What’s new(est) with Wolf Parade? These brothers of Brock, peers of Pitchfork and travelers on the Arcade Fire turnpike are going strong. Yet they also maintain that aura of youthful poverty and subsequent spiritual wealth that’s critical to their frenetic, idealism-tinged sound. Their EP drew buzz and their debut long player, Apologies to the Queen Mary, confirmed it. The group’s got almost as many side projects as members, with Arlen‘s AIDS Wolf and Krug’s Thunder Cloud (or is it Swan Lake?) and Sunset Rubdown. Hell, they even picked up Dante DeCaro, formerly of Hot Hot Heat. These Canadians sure know how to stick together and be prolific. Speaking of which, where’s the next Arcade Fire album…
But with the new five piece and penchant for being drunk onstage, this show could have veered as easily towards pure crap as to glory. Sure enough, the beginning at the Black Cat was weak. Diagnosis: playing the songs too fast. Krug explained, “We were a three-piece all summer and had to play everything fast and tight to make up for the lack of layers. Sometimes that’s just my own anal insecurity though and sometimes we take it a little too far (laughs). I’ll always end up apologizing.” But they had the layers! And they still sped it up! Crowd pleasers “Shine a Light” and “Grounds for Divorce” sprinted past the audience’s ears and eyes, leaving a vague notion that said songs had been played. The first five seconds of “Shine a Light” made me cringe; Boecker’s guitar sounded like Chuck Berry… unintentionally. Perhaps Spencer Krug also got nervous, transforming his chipper vocals on “Grounds for Divorce” into an affected English howl. What makes both of these songs arresting is the activity and tension built between each of Arlen’s steady drumbeats (that’s also what makes them the most danceable) and it’s a shame those were missed.
Their attire was deeply arty fare. Dante’s gaudy plastic glasses were reminiscent of an 80s Beastie Boy or that guy in Sixteen Candles who kept referring to people as “cat.” Sound manipulator Hadji Bakara rocked a Richie Tenenbaum headband. He took it off for headbanging that was so austere it became part of his instrumental contribution. When he put it back on, he explained, “Gotta let my hair rest.” Watching Hadji on the theremin is captivating, but quite disturbing if you don’t realize he’s playing an instrument.
