Wolf Parade (The Independent, 4 January 2006)

Montréal is abuzz these days with their music. Of course, hype definitely helps, especially if TIME Canada devotes a third of their April 4, 2005 issue on the rise of Canada's indie music scene. In that very issue, TIME mentioned Wolf Parade's debut as one of "Canada's most anticipated indie albums." Quite a praise given that the only thing Wolf Parade released at that point is a "cheapo" E.P. However, that E.P. turned out to be a gem, and Wolf Parade's Apologies to the Queen Mary was hailed by many music authorities, real and blog alike, as one of the best releases of last year. Indeed, this very music blog ranked Apologies to the Queen Mary as the #4 album of 2005.

With that successful album came an opening slot in Arcade Fire's most recent North American tour. Rightfully so, Wolf Parade decided to embark on a headlining tour of their own. The band's popularity is quite obvious, especially since they sold out two nights at The Independent. With a live act that is just amazing, people were sold on Wolf Parade.

In their first night at the Independent, the band started off with "It's a Curse." Singer/guitarist Spencer Klug's sounded like he was cursed because of his strained vocals. Where the album's version presented Spencer's strong, resounding voice, his live voice here did not come close. Afterwards, Spencer apologized for his lack of vocal prowess because he was a bit ill. Where Spencer's voice lacked, the rest of Wolf Parade - keyboardist/singer Dan Boeckner, drummer Arlen Thompson and gizmo guru Hadji Bakara - more than made up for it with their tight and loud instrumentation. Arlen's drum was especially present, with each pounding delivering so much energy to the song that Spencer's voice was, at times, completely overwhelmed by it.

Other highlights of the show included "Grounds for Divorce," "Shine a Light," "Dear Sons and Daughters of Hungry Ghosts," "I'll Believe in Anything," and "This Hearts on Fire." Interspersed in their strong set were a couple of new songs. They also did two encores, with the final song being "Dinner Bells." Fortunately, Dan Boeckner's, who shares lead vocals for a majority of the songs, voice was in top form. However, Dan wasn't without his own curses. His keyboard was new and unfamiliar to him, thus emitting sound that was less than optimal. Despite this minor inconvenience, the band's professionalism and stage presence more than made up for it.

The sold out crowd seemed to have liked the show, with the people in the front row dancing and rocking their heads in approval. The band also seemed to be enjoying themselves, with all of them overly appreciative of the crowd's support. Indeed, despite Spencer's weak vocals for the evening, he was very animated on stage, especially with his right leg.

Overall, Wolf Parade is a great live band that fell victim to the strains of touring, new equipment and inadequate sound. These hindrances will not derail Wolf Parade's ongoing success and its penchant for writing great music. If the new songs are any representation of the band's future, then Wolf Parade's hype will continue for years to come.

Beer Rating:1/2