298: Wolf Parade // Apologies to the Queen Mary

Apologies to the Queen Mary Wolf Parade 2005, Sub Pop

Apologies to the Queen Mary is on the short list of ‘00s indie records that I’d consider masterpieces. The funny thing is that my list, as someone who was there (or there-adjacent), is pretty well fixed in time, whereas the consensus among Zoomer critics continues to morph in ways I’d never have figured. (Or maybe it’s not funny, really—just always how time and memory work.) In 2008, I would’ve bet my left pinkie that TV on the Radio (and especially Return to Cookie Mountain) would be the defining band of the era. Meanwhile, in 2024 the Killers are still riding the same five songs to a second greatest hits record and fifty times TVotR’s monthly residuals; the National have tween fans; and I hold a mug weird. Time clowns us all and Wolf Parade are a dad band now, owners of a few anthems from the era before genuinely weird indie bands could near the summits of the pop chart, economically compelled to continue touring small theatres together despite both Boeckner and Krug having been more invested in other, even less profitable projects for some time now.

Wolf Parade is one of those bands with two lead singers who sound indistinguishable before you know the group well, and instantly identifiable thereafter (like John and Paul of the Beatles, or Felix and Will of Chapo Trap House). They’re both yowlers who let their voices crack pubescently as shorthand for the frayed emotional spectrum they traffic in, given to barking and hooting to help drive their bric-a-brac compositions forward. Boeckner is a lanky post-punk looking fuckboy in roughly the Richard Hell mould, given to posing sweatily in torn undershirts and starting projects with a succession of raven-haired keyboard players he’s also dating. He loves motorik dance rock and Wire, but also has a substantial helping of Bruce Springsteen in his songwriting. Krug is a stocky, normal-looking guy who doesn’t really meet your eyes and self-deprecatingly called his solo project Moonface. He writes lyrics that sound like philosophy and love letters translated from an alien language, and prefers his music to both thwack and quaver.

Their similarities give Wolf Parade coherence, but much of their dynamism comes from how the two singers pass the controls back and forth. Backed by electronics tinkerer Hadji Bakara and Arlen Thompson, a drummer (crucially) capable of serving as a rhythm section unto himself, Krug and Boeckner find the perfect balance between Krug’s experimental art collective predilections and Boeckner’s slyly sexual rock ‘n’ roll heart. Krug leads with the empty warehouse strut of “You Are a Runner and I Am My Father’s Son”; Boeckner parries with the hooky acoustic rocker “Modern World”; Krug closes with the brittle seven-minute dirge “Dinner Bells”; Boeckner responds with the pinkly-hued Suicide-Springsteen collab “This Heart’s on Fire.”

Both Boeckner and Krug have made wilder, stranger music elsewhere, and there are plenty of other brilliant Wolf Parade songs to be found across their subsequent records. But Apologies remains the greatest blend of their particular talents they ever managed, a perfect example of two guys pushing each other to do their best work. With luck, a future generation will reconsider Wolf Parade and its many, many satellites (Sunset Rubdown, Operators, Handsome Furs, Frog Eyes, Swan Lake, Divine Fits…) as one of the most interesting micro-scenes the whole post-alternative rock era produced. And if not, I’ll still be here spinning the record a few times a year, believing in it all all over.

298/365

RobMoro TV | Boeckner - 'Dead Tourists'

Boeckner are set to release their self-titled full-length debut this Friday. Coinciding with that release is the drop of a video for latest single ‘Dead Tourists’. If you are a fan of Dan Boeckner’s work with Wolf Parade, Handsome Furs, Operators, and Divine Fits, you won’t want to miss this solo outing. This track from the album was co-written by the talented Jeremy Gaudet of labelmates Kiwi…

View On WordPress

I got a hand So I got a fist So I got a plan It's the best that I can do Now we'll say, "it's in God's hands" But God doesn't always have the best goddamn plans, does he?

For the Record #181: Kiwi Jr.'s "Chopper"

Toronto band Kiwi Jr. is one of our favorite recent discoveries. Their third album knocks it out of the park with new wave synths, tight and jangly guitars, and clever, rapid-fire lyrics. We discuss "Chopper" on episode #181 of "For the Record."

