The other day, I was in a comic shop, getting a copy of Daytripper for my ever amassing collection, when I heard Wolf Parade’s first album put on the speaker. I own this album, and love it more than is sane or reasonable, but I had primarily neglected to listen to it recently, with the exception of their glorious anthem “I’ll Believe in Anything”. After making my purchase, I went and gave that album a solid re-listen, and I found it held up as gloriously as it always had.
Now, I’m not going to lie: Apologies to the Queen Mary is a weird album. There are two different vocalists (Spencer Krug and Dan Boeckner), both sing radically differently, with Krug having a low, varying warble and Boeckner having a more traditional voice. They play traditional instruments (Awesomly, I might add), but also use a synthesizer. Their subjects are unclear, occasionally profound, and there are far too many references to 18th century literature for the average person. But, almost none of that matters because this album is cussing AWESOME and you should go get it right now. Go, I’m ordering you. From the power guitar that both Krug and Boeckner deliver, to the videogame style synths, all produced by Isaac Brock (himself a great artist as the frontman of Modest Mouse). What I’m really stressing here is that you really need to get this album, because as of November, Wolf Parade is on hiatus (Given that they’re a super-group, this is no surprise). Their sound, simultaneously lonesome and crowded, can define any moment.
Rating: 9.4 out of 10.
PROS:
Kick-ass songwriting.
“I’ll Believe in Anything”, seriously, listen to that song a dozen times
Isaac Brock’s production.
CONS:
Spencer Krug’s voice takes a while to get used to.
Some songs can breeze by even after repeated listens.
No comments:
Post a Comment