As an American I have always faced the hard truths about my northern neighbor Canada; I know the names of some cities but that’s about it; however, ask a Canadian to recite our state capitals and they will do it in song. So what does this have to do with Wolf Parade? Well simply put, some Canadians are doing some things better than us and this includes modern indie-rock. This ability to do some things better than us is something we can at least reap the benefits of.
June 2010 saw the release of Wolf Parade’s 3rd full-length album, Expo 86, to critical acclaim, and then shortly there after the band set out to support the record. On their stop in Atlanta on November 12, 2010 at Variety Playhouse, Wolf Parade blazed through a set, which focused on supporting the new album, and rewarded long time fans with tracks from their prior releases. The show opened just as their most recent release with a punchy rendition of “Cloud Shadow on the Mountain,” which sounded as if it had been ripped right from the album. The band sprinkled each albums opening and closing tracks throughout the 11 song set and three song encore; At Mount Zoomer’s closer “Kissing the Beehive” was the night’s curtain call.
My personal favorite moments from the show include the rambunctious “Ghost Pressure” with its catchy synth- it simply sounded amazing live- and the set closer “California Dreamer” was just epic. The show really hit its peak during Expo 86’s “Cave-O-Sapien”, the song has such energy that its seems to open and close at crescendo and kept the steady pace the entire six minutes. As for a concert going experience only one other band has given me a stronger one. I won’t say which band, as I do not like the comparison, but it’s another Canadian band who had a #1 album this year.
The opener also cannot go unspoken; OYA was an extremely pleasant and unexpected experience. Hailing from Japan, this four piece was a perfect opening act for an indie-rock band. I did not understand all the lyrics, but the songs moved me just the same.
Jon Atchison
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