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Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
On first listen, Wolf Parade is just another Canadian buzz band that plays fun, keyboard-heavy, new wave-y indie-rock and sings in weird, affected, high-pitched tones. Upon further listening, the songs reveal a lot of strange and fuzzy little details, and the lyrics have more depth than most bands do on their debuts. The Montreal-based group was brought to the Seattle-based Sub Pop label's attention by none other than Modest Mouse's Isaac Brock, modern rock radio's king of affected vocalizings. Brock even recorded much of the album in Portland, OR. The vocalist has more than a passing affinity for David Bowie, and if you love the Arcade Fire and Frog Eyes, you probably are already a fan. Apologies is a very fun debut; the studied strangeness of the singing grates less over time, and it'll be really interesting to see what they come up with next. –Mike McGonigal
Product Description
This Montreal band has toured with the likes of Modest Mouse and The Arcade Fire, they played last year's All Tomorrow's Parties festival in California, self-released two limited edition EPs, and have a song (a cover of Frog Eyes' 'Claxxon's Lament') on The Believer magazine's recent covers comp. Time magazine picked "Apologies..." as one of "Canada's Most Anticipated Indie Albums Of The Year". Expect to see and hear much more from Wolf Parade. Sub Pop. 2005.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
17 of 22 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
I heard the first buzz from Wolf Parade (from another Subpop group) months before their album landed in the indie media's lap.
By the next time I'd heard of them, they were being hailed as the Next Great Thing, with their quirky, catchy pop music and off-kilter vocals. They are also massively hyped as the next big indie thing, after Arcade Fire and alongside Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. Fortunately they are also enormous fun to listen to -- think the dancier little brother of Modest Mouse.
"Apologies to the Queen Mary" opens with a clamorous drum solo that sets up a "boom da boom" carnival sound. Then the oddball sound is completed when Spencer Krug starts warbling that you are a runner, and he is his father's son. I can't quite make out what he's saying except for those lines, but it's a wonderfully colorful song that gets grounded by some gritty guitar.
Having successfully hooked in the listener, they segue into transcendent guitar pop, bouncy indie rock that will have you tapping your foot, shimmery ballads, synthy dance melodies, and mournful rock song that slowly waltzes around in a flutter of electric organ. "Same Ghost Every Night" is the peak of this album, and that sound should be explored in future albums.
It ends with the upbeat-sounding, but sad-themed "This Heart's on Fire," where Dan Boeckner does his best imitation with Beck. It's a raw, painful song under all the catchiness, since it is apparently about the death of Boeckner's mother, and you can hear the sorrow in his voice as he sings.
No, it's not genius, and the media will seize another hot young band soon. But Wolf Parade may well be around without them, because they have enough weirdness and musical skill to stick in your mind after the album ends. And instead of a signature sound, they explore different kinds of songs -- mostly with success.
Rather than trying for catchiness alone, they weave the catchiness with waves of sound and a folky edge. Buzzing guitars get to mesh with carnival twinkling and sweeps of electronic organ, and form madly complex, colorful pop tunes... which just happen to be catchy. Think Olivia Tremor Control meets Clap Your Hands Say Yeah.
Krug and Boeckner share vocal duty on various songs, and I have to say I prefer Boeckner's raw, smooth voice. Krug's voice tends toward a melodramatic warble. When he's singing, he seems to destabilize the songs he's in, while Boeckner does the reverse.
While Krug's warbly voice will be a turnoff for some, "Apologies to the Queen Mary" is a fun, colorful pop album, and definitely something worth checking out. Hype or no hype.
By the next time I'd heard of them, they were being hailed as the Next Great Thing, with their quirky, catchy pop music and off-kilter vocals. They are also massively hyped as the next big indie thing, after Arcade Fire and alongside Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. Fortunately they are also enormous fun to listen to -- think the dancier little brother of Modest Mouse.
"Apologies to the Queen Mary" opens with a clamorous drum solo that sets up a "boom da boom" carnival sound. Then the oddball sound is completed when Spencer Krug starts warbling that you are a runner, and he is his father's son. I can't quite make out what he's saying except for those lines, but it's a wonderfully colorful song that gets grounded by some gritty guitar.
Having successfully hooked in the listener, they segue into transcendent guitar pop, bouncy indie rock that will have you tapping your foot, shimmery ballads, synthy dance melodies, and mournful rock song that slowly waltzes around in a flutter of electric organ. "Same Ghost Every Night" is the peak of this album, and that sound should be explored in future albums.
It ends with the upbeat-sounding, but sad-themed "This Heart's on Fire," where Dan Boeckner does his best imitation with Beck. It's a raw, painful song under all the catchiness, since it is apparently about the death of Boeckner's mother, and you can hear the sorrow in his voice as he sings.
No, it's not genius, and the media will seize another hot young band soon. But Wolf Parade may well be around without them, because they have enough weirdness and musical skill to stick in your mind after the album ends. And instead of a signature sound, they explore different kinds of songs -- mostly with success.
Rather than trying for catchiness alone, they weave the catchiness with waves of sound and a folky edge. Buzzing guitars get to mesh with carnival twinkling and sweeps of electronic organ, and form madly complex, colorful pop tunes... which just happen to be catchy. Think Olivia Tremor Control meets Clap Your Hands Say Yeah.
