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Editorial Reviews
Their second album for Sub Pop (following 2005's "Apologies To The Queen Mary") might just be this generation's "Marquee Moon" or an indie rock "Chinese Democracy" released thirty years early. Better though, to think of it as the sound of a band edging forward into a wispy darkness, one hand reaching out, the other firmly clutching the past.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
17 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
When I first heard At Mount Zoomer, I was a little disappointed. It didn't seem to have the instant POP of Wolf Parade's first album, Apologies To The Queen Mary. That album broke onto the scene with gritty, electronically tinged rock songs that contained enough pop sensibility to appease any ear. At Mount Zoomer sounded like they were trying to repeat that effort, but with less success.
And then I listened again. And again. And again.
It became apparent that the album is more complicated than that.
Language City is gem. It opens with an excellent guitar riff and then enters the drums, the piano, and once a furious rhythm is established familiar synth buzzes through the air. They then break it down into a transcendent, hope-filled finish echoing, "We are not at home."
Exactly, the band is somewhere else now. Wolf Parade seems more concerned with the timing and progression of their songs.
"California Dreamer" starts strange with hopping bass and synth like a hypnopompic hallucination. The song then jumps into a psychedelic jam and finally ends leaving little of that initial strangeness resolved.
This oddity is followed by the cheery "The Grey Estates" wiping away the cobwebs of "California Dreamer."
"Fine Young Cannibals" follows with brooding guitar parts. Again the flow established in the previous song is interrupted. The song evolves into another dreamlike jam and the result is superb.
I could go on but I think I made my point. There is a surreal character in the album created by the shifting moods. Wolf Parade seamlessly moves between otherworldly jams and hallucitory peaks and valleys. The result epic in scope, though not as immediately accessible as Apologies. However, Zoomer is a much more interesting listen. Fans of Apologies who give the album a close and scrutinizing listen will discover a new world here. And it's a fun and mesmerizing place.
I can't finish this review without noting that album ends fantastically with Kissing the Beehive Pt 1 and 2.
And then I listened again. And again. And again.
It became apparent that the album is more complicated than that.
Language City is gem. It opens with an excellent guitar riff and then enters the drums, the piano, and once a furious rhythm is established familiar synth buzzes through the air. They then break it down into a transcendent, hope-filled finish echoing, "We are not at home."
Exactly, the band is somewhere else now. Wolf Parade seems more concerned with the timing and progression of their songs.
"California Dreamer" starts strange with hopping bass and synth like a hypnopompic hallucination. The song then jumps into a psychedelic jam and finally ends leaving little of that initial strangeness resolved.
This oddity is followed by the cheery "The Grey Estates" wiping away the cobwebs of "California Dreamer."
"Fine Young Cannibals" follows with brooding guitar parts. Again the flow established in the previous song is interrupted. The song evolves into another dreamlike jam and the result is superb.
I could go on but I think I made my point. There is a surreal character in the album created by the shifting moods. Wolf Parade seamlessly moves between otherworldly jams and hallucitory peaks and valleys. The result epic in scope, though not as immediately accessible as Apologies. However, Zoomer is a much more interesting listen. Fans of Apologies who give the album a close and scrutinizing listen will discover a new world here. And it's a fun and mesmerizing place.
I can't finish this review without noting that album ends fantastically with Kissing the Beehive Pt 1 and 2.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By ro0k
Format:Audio CD
i found this by accident in a record store a couple weeks ago, excited to see a new Wolf Parade album. i am extremely pleased and it's most of what i've been listening to since i found it :)
At Mount Zoomer feels very solid as an album instead of having a few 'catchy' songs on it. highly recommended, go buy it!
