Expo 86

A new Wolf Parade album is always an event. This is due in no small part to the members’ endless side projects; as of press time, Spencer Krug has officially been in every single indie band in Canada. I always half-expect each new record to be the one where they decide, “Fuck it, let’s just do our own thing from now on.” But mostly it’s because the individual members explore so much unique terrain on their own that I’m always anxious to hear what they bring back to the collective. Those who have been following them all along probably won’t find anything too shocking their third time around, however, as Expo 86 seems to refine rather than reinvent the sound of their guitar-driven predecessor, 2007’s At Mount Zoomer.

Full Review | More Reviews from Publication | Top Rated of 2010

Are Wolf Parade a supergroup? Google seems to think so: It returns some 70,000 results on the matter, including several from this very website. Certainly their lineup is stacked enough for the distinction. Between Spencer Krug, Dan Boeckner, and Dante DeCaro, I count half-a-dozen notable bands past or present, and drummer Arlen Thompson has put in work with Arcade Fire. But supergroups are rarely this prolific, nor this devoid of ego, and Wolf Parade have excelled at reconciling two increasingly distinct songwriting presences to make their music with-- rather than on top of-- each other.

Full Review | More Reviews from Publication | Top Rated of 2010

This just in: Spencer Krug, he of Sunset Rubdown, is collaborating with the Handsome Furs’ Dan Boeckner. Did someone say CANADIAN INDIE SUPERGROUP? Hell yes: somebody who used to be in Hot Hot Heat is on guitar... HOT DAMN. ‘Wolf Parade’, as they’re calling themselves, should be an experiment to remember.

Full Review | More Reviews from Publication | Top Rated of 2010

Sonically, there isn’t much left of the Wolf Parade that gave us 2005’s Apologies to the Queen Mary. That was an album of lean, brooding pop songs that managed to have an infectious energy even as they championed the band’s melodic and lyrical eccentricities. Produced by Isaac Brock, the album was often compared to his records with Modest Mouse, but in retrospect there was something much more subtle, much more in control about Wolf Parade then. And it was that control, and their ear for angular riffs, that made them a unique and exciting new band.

Full Review | More Reviews from Publication | Top Rated of 2010