Seven years after taking an extended break, Wolf Parade returns with another album full of potential anthems. Inspired in part by the last election, as well as the ongoing economic struggle facing all working people, the band digs deep to produce 11 sharp tracks, marked by its inventive stylistic hybrid. The beautifully chaotic twin-guitar attack of Dan Boeckner and Dante DeCaro is supported by the expansive sonic clamor of Spencer Krug’s outer-space keyboards and Arlen Thompson’s over-the-top drumming.
Rock, funk, ska and cascading sheets of progressive noise converge to support extravagant lyrics that express the jumbled nightmares of modern life. The despondent rhythms of “Lazarus Online” and “Am I An Alien Here” (a tip of the hat to David Bowie) are lifted by the raging anger of “Incantation” and “King Of Piss And Paper,” a stomping protest driven by a fractured disco beat.
—j. poet