At Mount Zoomer feels very solid as an album instead of having a few 'catchy' songs on it. highly recommended, go buy it!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By S. D. Mason
Format:Audio CD
At Mount Zoomer (2008, Sub Pop) Wolf Parade's second studio album. ****
Certainly Arcade Fire's church studio didn't work the wonders for Wolf Parade's sophomore album as it did for them, but that doesn't mean the duo don't know how to make good music. At Mount Zoomer is strangely dense; in a way, it avoids the overly-layered approach that come to plague indie rock and alternative rock bands that want to veer further away than what is considered the all-too-obvious quirkiness. At the same time, they don't come off as too bouncy or weird. It's a delicate balance of a wide array of influences, but in the end, Wolf Parade are easily a staple band of the indie rock community. "Language City" has a whirlwind of synths, marking its independence from a run-of-the-mill studio single. "California Dreamer" sounds like a lost Doors take, featuring heavy electric keyboards and brooding vocals, mixing in some very progressive sounds. One waits to hear Morrison chime in on the chorus, "I thought I might have heard you on the radio/But the radio waves were like snow." The only snag may be "The Grey Estates," which sounds all too much like an Arcade Fire song. And while that in itself may not be bad, the idea that Arcade Fire could have done it so much better makes you wince. "Fine Young Cannibals" features a very orderly procession, with sparse bass, keyboards, and guitar. It sometimes meanders, but never does it stray too far, and Boeckner and Krug's vocals always bring it back. The album finishes with "An Animal In Your Care," a Simon and Garfunkel would-be complete with "La-la-lies" just like "The Boxer." At the end of the day, artists will be forced to look at At Mount Zoomer as a new twist with the same ingredients, because while there is no message or theme like there was on Neon Bible, the music itself is far more complex than it appears, revealing more intricacies with each listen. A very decent sophomore effort. (Soldier's Grin, Fine Young Cannibals)
Certainly Arcade Fire's church studio didn't work the wonders for Wolf Parade's sophomore album as it did for them, but that doesn't mean the duo don't know how to make good music. At Mount Zoomer is strangely dense; in a way, it avoids the overly-layered approach that come to plague indie rock and alternative rock bands that want to veer further away than what is considered the all-too-obvious quirkiness. At the same time, they don't come off as too bouncy or weird. It's a delicate balance of a wide array of influences, but in the end, Wolf Parade are easily a staple band of the indie rock community. "Language City" has a whirlwind of synths, marking its independence from a run-of-the-mill studio single. "California Dreamer" sounds like a lost Doors take, featuring heavy electric keyboards and brooding vocals, mixing in some very progressive sounds. One waits to hear Morrison chime in on the chorus, "I thought I might have heard you on the radio/But the radio waves were like snow." The only snag may be "The Grey Estates," which sounds all too much like an Arcade Fire song. And while that in itself may not be bad, the idea that Arcade Fire could have done it so much better makes you wince. "Fine Young Cannibals" features a very orderly procession, with sparse bass, keyboards, and guitar. It sometimes meanders, but never does it stray too far, and Boeckner and Krug's vocals always bring it back. The album finishes with "An Animal In Your Care," a Simon and Garfunkel would-be complete with "La-la-lies" just like "The Boxer." At the end of the day, artists will be forced to look at At Mount Zoomer as a new twist with the same ingredients, because while there is no message or theme like there was on Neon Bible, the music itself is far more complex than it appears, revealing more intricacies with each listen. A very decent sophomore effort. (Soldier's Grin, Fine Young Cannibals)
Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars
Great band, meh album
Completists should pick this up just to track this stage of their evolution, but it certainly shouldn't be the first or only record of theirs you buy.
Published 1 month ago by Finite_Mike
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very Good
I ordered this CD and put it in my daughter's stocking for Christmas this year. She's very happy with the CD.
Published on January 7, 2009 by S. Harding
5.0 out of 5 stars
Oh how good they are
I have loved wolf parade for since the first note i heard, this album has only increased my love for them. If you can see them live, amazing.
Published on September 26, 2008 by Katherine Escelbach
5.0 out of 5 stars
Good introduction
I have never heard apologies to the queen; however, i still immensely enjoyed this album, what is my introduction to wolf parade Highlights include: language city, soldier's grin,... Read more
Published on September 22, 2008 by Alan
5.0 out of 5 stars
Higher peaks, thinner air
Sophomore slump? What's that?
Don't be fooled by the three year gap between Wolf Parade's first and second album, these guys are prolific. Read more
Don't be fooled by the three year gap between Wolf Parade's first and second album, these guys are prolific. Read more
Published on September 20, 2008 by Tom Birkenstock
4.0 out of 5 stars
Almost as good as their previous album
Wolf Parade's second effort, At Mount Zoomer, is a good record. This is how I feel about it--at the moment. Read more
Published on August 22, 2008 by D. Lipp
5.0 out of 5 stars
An improvement
This is indie pop with a hard edge and a progressive bent. I was only mildly interested in their first, Apologies to the Queen Mary and didn't even end up buying it, while I find... Read more
Published on August 18, 2008 by Notthatsocial
5.0 out of 5 stars
love at third listen
Look, this is a different album than Apologies to the Queen Mary...one of my favorite albums ever. I can now admit that I was a little disappointed at first, after eagerly... Read more
Published on August 4, 2008 by C. Mathews
3.0 out of 5 stars
Wolf Parade - At Mount Zoomer 6/10
Wolf Parade's combustible, frantic first album, Apologies To The Queen Mary, was one of the most creative and undeniably fresh debuts by an indie rock band in 2005 or since, and... Read more
Published on August 1, 2008 by Rudolph Klapper
5.0 out of 5 stars
Dimiss the premature reviews
If Sunset Rubdown and Handsome Furs had a child, it would be At Mt. Zoomer. This is Krug and Boeckner's fully realized musical vision and it's literally blowing my mind.
Published on July 22, 2008 by Shane Carpenter
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