Krug and Boeckner share vocal duty on various songs, and I have to say I prefer Boeckner's raw, smooth voice. Krug's voice tends toward a melodramatic warble. When he's singing, he seems to destabilize the songs he's in, while Boeckner does the reverse.
While Krug's warbly voice will be a turnoff for some, "Apologies to the Queen Mary" is a fun, colorful pop album, and definitely something worth checking out. Hype or no hype.
48 of 66 people found the following review helpful
By Get Over It
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
Stop the madness! Wolf Parade vs. Arcade Fire vs. Modest Mouse vs. Tom Waits vs. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah vs. Wilco vs. Bloc Party vs. The Decemberist vs. M Ward vs. Franz Ferdinand vs. everything else you can imagine. Oh yeah, and Dan Bejar sounds like David Bowie, and George Bush is Einstein.
Wolf Parade is a fine album. Listen to it and decide for yourself; they sound like Clay Aiken eating a doughnut in France on a Wednesday in spring on a park bench next to an old lady with a blue hat who smells musty.
Wolf Parade is a fine album. Listen to it and decide for yourself; they sound like Clay Aiken eating a doughnut in France on a Wednesday in spring on a park bench next to an old lady with a blue hat who smells musty.
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Phenomenal New Talent Who Should Not Be Compared To The Arcade Fire For God's Sake
December 30, 2005
By thinknb
Format:Audio CD
Now I hate name-dropping popular bands to describe other new bands. It's really not fair to the guys being described, and it's rarely accurate. So let me try to explain how freakin' sweet Wolf Parade is with a minimum of references . . .
Their sound is a mix of droning, driving rock and serene, spaced-out bliss. The vocals are themed around the notions of people's souls as ghosts that constantly surround us and affect us. The two lead singers take alternate songs that can be soothing, edgy, grooving, but ALWAYS catchy. Seriously, these guys make you want to sing along to anything.
If you have to compare Wolf Parade to past influences, I'd say they reflect the best of David Bowie, Talking Heads, The Pixies and (of course) Modest Mouse.
However, these guys deserved to be judged on their own merit, on their own songs. And they are freakin' sweet songs.
Best Album of 2005, with a close second going to M. Ward's Transistor Radio.
Their sound is a mix of droning, driving rock and serene, spaced-out bliss. The vocals are themed around the notions of people's souls as ghosts that constantly surround us and affect us. The two lead singers take alternate songs that can be soothing, edgy, grooving, but ALWAYS catchy. Seriously, these guys make you want to sing along to anything.
If you have to compare Wolf Parade to past influences, I'd say they reflect the best of David Bowie, Talking Heads, The Pixies and (of course) Modest Mouse.
However, these guys deserved to be judged on their own merit, on their own songs. And they are freakin' sweet songs.
Best Album of 2005, with a close second going to M. Ward's Transistor Radio.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
A grower; still great
A friend burned this album for me several years ago. At first, I was unimpressed. I was in the middle of a phase of music listening where high recording and production quality was... Read more
Published 8 months ago by I. Jackson
5.0 out of 5 stars
Glad a bunch of you don't like it....
..because it only proves the point I have been trying to make for years, which is the fact that 85%-90% (probably higher) of the population are complete morons and base their... Read more
Published 22 months ago by dronester
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great mix of great songs!
I think just about everyone hears the Modest Mouse/Arcade Fire in these songs. If you're a fan of these bands, I'd say its pretty certain you'll really like this record. Read more
Published on October 21, 2010 by John Connolly
5.0 out of 5 stars
All is well.
Awesome album, even better on vinyl. Delivered in a reasonable amount of time with no problems.
Couldn't be happier!
Couldn't be happier!
Published on September 28, 2010 by Ray
3.0 out of 5 stars
Between competent and compliment
Promising debut of frazzled indie rock, clearly mining the vein compatriots Arcade Fire ripped open, doesn't quite have the melodic staying power to burn more than a few numbers... Read more
Published on March 10, 2010 by IRate
5.0 out of 5 stars
NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH......
Oh man. I was talking up this band at a party a week or so ago, and it occured to me just now that I was calling them Wolf-mother. Oh man, man. Read more
Published on October 14, 2009 by wally gator
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastic CD by excellent band!
I liked this band immediately upon hearing them 3 years ago or so. Their sound does invoke Modest Mouse/Talking Heads at times, if you enjoy those bands you will surely love this. Read more
Published on August 27, 2008 by Bauhausaurus
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great album
This album is replete with highly infectious and original melodies, beautiful & contemplative imagery, and pleasantly jolting rhythms. Read more
Published on July 31, 2008 by Henry Hall
4.0 out of 5 stars
Enjoyable, quirky indie rock
This is a pretty solid album and "Shine a Light" & "We Built Another World" & "Fancy Claps" are really great songs. There are two alternating lead singers which are both good. Read more
Published on December 25, 2007 by Usuallee
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good Tunes
I like this album. My only thing is that the songs that are hits on this album are the best songs, and there's only 3 or 4 of those. They rocked, but the whole album isn't solid. Read more
Published on July 8, 2007 by K. Andry
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