The return of the Wolf Parade

The veritable cornucopia of Montreal, Quebec has been belching forth music at an alarming rate over the past decade, and of its various sonic offerings, Wolf Parade likely falls somewhere in the center of the quality scale.

Wolf Parade formed in 2003, when Spencer Krug, also a member of various other Montreal projects, such as Frog Eyes, called up friend Dan Boeckner to start a new band for a show that was to take place in three weeks time. Together they pounded out a setlist and enlisted the drumming services of Arlen Thompson.

Wielding a driven rock mess that can be at times operatic, Wolf Parade released a series of EPs over the following years until their debut album, Apologies to the Queen Mary, was released on Seattle-based Sub Pop Records in 2005. For the most part, it gained critical approval and was nominated for a Polaris Music Prize, a music award given to outstanding full-length Canadian albums.

Over the years, more members were to join into the band’s lupine acoustics. Hadji Bakara lent his talents on the synthesizer and Dante DeCaro (previously of Hot Hot Heat) eventually came on to man a second guitar.

The group’s most recent release, At Mount Zoomer, which dropped in June on Sup Pop, brings the same high-wavy vocals as their last record, but lays on the synthesized sound manipulation with what is at times a heavy hand. Overall, the album comes across well and for fans of Wolf Parade’s former work it will do the job. If you haven’t heard their first album, Apologies to the Queen Mary, this album starts off and ends up at pretty much the same stylistic point.

Upon reading the mountain of press coverage that has been heaped on Wolf Parade, I saw it stated several times that they were purveyors of “progressive rock.” I personally wouldn’t attach that title to them. The group can certainly push some boundaries here and there, mixing in keyboard and guitar effects, but in the end it rarely seems to work out.

Their sound is doubtlessly unique, though. It almost seems that with each song the band takes you on a small journey through the highs and lows of a musical tale, with the beginning, middle and end, providing proper development and conclusion.

Highlights of At Mount Zimmer include “Soldier’s Grin,” “Call It a Ritual” and “Fine Young Cannibals.” All three of these tracks reveal the capabilities of Wolf Parade, spanning from guitar-driven riffs and melodies, to intertwined synthesizers, all melding together to form the coherent thought that is a song.

In the end, the album does leave the listener with a decent percentage of highpoints that deliver a certain satisfaction and entertaining fulfillment. However, it doesn’t really hit any territory that their first album hasn’t already covered.

I would certainly recommend At Mount Zimmer for those that have experienced Wolf Parade before and are well accustomed to their nuances. But for newcomers to the band, it delivers just as many hits and misses as their first LP, making it a somewhat confusing step for one of Canada’s foremost up-and-comers.

Wolf Parade, At Mount Zoomer2008, Sub Pop Records**1/2