Wolf Parade

Posted Aug 5, 2008 by TBO.com

Updated Aug 5, 2008 at 03:47 PM

Even though it was released well over a month ago, I still haven’t had time to fully digest Wolf Parade‘s sophomore effort, “At Mount Zoomer.” That’s not because it’s overly complex or challenging—on first blush, it seems to be a gorgeous mess on par with their debut—it’s just that I’ve been ridiculously busy attempting to have some semblance of a life away from this desk.

But whatever my final judgment of the disc turns out to be, I can already say one thing definitively: The song “Language City” is awesome.

Actually, it’s almost like two songs in one. The first half marries ominous power chords to a bouncy rhythm, while Spencer Krug weaves a playful keyboard line through it all. As usual, singer Dan Boeckner’s lyrics sound apocalyptic even though I have no idea what he’s going on about.

Then, a little over halfway through, everything changes direction—almost as if the song clears a peak and starts tumbling treacherously downhill. It’s one of those breathtaking moments that remind you why you started loving rock ‘n’ roll in the first place.

Check it out:

A track by Wolf Parade, courtesy of Sub Pop:

Wolf Parade, “Language City” (from “At Mount Zoomer”) [mp3]