Wolf Parade: Apologies to the Queen Mary

Wolf Parade sound like a lot of other bands and none at all. How is that possible? They take the Brooklyn, indie aesthetic and put their weird, vampire spin on it. I’m not sure why vampires come to mind, but some of it is the kind of yelping chorus in the back of a lot of their songs. Of course they’re Canadian, and not Brooklynites, but everyone who’s anyone knows that Canada is the new Brooklyn. I can only liken their sound (on some of the album) to Modest Mouse doing some sort of evil mash up with country mates Arcade Fire — especially on the song ”Grounds for Divorce.” The album swings wildly between styles, but all the styles are really, really good. This is without a doubt one of the best albums of 2005, and a constant treat from listen to listen. Like a nice red wine, the thing just opens up as it plays, expanding and growing and working its way into your brain.