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With the success of fellow Canadians The Unicorn and The Arcade Fire, Wolf Parade have gained a tremendous buzz amongst independent and mainstream music media alike. This e.p. serves as an appetite wetter for the full length Apologies to the Queen Mary which contains the first two tracks of this four song offering: "Shine a Light" and "You Are a Runner and I Am My Father's Son". "Shine a Light" begins vaguely in the same vein as The Beatles' "Get Back", which fades in and builds up to an inspiring and driving opening track. They have the musical poise and presence of early U2 albums such as October and War, yet their sounds is difficult to define. Like The Arcade fire, they employ electronic textures and live instrumentation that is full of traditional rock energy played with a sincere lack of irony. The lyrics are not cryptic so much as they are artfully emotive ("Spend boring lives in the office tower / Oh in a bus on a bus back home to you and / That's fine I'm barely alive"), which builds up to a moving chorus: "You know our hearts beat time / We are waiting on something that will never arrive." "You Are a runner..." is more blues based, employing an electric piano and a slow staggering rhythm that the vocals are perfectly phrased over. The song has a slight Black Heart Procession feel, but faster and more dynamic. The lyrics and music in this song combine to create a rich psychological depth that is quite affecting on the listener:
And I'll build a house inside of you In some sense, the lyrics seem to attempt a reconciliation of a self and an other, a problem which causes tension in both the lyrics and the instrumentation. Wolf Parade has a knack for making the simplest sentiments into anthems ("Sorry about the dark / bum bum bum bum"). "Disco Sheets" is both a parody and a commentary on the direction of decadence in culture and art that seems prevalent today as it was in the late 1970's. So many bands are incorporating these 'dance floor antics', and in some ways forsaking honest musical expression for overpriced fashion: "And everyone's got their hair just right / And their lips just right/ And their eyes say 'come with me, I'm easy you'll see' / Who's got a secret." "Lousy Pictures" was less impressive to me than the other three tracks; it is bluesy like "You are a Runner..." but without the same climatic moments, and it feels out of place following the frantic dancefloor beats of "Disco Sheets". This e.p. satisfies its intent. Listeners should be as worked up for the full-length as they should be for the return of the NHL this year. Reviewed by: Chris Bock |
