Went to a rock concert last night at the Commodore, and both bands were great. The opening act was Listening Party who had something good going on in terms of their musicianship and vibe, but the headliner Wolf Parade knocked it out of the park. Easily the best concert I have seen in a few years. Every music fan in Vancouver who was not at the concert last night missed out was blowing it.
I was introduced to this band when I attended The Arcade Fire show at the forum a few years ago. Wolf Parade were the opening act at that time, and the energy that they brought to the their music was obvious and powerful. If it was a different band as the main act, WP would have blown them off the stage. I hadn’t heard about them prior and didn’t get the chance to do any research on them, but I became a fan during that concert. There are two singers who share the vocal duties, and they both bring a unique and interesting style to their lyrics. And I’ve never seen a keyboard played with such vigor.
After that concert, I went out and bought their first wide release, ’Apologies To The Queen Mary’, and fell in love with it. If you are looking for a standout track from that album, check out I’ll Believe In Anything, a stinging and joyful criticism of the pre packaged individuality of consumer culture. Their current release, ‘At Mount Zoomer’, has toned down the rocking aspect by bringing out more synth sounds. It is different enough that I started as pretty tepid on this one, but I am getting to like it more and more. Last night sealed the deal for me though, as the new songs really came together on stage.
Those curious about my whereabouts, my departure got pushed back to Monday, which was a relief, so I can relax a bit today and put my ear drums back in place. For those involved in the CD collective, I will be inserting ‘At Mount Zoomer’ as my next selection, and I can pass around their first album for anyone who is interested, though I’m hesitant to clutter up the box.
Matt
