Wolf Parade

In on the Buzzkill? ”Oh Canada!” That seems to be about all music journalists can say¹. I wasn’t aware of how much I had internalized their words². Though not perfect, Wolf Parade has shown the world they are ready to compete with their Quebec class — and are armed with some mean facial hair to prove it ³. Unintentional plagiarism is an oxymoron⁴, and I’m not here to shit on Wolf Parade⁵ / with a stolen voice⁶. You like the Arcade Fire, right? Everybody does! Well, except for me and like three other people on this planet (seriously, I’m keeping count) ⁷.

I don’t hate Wolf Parade just because they sound a little too much like Modest Mouse⁸. The Wolf Parade/Modest Mouse connection is one that has been stressed over and over again⁹. I still remember the excitement felt when I first heard Modest Mouse more than a decade ago¹⁰. But Wolf Parade is not merely a Modest Mouse imitator¹¹. In fact, I actually kind of like their record. “Grounds For Divorce” would have held up just fine on The Moon & Antarctica¹². There is no such thing as originiality¹³. A band with a strong musical orientation should have little snatches of other peoples’ sounds floating around in their heads¹⁴. Eliminate any inappropriate similarities¹⁵. In short, it’s a real good record, and you’ll probably have to listen to it whether you want to or not¹⁶. This review is formulaic ’cause that’s, like, the point, right… that’s soooo “Mehta”¹⁷! This band will change your life¹⁸. Believe the hype¹⁹. Don’t believe the hype²⁰. Franz Ferdinand is the new hype²¹. The Arcade Fire is the new hype²². Clap Your Hands Say Yeah is the new hype²³. Hype is the new hype²⁴. Counterhype becomes simply a more evolved kind of hype²⁵. If guitarist Dan Boeckner, who alternates lead vocals with Spencer Krug, is sick of the hype — and he is — that doesn’t take away from the fact that Apologies actually lives up to the hype²⁶. Of course, the hype is so three months ago. I heard the first buzz from Wolf Parade (from another Sub Pop group) months before their album landed in the indie media’s lap²⁷. (I am self-important.) But couldn’t this pre-release buzz create unrealistic expectations?²⁸? The massive hype can drive you crazy²⁹, but it may be far more interesting than the music itself. If media hype could actually kill a band³⁰. Fortunately they are also enormous fun to listen to — think the dancier little brother of Modest Mouse³¹. I am the new hype³². Phew. Glad to have that out of the way³³. So, you’ve probably heard the hype until it all started to blur together — Alltomorrowspartiesarcadefireisaacbrocknewyorktimes subpopbelieverliveshowphenomenon³⁴ — but this overgloried history shouldn’t really matter³⁵. In order to sustain relevance, in order to remain in that benevolent glow of having moved culture forward, any tastemaker needs to repeat its success³⁶. While such proclamations tend to cause scenesters to collectively roll their eyeballs³⁷, fortunately for the droves of droves of pre-release press that surrounded Apologies, Wolf Parade delivers the goods on its debut³⁸.