Episode link: https://fortherecordpodcast.com/podcasts/media/2023-01-07-ftr-episode-181-kiwi-jr-chopper.mp3

Subscribe to the podcast by clicking here for iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/for-the-record-with-gg-and-adam/id943710156, or by copying and pasting this XML feed into your favorite podcatcher’s "subscribe" field: http://fortherecordpodcast.com/podcasts/feed.xml

Stream the episode via your browser here:

Or tune in to BFF.fm to hear us every other Thursday at 9:30am!

Boeckner - Boeckner!

Wolf Parade, Divine Fits, Operators, Atlas Strategic, Handsome Furs… La carrera de Dan Boeckner está llena de grupos que aparecen y desaparecen sin dejar rastro. Yo, personalmente, ya no sé si Wolf Parade, que es algo así como la banda madre, siguen en activo. El resto que he mencionado tengo más o menos claro que no. Quizá, por eso, ha querido empezar este nuevo proyecto llamado Boeckner, que es…

View On WordPress

This One Song… Kiwi Jr on Clerical Sleep

This One Song… Kiwi Jr on Clerical Sleep

Tell you what – we love hearing from artists when things go right. We equally love hearing from artists when things go dreadfully wrong. A song that was a piece of piss, written in 20 minutes? Or years in the making and a bastard to write? Whether it’s a song that came together through great duress or one that was smashed out in a short amount of time, we’re getting the lowdown from some of our…

View On WordPress

Upcoming Shows (April 2024)

Apr. 9 - Annie DiRusso at Bimbo’s Apr. 12 - Alice Phoebe Lou at the Fillmore Apr. 13 - Chastity Belt at the Independent Apr. 13 - Grooblen at the Kilowatt Apr. 15 - Sheer Mag at the Rickshaw Stop Apr. 16 - The Last Dinner Party at Bimbo’s Apr. 16-17 - Brittany Howard at the Fillmore Apr. 19-20 - Pussy Riot at the Kilowatt Apr. 23 - Rosie Tucker at the Bottom of the Hill Apr. 25 - Dan Boeckner at the Independent Apr. 28 - Adam Ant at the Fox Theater in Oakland Apr. 30 - Andy Shauf at The Chapel May 1 - Andy Shauf at The Chapel May 2 - Swans at the Great American Music Hall May 4 - METZ at The Chapel May 6 - Gustaf at Cafe du Nord May 8 - Phoenix at the Warfield May 10 - IDLES at the Fox Theater in Oakland May 11 - Land of Talk at the Bottom of the Hill May 11-12 - Caroline Rose at The Chapel May 11 - Idles at the Warfield May 16 - The Go! Team at the Independent May 16 - Pardoner at the Kilowatt May 16 - Belle & Sebastian at the Fox Theater in Oakland May 16 - Teenage Fanclub at the Fillmore May 18 - Waxahatchee at the Fox Theater in Oakland May 18 - Wednesday at the Fillmore May 20 - Har Mar Superstar at the Bottom of the Hill May 21 - Stiff Little Fingers at the Fillmore May 22 - Bad Tiger at the Bottom of the Hill May 23 - Jade Bird at Cafe du Nord May 23 - Madness at the Fox Theater in Oakland May 23 - Mescool at the Kilowatt May 25 - Bully at Cafe du Nord May 25 - St. Vincent at the Masonic May 27-31 - My Morning Jacket at the Fillmore June 2 - Dent May at The Chapel June 4 - Yard Act at the Independent June 6 - Echo & The Bunnymen at the Warfield June 7 - The Sadies at the Great American Music Hall June 10 - Camera Obscura at the Fillmore June 13 - Kelley Stoltz at The Chapel June 17 - Adrienne Lenker at the Fox Theater in Oakland June 18 - The Dollyrots at the Bottom of the Hill June 25 - Okkervil River w/The Antlers at The Chapel June 25 - Iron & Wine at the Fox Theater in Oakland June 26 - Mates of State at the Rickshaw Stop June 27 - Los Campesinos! at the Great American Music Hall June 29 - The Umbrellas at the Kilowatt July 13 - The Decemberists at the Fox Theater in Oakland July 15 - Ducks Ltd. at the Rickshaw Stop June 15 - Middle Kids at August Hall July 19 - Man Man at The Chapel July 23 - Pedro the Lion at The Chapel Aug. 16 - The Beths opening for Alvvays at the Fox Theater in Oakland Aug. 18-19 - Bikini Kill at the Warfield Aug. 31 - Osees at the Chapel Sept. 1-3 - Osees at the Chapel Sept. 17 - Future Islands at the Fox Theater in Oakland Sept. 21 - Peter Hook at the Warfield Sept. 23 - Tokyo Police Club at August Hall Sept. 25 - Hoodoo Gurus at the Great American Music Hall Sept. 27-28 - Built to Spill at the Fillmore Oct. 10 - Blonde Redhead at the Fox Theater in Oakland Oct. 15 - Sunny Day Real Estate at August Hall Oct. 20 - Stars at The Chapel Nov. 15 - Ted Leo and the Pharmacists at the Fillmore

