Expo 86
With their third album, Montreal’s Wolf Parade really expand their sound to create deeper atmospheres where the keyboards take on a dark passion and the reverb adds a cavernous growl to tunes that desire great mystery. “Palm Road” is the sound of a cement mixer jamming up its gears, while “What Did My Lover Say (It Always Had To Go This Way)” turns up the keyboards on David Bowie’s ‘80s period. “Little Golden Age” turns in a perfectly alienated new-wave groove. “In the Direction of the Moon” takes synths into the anthemic territory once occupied by the Waterboys. “Ghost Pressure” twists to a sweeter light. “Pobody’s Nerfect” uses isolating textures to create greater distress. “Two Men In New Tuxedos” loosens up an early Talking Heads rhythm. “Oh You, Old Thing” could be another shout-out to David Bowie. What holds everything together is the brilliantly cohesive playing and the songs that are as catchy as new wave will allow.
Recorded and mixed at Hotel2Tango, with Howard Bilerman, in late February and early March of 2010, EXPO 86 is the name of the new and third album by Montreal’s Wolf Parade. EXPO 86 follows the band’s 2008 album At Mount Zoomer, which itself followed their 2005 debut, Apologies to the Queen Mary.
On their third full-length, the indie supergroup led by Dan Boeckner and Spencer Krug sounds more unified as their songwriting voices bleed together.
Wolf Parade’s greatest asset is the ability to appear on the verge of falling apart while marching ahead with lockstep precision. The Canadian indie-rock outfit’s third album, Expo 86, begins in the middle of a pounding drum lick that’s quickly joined by Spencer Krug’s quivering vocal, a zig-zagging guitar, a bloopy…
At its core, Expo 86 is the work of a great band seemingly disinterested in its own existence.
Three album in, and <strong>Will Dean</strong> finds Canadian indie collective Wolf Parade sounding better than ever
Wolf Parade - Expo 86 review: Maybe the best synthesis of the band's schizoid sound yet.