Only the greatest of the greats follow impeccable albums with impeccable albums: "I Can Hear the Heart Beating As One" into "And The Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out"; "Girls Can Tell" into "Kill the Moonlight"; and "If You're Feeling Sinister" into "The Boy With the Arab Strap" are examples that come to mind immediately. Other bands, including the Arcade Fire, the Trail of Dead and Broken Social Scene, run out of breath just short of the finish line. Add Wolf Parade to the latter category.
There's an odd dynamic in the band's new record, "At Mount Zoomer." I read in the promotional material the songwriting was apparently more collaborative between its leaders, Spencer Krug and Dan Boeckner. Yet it was the debut album, "Apologies to the Queen Mary," that had seamless transitions between the two songwriters. This time around, Krug's songs sound like leftovers from Sunset Rubdown, replete with wandering, frilly keyboards, while when Boeckner gets lead vocals, he sounds like he's trying to sing passionately enough to carry a band that's somewhat listless behind him.
"Apologies to the Queen Mary" had this buzzing exigency to it -- when the songs kick in, they're right here, right in your face, and aren't afraid to wear their hearts on their sleeves -- while "At Mount Zoomer" gets lost in soft psychedelia. I also read in the promotional material that Wolf Parade promised a "no singles" record after one filled with them, and they certainly delivered on that front. Even the album art consists of scary renderings of cartoon nightmares that are somehow incomplete.
OK, OK, I still like the record; it's grown on me, in fact. But life is often about expectations, and I had high ones for "At Mount Zoomer." Let's end on a high note, with the band playing "This Heart's On Fire" at CMJ in 2005. It includes one of my favorite lines (that might summarize my life): "Sometimes we rock 'n' roll / Sometimes we stay at home."
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