Monday 10 May 2010



Pair of aces from Wolf Parade

(photo: Meqo Sam Cecil)

Lennon & McCartney.  Jagger & Richards.  Morrissey & Marr.  Boeckner & Krug.

They fit nicely there, don’t you think?  It may be premature to place Wolf Parade‘s two main songwriters in such legendary company, but Spencer and Dan are proving that with each subsequent Wolf Parade release (plus their work in various alternate musical projects) they could very well be indie rock’s best songwriting pair.  Further proof to the matter comes in the form of two tracks from the third Wolf Parade LP, Expo 86.  The album, named after Vancouver’s 1986 World Exposition, was recorded at Hotel2Tango studio in Montreal, which coincidentally (or not) was the home of Canada’s only other World Exposition, Expo 67.

Spencer Krug talked to Pitchfork recently about the sound of the new record: “The question I asked of most of the songs was whether or not I would dance to them. You know in Archie comics when there’s a school dance and you see little cartoon music notes floating out of the PA speakers? I like to think this new record sounds like those notes.”  Krug also commented on the live-off-the-floor- recording of Expo 86:  “We made a real point of writing everything beforehand so we’d be able to record everyone at once in the same room. Most songs have no overdubs (except vocals– we couldn’t do vocals live because of microphone bleed issues and, honestly, unfinished lyrics.) I’ve recorded this way before and hope to again. I think it makes for livelier, more honest music. I would love to never have to record another overdub again.”

Krug’s “What Did My Lover Say? (It Always Had To Go This Way)” has a slinky 80′s electro/goth feel, and can certainly inspire some sexy dancing in a darkened and smoking club.  “Ghost Pressure” is a Boeckner cut that has a similar musical feel, but less jilted lover and more heartless bastard than Krug’s track.  If that makes any sense at all. 

Expo 86 (Sub Pop, June 29):

01 “Cloud Shadow on the Mountain”
02 “Palm Road”
03 “What Did My Lover Say? (It Always Had to Go This Way)”
04 “Little Golden Age”
05 “In the Direction of the Moon”
06 “Ghost Pressure”
07 “Pobody’s Nerfect”
08 “Two Men in New Tuxedos”
09 “Oh You, Old Thing”
10 “Yulia”
11 “Cave-o-Sapien”

MP3: Wolf Parade “What Did My Lover Say? (It Always Had to Go This Way)”
MP3: Wolf Parade “Ghost Pressure”
Myspace: Wolf Parade





by J. Di Gioia | Comments Off

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