Wolf Parade - At Mount Zoomer

Wolf Parade
At Mount Zoomer
Sub Pop Records
Grade: A-

After Wolf Parade’s absurd hit upon all of us humans a few years ago, expectations run insanely high for their follow up. With the members of WP doing tons of side project work, us listeners have been presented with a cadre of sounds and influences that may or may not have been included on new WP music. Across the nine songs of At Mount Zoomer, Canada’s WP present a considerably more consistent and strong sound than past releases, but at the same time lack the slam dunk tracks, such as “Shine a Light,” that have greeted past releases.

It almost seems that discussing any of the background of Wolf Parade would be like preaching to the converted; every music fan worth his or her soul knows all the material off of the limited number of releases of the band. Besides their teaser EP, this consists of the excellent album Apologies to the Queen Mary, where WP offered the previously mentioned song “Shine a Light,” along with such knockouts as “I’ll Believe in Anything” and “This Heart’s on Fire.” While Apologies to the Queen Mary offered such standout tracks, At Mount Zoomer doesn’t as clearly distinguish between the magnificent and the pure strong songs. Instead, WP offer similarly skilled numbers across the nine songs and in so doing present a much more mature and solid outfit. It is easier to fish for massively hot songs such as “Shine a Light,” but after the nth listen you want an album that offers the whole deal – and that is what At Mount Zoomer does.

At Mount Zoomer begins with a flutter of electronics and keys on “Soldier’s Grin” before the crew of Spencer Krug, Dan Boeckner, Arlen Thompson, and Hadji Baraka bust in the moderate tempo indie rock construction. Though not containing a magical riff, you soon realize that “Soldier’s Grin” flies at a high level of rock. “Call It Ritual” is similar in thought and shines on the chorus of joy, while “Language City” puts Wolf Parade back on the Bruce Springsteen track. Unlike “Call It Ritual,” “Language City” lays it out with the best of Canadian indie punk over the past few years. “Bang Your Drum” is deliberate teeth pulling and the six-minute “California Dreamer” surprises you with catchiness in spite of the length. In fact, a number of the songs on At Mount Zoomer near excessive length, including the intermittently interesting, ten-minute closer “Kissing the Beehive.” After “California Dreamer” WP push the tempo again with the fantastic “The Grey Estates,” where the boys continue to push the best of Springsteen squared into an indie rock state. Hopefully with little regard to the awful 80s/90s outfit Fine Young Cannibals, the WP song by the same name saunters in with little magic but enough consistency to keep your ear to the grind. Before the closer, you are greeted with the whimsical “An Animal in Your Car.”

Even though Wolf Parade doesn’t offer as clear a magical single as past releases, At Mount Zoomer is considerably more consistent and solid, and illustrates a band that has matured to the point of knowing exactly how to execute a precise track of awesomeness. One may prefer clear grand slam endeavors from such a fantastic band, but you are likely to be warmed by At Mount Zoomer.