Wolf Parade – At Mount Zoomer

zoomer starts right where apologies left off, delivering “soldier’s grin,” a bevy of wavy synths, jagged guitars and rolling drums. “call it a ritual” follows, and signals a departure, as the song is propelled by a piano riff; something the band has never fully relied on. the rest of the album becomes less and less accessible as wolf parade attempt to shed the modest mouse comparisons by deviating from conventional song structures. at times, this experimentation undermines the immediacy of the songs, making wolf parade sound like just-another-spencer-krug-band; however, zoomer’s songs are robust and eventually trump such comparisons.

there’s a noticeable tension between krug and boeckner’s songwriting that they also seem to be aware of and even emphasize. the album’s cover, for instance, is a collaboration between two artists, apparently representative of a “battle” between them. this tension is also evident in the sequencing of the album, which alternates between the two songwriters, and finally comes to a head on vigorous and sprawling “kissing the beehive,” the only song that bears the “krug/boeckner” label. although tense, zoomer is still a cohesive record, and an excellent follow-up to one of 2005’s best.

Filed under: Album Review , 2008, at mount zoomer, dan boeckner, modest mouse, spencer krug, wolf parade