of the best songs also happened to be the two standouts from their previous EP. These take the form of “You Are a Runner and I Am My Father’s Son” and “Shine A Light.” While both songs are splendid pieces of wonderment, you just wish they weren’t on the EP before AQM. And with that on to the track devouring. AQM opens on “You Are a Runner and I Am My Father’s Son” which is a rather clunky, moving mass of rock that spurts with periodic great lines (e.g., “I ain’t no hero…”). This is followed by “Modern World,” where WP echo some Brits and explode for awesomeness about half-way through when they enter an acoustic bridge that without any words would still sound terrific. The angular guitars and fast-singing on the opening to “Grounds For Divorce” makes the song sound quite familiar, like a rebirthed 80s indie – one of the first nods at new wave. Cascading guitars and keyboards on “We Build Another World” present a darker image of WP, but keyboard riffs also bring back at least the notion of sunshine. “Fancy Claps” is rather average, while WP slow things down for the nearly six-minute “Same Ghost Every Night.” Following this slow down is “Shine A Light.” Even though familiarity of “Shine A Light” makes me particularly smitten, it is nearly impossible to deny that the song is the obvious standout with a pulsating bass, hip electronics and great lyrics (e.g., “I don’t sleep, I don’t sleep, I don’t sleep until its light” – like we all want to). Already likely to have made the singles rounds, it is worth giving “Shine A Light” another spin on your iPod if its been awhile. “Dear Sons and Daughters Of Hungry Ghosts” – ghosts again? – is rather theatrical with a great ending, while “I’ll Believe In Anything” is a terrific song that instantly marks your mind on the repetition of the title and gets you to hit repeat. 80s modern rock guitar punches you on “It’s a Curse” and continues throughout clearly making parallels to the new wave resurgence. “Dinner Bells” is another slow down job by WP, here extending it out seven-and-a-half-minutes, and illustrating the quasi-experimental side of the band. AQM ends on the fantastic “This Hearts On Fire” where WP come off like Springsteen in training and soars when as they speed up and repeatedly sing the title.

Wolf Parade are certainly on the verge of becoming recognizable indie rock stars with Apologies to the Queen Mary. They aren’t going to be swallowed up like the early 90s Seattle explosion as they push the Montreal attack with bands like Arcade Fire. But with the right love and exposure, Wolf Parade is going to be very big – if they aren’t already. Pick up the record, play it loud and hold on tight.