Wolf Parade - Expo 86

Today, I am doing a short review of Wolf Parades new album, Expo 86.  The album is named after the World Exposition that was held in Vancouver in 1986. I guess the band thought it was relevant, because these indie-rockers are from Victoria, BC (originally).

Wolf Parade have been on and off for years, with the members side projects (Sunset Rubdown, Frog Eyes, Handsome Furs, etc.) seemingly taking front seat over Wolf Parade. However; the bands 3rd album takes the band to a whole new level. WP (Wolf Parade) has become an even tighter four-some; the music feels and sounds more organized compared to previous albums (just an observation, I still love "Apologies to The Queen Mary" and to a lesser extent "At Mount Zoomer").

If you love quirky synthesizer driven melodies, and even stranger guitar accompaniment, then Expo 86 is certainly worth checking out, especially if you love a big sound because there is certainly a lot going on.  I honestly can not rave enough about this album, I love it to bits! It could very well turn out to be one of top indie albums of 2010 (watch out the Arcade Fire).

The album features 11 songs in total, filled with many gems:

1. "Cloud Shadow on the Mountain" (Krug) - 4:22
2. "Palm Road" (Boeckner) - 4:41
3. "What Did My Lover Say? (It Always Had to Go This Way)" (Krug) - 5:42
4. "Little Golden Age" (Boeckner) - 5:00
5. "In the Direction of the Moon" (Krug) - 5:46
6. "Ghost Pressure" (Boeckner) - 5:16
7. "Pobody's Nerfect" (Boeckner) - 5:50
8. "Two Men in New Tuxedos" (Krug) - 3:09
9. "Oh You, Old Thing" (Krug) - 5:46
10. "Yulia" (Boeckner) - 3:47
11. "Cave-o-Sapien" (Krug) - 6:19

I feel that the albums stand out tracks are: "Cloud Shadow on the Mountain", "What Did My Lover Say? (It Always Had to Go This Way)", "Ghost Pressure", and "Oh You, Old Thing". If you had to listen to one track, I would suggest checking out Ghost Pressure. WP manages to blend over-driven guitar leads with a variety of poppy and retro-esque synthesizers.  Expo 86 is definitely worth checking out.

I will try and review an album, or anything music related, at least once or twice a week. Leave suggestions in your comments for who you think I should review in my next post.

Till next time;