The Procession

Today was the best record shopping outing I've had in a long while. I didn't realize there were so many tempting new UK releases! Calexico, Pretty Girls Make Graves, The Streets, and the Fiery Furnaces were all calling me from their shelves, and those are just the albums released yesterday. Of these, I only came home with PGMG's Elan Vital, choosing instead (in my infinite judiciousness) to get Show Your Bones and Silent Shout, as well as some special Wolf Parade releases.

Apologies to the Queen Mary was one of the strongest releases of last year, and certainly my favorite debut. I know there are too many animal-band-names around at the moment, but Wolf Parade actually suit the moniker. Their music is instinctual and forceful (qualities which are shared with wolves), as well as wonderfully anthemic (which makes me, at least, think of parades). Since then, anyways, I've been clamoring for more. More Krug and Boekner, more paranoid exorcisms and bleeding lupine hearts. I knew they made their debut on Sub Pop with a self-titled EP, but had never come across a copy. I found one today, as well as their second EP (Wolf Parade EP was their third). It's a self-released disc-wrapped-in-paper affair which features early versions of songs from Apologies, along with two I hadn't heard before.

Wolf Parade - The National People's Scare [mp3]

Wolf Parade - Killing Armies [mp3]

"The National People's Scare" is fantastic, a song paced perfectly for Boekner's ragged, slow-burn voice (think "Same Ghost Every Night," but better). It's gorgeous and majestic, sad, sombre. Rain in pine forests, something like that. "Killing Armies" is Krug's, it's alive (not more alive, but alive in a different way). I think my sister said it best - if you have a voice like that, you've got to sing. It's cracked and manic, and delightfully expressive. Together, they make the best vocal tag-team in indie rock.

You can still get the second EP online, definitely worth it, recommended, etc. Go here, scroll down to the end.

Buy their Sub Pop EP here, also highly rec.

I also found this Wolf Parade fansite, where you can get some rarities (and if you know where to look, even more).

Wolf Parade - Wits or a Dagger [mp3]

Wolf Parade - Secret Knives [mp3]

Funny, these two share a relationship similar to the first pair, in that the second is raucous where the first sounds more pensive. Of course, pensive for this band does not necessarily mean mellow (they are wolves, remember). It's thoughtful, to be sure, but still sounds unsettled. This is what Wolf Parade does best, voice their reservations without being reserved, making for a refreshingly compelling listen.

Enjoy.