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Wolf Parade – At Mount Zoomer
Reviewed By Nolan Grey
Wolf Parade’s second full-length studio album, At Mount Zoomer, does not disappoint. Songs are expertly woven together, featuring the talents of Dan Boeckner and Spencer Krug at the helm.
Soldier’s Grin: 9.4
The lead track starts the album off well, with a dueling melody and generally positive vibe. Like many Wolf Parade songs, the work is intricate enough to not only justify, but also deserve repeated listens to fully appreciate.
Call it a ritual: 8.5
With piano, echo effected voice, and intermittent raging guitar, Call it a ritual’s sound is excellent in a markedly different way than Soldier’s Grin. All this should be of little surprise with Krug at the helm, however Wolf Parade’s ability to produce such a variegated album is a strength that must be noted.
Language City: 9.2
Boeckner’s second track is another stand out. The guitar rocks, the drum pushes, and Boeckner’s vocals pepper the track with enthusiasm and emotion.
Bang Your Drum: 7.5
This track earns the unfortunate honor of being the album’s first non-stand out track. The song is certainly solid, with enough variation to keep listeners entertained for multiple plays, but it lacks the wow factor that the previous songs all contain.
California Dreamer: 8.5
The Krug led track spends the first minute building with a purposeful sound. Bass, guitar, piano, and synth sound enter and exit, all giving notice of things to come. The wait is certainly worth it, with a crescendo of sound kicking off the song in full force. California Dreamer is one of Krug’s better songs on the album; however, it does take repeated listens to really appreciate the way this track is put together.
The Grey Estates: 9.4
Although Boeckner is at the helm on The Grey Estates, it is the instrumentation that really pushes this particular track into such highly rated territory. The melody is infectious, and the intricacy that is indicative of the entire CD is more apparent here than anywhere else. Wolf Parade sounds at one time so unique and at the same time entirely together.
Fine Young Cannibals: 8.4
Like Bang Your Drum, there is nothing wrong with this solid track. Unfortunately, with a run time of over 6 minutes, and a melody that pales in comparison to the previous track, Fine Young Cannibals could become one of the more overlooked tracks on the album. As Boeckner’s weakest song on the album, the track is good, just not as good as his others. Damning praise for the song perhaps, but quite a positive for the album as a whole.
An Animal in your Care: 7.0
The sound on this track is more disjointed than on previous songs, and unfortunately the change doesn’t work as well as one might hope. An Animal in your Care is perhaps the weakest track on the CD, and although interesting (with potential to become a song that will grow in time, especially portions post 2 minutes in) it is not on the same level as the majority of the work on this album.
Kissing the Beehive: 9.0
Clocking in at almost 11 minutes, it must be stated first that this track has moments of brilliance. As the only Krug/Boeckner combo act on Mount Zoomer, the song both suffers and is facilitated by the dual artist approach. Kissing the Beehive is worth attention, and serves as a worthy end to an excellent CD.
Album Total: 8.54
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