Home > Austin Music Source > Archives > 2008 > July > 28 > Entry
Review: Wolf Parade at La Zona Rosa
- The A-List: Photos from the show
“All this work-ing/Just to tear it down,” guitarist Dan Boeckner sang on “Language City,” a song about “contemporary Russian politics” from his band Wolf Parade’s jittery sophomore album, “At Mount Zoomer.” The Montreal five-piece was only halfway through its set Friday at La Zona Rosa and already the sold-out crowd was cheering as if it were the band’s last song … ever. Alas, keyboardist and co-singer Spencer Krug took his turn in the back-and-forth rotation with “An Animal in Your Care.” That’s when all the working was torn down.
Only a few lines in, Krug abruptly stopped the song. It was a killer of epic momentum built in the songs prior. He cited technical difficulties. He blamed the sweat oozing into the circuitry of his keyboard. “Sorry,” he said while tinkering with his instrument, “keep smoking your cigarettes and marijuana.” His bandmates looked at him, amused. Quit being a prima donna, their faces seemed to say. Hustle it up. We’re on a roll. Problem quickly and miraculously solved, Krug resumed the song’s painfully deliberate opening. The whole ordeal was enough to distract from the joy of what was inevitable: the song’s transformation, halfway through, from disjointed and grating to propulsive and electrifying. Finally, they could get back to supplanting the fractured rock of Modest Mouse, the band from which Wolf Parade spawned.
The dueling keyboards hummed under the clash of guitars and drums throughout a set that borrowed fairly equally from their new album and their debut, “Apologies to the Queen Mary.” Indeed, the night’s opener, “You Are a Runner and I Am My Father’s Son,” was from the latter, and it foreshadowed the stone-cold intensity to come. If it didn’t, Krug’s post-song prophecy — remember, this was one song into the show — sealed the deal. “I think this is the first real show we’ve played,” he said. “Honestly.” And then they got to working.
Permalink | Comments (0) | Post your comment Categories: In The Clubs, Music, Reviews
Comments
Click here to report comment abuse.