The first time I saw Wolf Parade, they were opening a secret Modest Mouse show at Webster Hall in 2004. I knew nothing about them, but they impressed me just as much as Modest Mouse had. Four years later, they’re still impressive: probably moreso than the band that fostered them into the spotlight.

Terminal 5 didn’t look sold out during the surprisingly loud and crunchy yet mild-mannered rock of fellow Canadians Wintersleep, but by the time Wolf Parade started, it was as packed as a 5pm train with the alcohol levels of the 10pm.

The pack took the stage with nary a word, throwing themselves right into the lead track from their first LP, “You Are A Runner And I Am My Father’s Son,” a rousing nod to their beginnings. The soft-spoken crew kept the talk to a minimum until a couple songs in, when Spencer Krug said in a near whisper, “You guys are really nice. Thank you.”

But the crowd wasn’t that nice, at least not to each other. Even near the back, it was impossible to avoid tall guys pushing up to the front (who knew Wolf Parade is such a dude band?) or drunks shouting song titles over and over (one girl yelled out “Disco Sheets!” every 30 seconds for the last half of the show, apparently a big enough fan to love a song from their first Sub Pop EP, but not enough of a fan to actually listen to the show).

If there’s one thing an overly intoxicated crowd is good for, though, it’s enthusiasm. Even Wolf Parade was taken aback by the appearance of crowd surfers and moshing, at once point politely asking concert-goers to “please be nice to each other,” but quickly adding, “We appreciate the energy.” (more…)

For equitable purposes, it’s probably best to mentally separate Wolf Parade from their debut, Apologies to the Queen Mary. Not because it’s too good and they’ll never top it, and not because it’s bad: simply because Wolf Parade is quite a different band in 2008 than they were in 2005.

In the three years between albums, the band’s main songwriters, Spencer Krug and Dan Boeckner, worked on side projects: Swan Lake and Sunset Rubdown for Krug, and Handsome Furs for Boeckner. Add to this the band’s removal of the power of Modest Mouse’s Isaac Brock at the helm of production, and you’ve got a band eager to make its own name in its own right, well beyond their debut.

Aesthetically, At Mount Zoomer is more refined, though not as immediately grabbing, as the band vowed, “no singles.” Still, in their time with their other projects, it’s clear that their songwriting skills continued to develop and evolve, and they bring with them the quality of experience. The melodies are more alluring, the sound is cleaner, and overall presents itself as more professional. At Mount Zoomer is considerably more upbeat, due in large part to Wolf Parade’s more frequent use of piano instead of heavily processed synths, though the synths are certainly still there.

There’s discernible difference between the two songwriting forces, but when compared to the alternative (two songwriters without distinct personality), this shouldn’t be considered a negative. Ultimately, their themes are compatible and they’re using the same musicians, so there aren’t enough variables to result in choppy pacing. (more…)