Even mentioning the hype is cliché³⁹. Scribes may spend pages trying to write it away⁴⁰ — a lot of that stuff is written by frustrated creative writing students⁴¹ — but Wolf Parade’s live show is just as carnally engaging⁴². As I stood in the back of the TLA in Philadelphia watching Wolf Parade open their set, I couldn’t help but think of the Bravery⁴³, while the piano-based melodies on songs like “You Are a Runner and I Am My Father’s Son” sound more influenced by ivory rockers like Spoon and even Ben Folds⁴⁴. Recently, I was very surprised and upset to learn that⁴⁵ when you play large shows with huge P.A. systems, you have a responsibility to do the best job you possibly can do, and not have utter contempt for people⁴⁶. Wolf Parade greeted the sold-out TLA with⁴⁷ a new bell to ring / a new song to sing⁴⁸ featuring vocals by Spencer Krug and a really sweet guitar intro. Without pausing, The Parade launched into a rockin “Shine a Light”⁴⁹. The uninitiated beware — if you catch Wolf Parade when all cylinders are clicking, you’re not likely to think about another band for some time⁵⁰, and / it’s getting better all the time⁵¹. The pressure to be heard amounts to a pressure to effuse about everything, to sweep everyone up in a cotton-candy fluff of phony positivity⁵². We have no way of making them any quieter⁵³. Broeckner had too-long shaggy brown hair that fell into his eyes, which were always half shut⁵⁴. As they tore through most of the new album, usually alternating between Krug songs and the Boeckner rockers⁵⁵, they paused briefly and Boeckner mentioned the disaster that was the last time they were in Philly, when they broke up and got back together between the end of the set and the encore. Wolf Parade is that kind of band; they’re so full of so much raw energy and original insight that⁵⁶ I thoroughly enjoyed mid-set extended jam version of “This Heart’s on Fire”, with Boeckner channeling both Iggy Pop and The Boss simultaneously⁵⁷ — but it’s true; live Dan and I sort of yelp around a lot⁵⁸ — as the bearded Arlen Thompson carried the groove on his back⁵⁹. The slightest technical malfunction can throw the whole system out of whack⁶⁰. Fortunately for all of us, the songs that Wolf Parade are writing are so good that⁶¹. At the time, my friend and I talked about how it sounded⁶² — just be quiet⁶³ — but beneath the snobbery and geeky influence-detecting⁶⁴, sign me up as the grand marshall for this parade, I can’t wait to see them again⁶⁵. This band will change your life⁶⁶. (I’ll believe in anything⁶⁷.) * * * ¹ MP3.com
² Kaavya Viswanathan’s statement as issued by Little, Brown
³ Chicago Innerview
⁴ Guardian.co.uk
⁵ EconoCulture
⁶ Wolf Parade, “You Are a Runner and I Am My Father’s Son”
⁷ Prefix
⁸ EconoCulture
⁹ Spin
¹⁰ Pitchfork
¹¹ Spin
¹² EconoCulture
¹³ Thomas Mallon, “How Academics Responded to My Book
¹⁴ Language Log
¹⁵ Kaavya Viswanathan’s statement as issued by Little, Brown
¹⁶ Tiny Mix Tapes
¹⁷ PopMatters
¹⁸ Cliché.
¹⁹ Cliché.
²⁰ Cliché.
²¹ Common knowledge circa early-to-mid 2004.
²² Common knowledge circa late 2004.
²³ Common knowledge circa late 2005.
²⁴ Motorhorst
²⁵ PopMatters
²⁶ Nerve
²⁷ Amazon
²⁸ Aversion
²⁹ Prefix
³⁰ Nerve
³¹ Amazon
³² It’s true.
³³ Stylus
³⁴ Lost at Sea
³⁵ Stylus
³⁶ PopMatters
³⁷ The Stranger
³⁸ Aversion
³⁹ Pitchfork
⁴⁰ Pitchfork
⁴¹ Nerve
⁴² Pitchfork
⁴³ EconoCulture
⁴⁴ Spin
⁴⁵ Kaavya Viswanathan’s statement as issued by Little, Brown
⁴⁶ Exclaim
⁴⁷ spaceLAB
⁴⁸ Wolf Parade, “Dear Sons and Daughters of Hungry Ghosts”
⁴⁹ spaceLAB
⁵⁰ Pop Montreal
⁵¹ Wolf Parade, “This Heart’s on Fire”
⁵² PopMatters
⁵³ Now Toronto
⁵⁴ Kaavya Visnawathan, How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life
⁵⁵ spaceLAB
⁵⁶ Pop Montreal
⁵⁷ spaceLAB
⁵⁸ Cokemachineglow
⁵⁹ spaceLAB
⁶⁰ Pop Montreal
⁶¹ Pop Montreal
⁶² Pitchfork
⁶³ Wolf Parade, “Shine a Light”
⁶⁴ Pitchfork
⁶⁵ spaceLAB
⁶⁶ Cliché.
⁶⁷ Wolf Parade, “I’ll Believe in Anything”