There are two ways to look at Wolf Parade’s much-anticipated sophomore LP, as a failure to replicate the infectious feel-goodery of 2005’s “Apologies to the Queen Mary,” or as a more complex, mature effort, a grower. I pick the latter.
Three years and a combined four critically-acclaimed side-project LPs after the birth of Wolf Parade, Spencer Krug and Dan Boeckner have worked prolifically in their respective musical endeavors. For Krug, that means swirling circus keyboards, rich textures and vocals that oscillate ever so closely around any given pitch; for Boeckner, it’s a heavy lyrical drone layered over stripped-down guitar rhythms and perfectly timed, cheeky hooks.
Individually, they have fine-tuned their signature styles through their non-Wolf Parade efforts: Krug entertains his penchant for the theatrical with Sunset Rubdown and Swan Lake, and Boeckner strives for minimalism with Handsome Furs. But when the seeming foils combine their forces, they meet somewhere in the middle to capture the elusive marriage of extravagance and simplicity.
The album, of course, reignites the Spencer v. Dan faux-sibling rivalry that colored the band’s debut. But while each takes the reins for his half of the album, every track benefits from the contributions of both songwriters. Yes, a few of Krug’s songs do sound much like Sunset Rubdown. But even the shape-shifting carnival of “Bang Your Drum” is tempered by Boeckner’s levelheadedness, and “An Animal in Your Care” meticulously juxtaposes Krug’s cascading piano melodies against his counterpart’s insistent, driving guitar. Both songs, as well as Krug’s others ““ including “Call it a Ritual” ““ showcase his indulgent songwriting approach but still make Boeckner’s presence known.
Regrettably, “Call it a Ritual” by the indie-rock poster boy is arguably the album’s weakest song. But the single belies the quality of the record as a whole. “Bang Your Drum” and the heroic “California Dreamer” find Krug once again fully immersed in his off-kilter compositions, with the latter bringing a whirlwind of synths and frantically dancing keys under his quipping, “Do the young stay pretty? Do the pretty stay quick?”
Like Krug, Boeckner exhibits some of his most distinctive, stylistically mature work on the album. He’s at his best in “Language City,” the album’s first standout, which revisits Boeckner’s obscurely buoyant riffs and lyrical fascination with displacement in an aching romp through urban dystopia.
While “At Mount Zoomer” allows the songwriters to play stylistic tug-of-war from their respective musical niches, it also finds them stepping onto common ground to collaborate.
The album’s closer, the epic, entrancing, would-be namesake of the album, “Kissing the Beehive,” is a crystalline, pounding duet between Boeckner and Krug. Peppered with sparse percussion, its escalating, resonating guitar and pounding keys create the perfect soundscape for the two songwriters’ lyrical banter. The song reaches a climax seven minutes in, just before an extensive, proggy decrescendo gives the thing some time to sink in.
Like the rest of the album, “Kissing the Beehive” isn’t as immediately accessible as anything on the band’s debut. But it doesn’t matter: With “At Mount Zoomer,” Wolf Parade once again showcase their powerhouse songwriting, and this time it doesn’t need to be catchy to catch on.
““ Christie McCollum
E-mail McCollum at cmccollum@media.ucla.edu.