Happy Valentines Day, all ye lovers and single slobs (such as myself.) And it is on this day that a single mingler like myself must find something else to love, unless you want to be those really annoying people that complain about Valentine’s Day because you’re lonely. Really. It’s super obvious guys. Anyways. Today I want to share my love with one of my favorite albums of all time, Wolf Parade’s legendary 2005 release Apologies to the Queen Mary. Wolf Parade, a band who’s cemented themselves as one of my all-time favorites largely in part to their standout debut album, and enjoyable-but-not-AS-good later albums, are a wonderfully odd group. Formed out of necessity, the two lead singers of Spencer Krug and Dan Boeckner couldn’t be more different. And that’s all been said. It’s interesting to think that at one time Wolf Parade was considered a supergroup. “Supergroup of what?” my fellow indie-boy friend once said to me. A supergroup of what, indeed.

What ISN’T always talked about is how this pack of dogs took a growing sound and made it all their own within 12 vibrant, emotionally-charged, lovable tracks.

“You Are a Runner and I am My Father’s Son” (10/10) is the opener to this album. And, they couldn’t have picked a better choice. I remember years ago when I first heard this track – it was performed by my friend’s cover band, and I was immediately in love. Though spacious and oddly simple, the repetitive drum pattern throttles away with a jaunty piano mix and Spencer Krug’s – uh – howling vocals. Well, yelpier. I wanted to say howl because, well

Well it’s not very original for a reviewer to make Wolf puns for a Wolf Parade album but

You know

I just kinda wanted to.

But digging into it more, the lyrics to this track are painfully self-aware and confessional, Krug detailing how he will eventually become just like his father, and how that will damage his future relationships. And, in classic Krug fashion, the things he describes don’t make any fucking sense. And that’s why I love him. Also, those fuzzy guitar embellishments at the end. Woof.

“Modern World” (10/10) is co-frontman Dan Boeckner’s first track. An equally eerie, however more composed track, Boeckner laments his distaste for the so-called ‘modern world’ through a sometimes spiraling, sometimes sadly rising instrumental backdrop. There are two halves in part that make this album so fantastic track for track. Modern world displays one of them – all instruments constantly firing on all cylinders. Between the groovy drum and bass, wintery, icy keyboard segments that jump in and out of a Wolf Parade song to provide some atmosphere, or the always unique guitar lines, Wolf Parade know how to compose a fucking DAMN good song DAMN good coffee.

But, that’s baby shit, right? That’s not what you came here for. You came here for the real, bloody meat and potatoes Wolf Parade. Yes, I’m talking about my personal favorite song on the album, “Grounds for Divorce,” (10/10) which is where this album REALLY begins. If you didn’t like those last two tracks fine. You’re a dummy, but fine. Listen to THIS. Krug’s over-the-top, passion-rich, colorful, FUN vocal delivery with ‘what-the-hell?’ lyrics and undeniably hooky (AND I MEAN HOOKY BABY) instruments that are as catchy as they are intriguing and unique. And those song structures, hooo, Wolf Parade’s experimental song structures send the indie boy within me ablaze. I’m close to an internal explosion by the time this song hits its climactic breakdown, featuring some of the best guitar work of the best album. This sets in the second half of what makes this album so fantastic – clever songwriting.

“We Built Another World” (10/10) is not only Boeckner’s second track on the album, but also his second with the word ‘World’ in the title. You think when they were making the tracklist, they coulda went “hey, maybe not put these songs so close to each other?” but I digress. “We Built Another World” is one of the hookiest songs on the album, and also one of the few that prominently features both singers in their own regard. But Boeckner’s gravelly croon “When we built another world / styles surround you here comes the nighttime” comes in, you know this song is just a second away from exploding. And it is, because that descending guitar breakdown that sounds like a spaceship battle from Star Wars (you know what I’m talking about) is fantastic.

“Fancy Claps” (10/10) never ceases to make me smile, because I can just imagine these two Canadian dorks thinking of what to name this song, and eventually deciding on titling it after the claps that occur all throughout the song. And, I admit, even when I’m driving I find it hard not to clap along. But that’s not the best part of the song. Nor is the obliterating guitar/drums combo, nor is it the swirling electronics. It’s Krug’s fantastic singing, varying shouts of “I’ll be home!” that sound as urgent as they are angered. But that would be selling the self-destructive instrumental breakdowns short, because holy hell are they something.

“Same Ghost Every Night” (8/10) has a strange relationship with me. The first is because at first, I wasn’t huge into this song. I viewed it as kind of a dud, and a reason why I prefer Krug of Boeckner. But, the longer I listened to this album (which I ENTIRELY didn’t like at first, silly ol’ me) the more I fell in love with Boeckner’s howling vocals (no pun intended, in fact, you think that they sing that way intentionally for the ‘yokes?) and powerful, feet stomping hooks on the chorus. Sure, maybe it runs itself out a tad too long, but the climax is just as good as the hooks. Oh, and like I guess I downloaded a rip of this song from a torrent site once and it was some wack live performance where Boeckner is especially howling?? And now my Spotify REFUSES to play the normal version and plays only that whack one? What gives. Anyway – And I admit, I initially just thought Boeckner was just shouting “MAOW MAOW MAOW MAOW MAOW MAOW” like some sort of foreign cat. But naw, he’s saying “My own, My own, My own,” which honestly – that’s not as great as my headcanon. Either way, my is this a great track.