Boeckner - "Dead Tourists"

Boeckner has shared the third single, “Dead Tourists”, off his self titled album that was just released via Sub Pop. TRACKLIST:01 “Lose”02 “Ghost In The Mirror”03 “Wrong”04 “Don’t Worry Baby”05 “Dead Tourists”06 “Return to Life”07 “Euphoria”08 “Holy Is the Night” The video for the song was directed by Sasha Solodukhina. Dan Boeckner shares this about the album: “This record is like an…

View On WordPress

RobMoro TV | Kiwi Jr. - 'Night Vision'

RobMoro TV | Kiwi Jr. – ‘Night Vision’

Toronto indie-rock quartet KIWI JR. are back! Announcing their third album, “Chopper”, to which they unveiled with latest single, ‘Night Vision’ Their third album will be the follow up to 2021’s “Cooler Returns”, which was also produced by WOLF PARADE co-founder and current ARCADE FIRE member Dan Boeckner. “Before ‘Night Vision’ was 100% written, just the basic idea of it existing as a Kiwi Jr.…

View On WordPress

new dan boeckner album that’s a #Smile from me

I spend boring hours in the office tower

In a bus, on a bus back home to you

And that's fine, I'm barely alive

Wolf Parade // Shine A Light

ARCADE FIRE - Indi Rock Band - from CANADA

Arcade Fire is a Canadian indie rock band, consisting of husband and wife Win Butler and Régine Chassagne, alongside Richard Reed Parry, Tim Kingsbury and Jeremy Gara. The band's current touring line-up also includes former core member Sarah Neufeld and multi-instrumentalists Paul Beaubrun, Dan Boeckner and Eric Heigle. Each of the band's studio albums features contributions from composer and violinist Owen Pallett.

Founded in 2001 by friends and classmates Butler and Josh Deu, the band came to prominence in 2004 with the release of their critically acclaimed debut album Funeral. Their second studio album, Neon Bible, won them the 2008 Meteor Music Award for Best International Album and the 2008 Juno Award for Alternative Album of the Year. Their third studio album, The Suburbs, was released in 2010 to critical acclaim and commercial success. It received many accolades, including the 2011 Grammy for Album of the Year, the 2011 Juno Award for Album of the Yearand the 2011 Brit Award for Best International Album. In 2013, Arcade Fire released their fourth album, Reflektor, and scored the feature film Her, for which band members Will Butler and Owen Pallett were nominated in the Best Original Score category at the 86th Academy Awards. In 2017, the band released their fifth studio album Everything Now, which was succeeded by their sixth studio album We in 2022.

Top image - Funeral Album Cover Lower image - Performing Live at the BLUE Festival 2017 Argentina

Kiwi Jr. Announce New Album 'Chopper', Share New Song 'Night Vision'

Kiwi Jr. Announce New Album ‘Chopper’, Share New Song ‘Night Vision’

Kiwi Jr. have announced their third album: Chopper lands on August 12 via Sub Pop. The follow-up to 2021’s Cooler Returns was produced by Dan Boeckner (Wolf Parade, Handsome Furs, Operators). To mark the announcement, the Toronto band has shared a new song called ‘Night Vision’, which is accompanied by a video from director Laura-Lynn Petrick. Check it out below. “Before ‘Night Vision’ was 100%…

View On WordPress

Arcade Fire - The Lightning I, II (Official Video)