Album Review
Wolf Parade: Apologies to the Queen Mary
Rating: 9.6
There's keyboards and synths and loud guitars, but make no mistake: Wolf Parade is not part of the Bravery/Killers/Franz Ferdinand New Wave Revival. They draw from some of the same influences, but Apologies to the Queen Mary transcends copping New Order bass lines and shiny hooks with an intensity and chaotic artistry that makes them much more than radio fodder. Wolf Parade's sound is unlike anything else you're likely to hear, despite Isaac Brock's production fingerprints. They do sound like Modest Mouse, but with a heavy dose of the Talking Heads and a pinch of David Bowie. Like them, Wolf Parade makes unpretentious art-rock with an emphasis on rock.
Apologies is a haunting and haunted album, an album made in darkness and populated by ghosts. It would be thoroughly depressing, if only it didn't rock so hard. Wolf Parade take a rather bleak worldview ("Modern world, I'm not pleased to meet you, you just bring me down," Dan Boeckner sings) and layer on the futility of relying on distractions and their inability to escape the past to create a kickass album of frustration and release. Their vision's not entirely clear (this is a rock album first and foremost, not a concept), but it is resonant.
The album reaches its undeniable peak on "I'll Believe in Anything". After the first eight tracks of disillusionment, disenfranchisement, and disappointment, Spencer Krug's lilting, howling vocals perfectly match lyrics desperate to find a liferaft to cling to amid crashing drums, fuzzy guitars, and a drowning synth bassline. When Krug sings, "Give me your eyes / I need sunshine / Your blood, your bones, your voice, and your ghost... I'd take you where nobody knows you / and nobody gives a damn", his voice sounds on the edge of breakdown, but it's hard to tell if with this desperate grasping at faith, he's raising a white flag or a black one.
In short, the hype machine nailed this one. If any band since the Arcade Fire has deserved so much pre-release attention, it's Wolf Parade. There are no weak links on this album; every song is in the perfect place, none of them are fillers, and each has its own style. The music rocks, the lyrics are subtle and ambiguous, and the execution is near-perfect. 2005 has seen more than its share of good rock albums, but Wolf Parade's full-length debut stands head and shoulders above and is easily my favorite album of the year. Apologies to the Queen Mary is an absolute must-have.
There's keyboards and synths and loud guitars, but make no mistake: Wolf Parade is not part of the Bravery/Killers/Franz Ferdinand New Wave Revival. They draw from some of the same influences, but Apologies to the Queen Mary transcends copping New Order bass lines and shiny hooks with an intensity and chaotic artistry that makes them much more than radio fodder. Wolf Parade's sound is unlike anything else you're likely to hear, despite Isaac Brock's production fingerprints. They do sound like Modest Mouse, but with a heavy dose of the Talking Heads and a pinch of David Bowie. Like them, Wolf Parade makes unpretentious art-rock with an emphasis on rock.Apologies is a haunting and haunted album, an album made in darkness and populated by ghosts. It would be thoroughly depressing, if only it didn't rock so hard. Wolf Parade take a rather bleak worldview ("Modern world, I'm not pleased to meet you, you just bring me down," Dan Boeckner sings) and layer on the futility of relying on distractions and their inability to escape the past to create a kickass album of frustration and release. Their vision's not entirely clear (this is a rock album first and foremost, not a concept), but it is resonant.
The album reaches its undeniable peak on "I'll Believe in Anything". After the first eight tracks of disillusionment, disenfranchisement, and disappointment, Spencer Krug's lilting, howling vocals perfectly match lyrics desperate to find a liferaft to cling to amid crashing drums, fuzzy guitars, and a drowning synth bassline. When Krug sings, "Give me your eyes / I need sunshine / Your blood, your bones, your voice, and your ghost... I'd take you where nobody knows you / and nobody gives a damn", his voice sounds on the edge of breakdown, but it's hard to tell if with this desperate grasping at faith, he's raising a white flag or a black one.
In short, the hype machine nailed this one. If any band since the Arcade Fire has deserved so much pre-release attention, it's Wolf Parade. There are no weak links on this album; every song is in the perfect place, none of them are fillers, and each has its own style. The music rocks, the lyrics are subtle and ambiguous, and the execution is near-perfect. 2005 has seen more than its share of good rock albums, but Wolf Parade's full-length debut stands head and shoulders above and is easily my favorite album of the year. Apologies to the Queen Mary is an absolute must-have.
3 Comments:
I just gave the album a quick run through and it has a very good beat. But, the singer leaves something to be desired. I'll give it another solid listen, but as of now I'm not impressed.
You must incorporate the ivy league grading system into your album rankings. It's the only explanation I can come up with for your 9.6 rating.
By Jonathan Mars, At 8:54 PM EST
You need to give it a little more than a "quick runthrough". This ain't Coldplay.
By Tim McGuire, At 9:36 AM EST
haha. i will.
By Jonathan Mars, At 10:05 AM EST
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