“Shine a Light” (9/10) is similar to the previous track in that it is 1. Sung by Boeckner and 2. Originally one of my least favorites, and now one that I always look forward to everytime I pop in this album. The wild melody is one of my favorites on this album – “And I don’t sleep! And I don’t sleep! And I don’t sleep ‘till it’s light!” tack on some pummeling drums, groovy bass, and rising synths – boy, you got yourself one heck of an anthem here! And, in an album rife with lyrics lamenting the aspects of modern life, “Shine a Light” might have some of the best.

BUT NONE OF WHAT I JUST SAID MATTERS ANYMORE.

And I mean NONE. Not this review. Because THIS, THIS is what you came for.

The real good stuff.

“Dear Sons and Daughters of Hungry Ghosts” (10/10) is, by all means, a wowza song. It’s a song that blows you away on first listen – at least, it did to me. The drums just keep moving, keeping the pace up while Krug just pours his voice alllll over the track. Pours it like that good maple syrup that comes from his homeland. He is so over-the-top, so howling, so yelpy – it’s captivating. His vocal inflections just MAKE this track, his embellishments from “la la la” to “wahOO” send me into an indie crazed frenzy. And boy, the S T R U C T U R E. It’s no plebeian verse-chorus-verse-chorus pattern here. It’s just small, rising stage to LOUD ANTHEMIC POWERFUL STAGE. And it’s one of the most defining indie tracks yet.

BUT THAT DOESN’T MATTER. Because of THIS.

THIS.

This is what you really came for.

You know what’s going on.

“I’ll Believe in Anything” (10/10) is hands down Wolf Parade’s most famous song and EASILY their most anthemic. The drums just pump with that boom. Boom. boom. But famed drummer Arlen Thompson isn’t a one-trick pony. You don’t get to drum on Arcade Fire’s “Wake Up” by being a one trick pony. He throws in these rad drum fills every now and then to accompany Krug’s singing. The guitar and video-game sounding synths both keep rising through the first half of this song, but the front-and-center is once again Krug’s impassioned singing style. His melody is so wild, yet so undeniably catchy. And the lyrics are the most abstract, roundabout way of talking about idealism – it’s the formula for a perfect Krug song. The instruments keep getting louder, layering on top each other until the climax where they all just explode on top of Krug’s “I’ll take you where nobody knows you / and nobody gives a damn.” followed by “I’ll believe, I’ll believe in anything.” tag that with a fantastic guitar breakdown, and you have what makes this song so good, so memorable. In fact, I’d argue that the existence of this track makes the existence of the entire nation of Canada more bearable. Like, all of Canada’s history has built up to producing “I’ll Believe in Anything.” They’ve done well.

“It’s a Curse” (9/10) may be the most underrated song on the album, and that’s probably because of the track preceding it. It’s also, arguably, the most unique. “It’s a Curse” takes on a darker sound, with the blaring electric guitar riffing away against everything else. It’s a deeply enjoyable song, if anything – and definitely helps the variety of this album. Boeckner’s vocals stick out on this track more than any other, moving from a raspy anthem singer to just a mean, angered madman.

Then, there’s “Dinner Bells” (7/10) which has to be my least favorite track on the record. Certainly, a ‘dud’ compared to the rest, it’s painfully overly long. Not that I don’t like long music – because believe me, I do. More than anyone should – but Wolf Parade doesn’t ever really do ‘long’ good. And this is even more terribly obvious on their later albums…I groan at “Kissing the Beehive”…but that’s for another day. “Dinner Bells” has comparatively boring rhythm and oddly distant vocals from Krug that further this as the most “meh” song. However, it does have fresh, fuzzy, extremely noisy guitar work all throughout. It gives the song its own feel, and I really do enjoy it, so I do respect that as much.

“I’ll Believe in Anything” would have been a suitable closer, but I think “This Heart’s On Fire” (9/10) does the job well. Tying together not the concept of the album, but rather the feel, Boeckner repetitively delivers the hook “This heart’s on fire / this heart’s on fire.” It’s a fitting end to an album with two singers just pouring their emotions all over the place, not only in lyrics but also in singing. The song mixes basic riffing with more interesting keyboard pieces as well as low-to-loud sound levels. Overall, I couldn’t be more happy with this track.

97/100 on the Grouch Scale.

In the end, it’s not a perfect album. I’d be biased and silly to say it is. It certainly has some flaws, but boy if track-for-track it ain’t one of the most thrilling, enjoyable indie releases of the best few decades. I’m in love with the sound of this album. I adore the singing, the instrumentation…everything. There are many great indie bands, and there are a few great super-influential indie groups of the early 2000s. Arcade Fire, Broken Social Scene, etc. But, of all those, and this might be sacrilege – Wolf Parade is my favorite, and that is all thanks to their classic Apologies to the Queen Mary.

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