Call It A Ritual

On paper, Wolf Parade exudes all that is indie rock. Aside from incorporating a mammal in their band's moniker (see Deerhunter, Fleet Foxes, Grizzly Bear, Panda Bear, Caribou, etc.), these guys are from Canada -- the best breeding grounds for baby bands outside of Brooklyn (see fellow countrymen Arcade Fire, Tokyo Police Club, Broken Social Scene). After a three year hiatus in which band members went their separate routes with equally popular side projects (Sunset Rubdown and Handsome Furs), this quirky quintet is back with their sophomore effort, At Mount Zoomer -- their first since 2005's breakthrough Apologies To the Queen Mary. And if all this experimenting with new projects and sounds is conducive to practice, then Wolf Parade has certainly perfected their style on a new record that straddles pop-rock with prog. rock and everything in between. Much like fellow Canadians Tokyo Police Club, this band is in love with the synthesizer. The record kicks off with a sprawling synth riff that dances well with Dan Boeckner's choppy guitar on the pop gem "Soldier's Grin". The piano takes the foot-stomping lead in the ethereal "Call It A Ritual," before the tempo slows down a bit with album highlight, "California Dreamer" -- a tune that does it's best Dark Side of the Moon imitation. However, the band's most ambitious undertaking lies in the dark 11-minute opus that pulls out the bells that have been acumulated since Apologies. What this all amasses to is a strengthened follow-up by a band that continues to redefine it's celebrated strange sound.

My Rating 7.2/10