Month of September , 2005

The whole band steps on their gain pedals.

"So give me! Your eyes! I need! Sunshine!"

It's 2:25 into "I'll Believe in Anything". The guitar and bass drone like a pair of 12-story high didgeridoos. Something coos wistfully.

"Your love! Your bones! Your voice, and your ghost!"

The guitar changes to an ascending/descending figure as Spencer Krug pours everything he has into his vocal delivery. And just like that, Wolf Parade - on their first full length album, no less - have created an absolutely perfect moment in music.

"I'll Believe in Anything" is an encapsulation of the band's methods, goals, and sentiment. Krug doesn't simply write a sublime love song, he does more. He distills all of the angst and terror of growing up in a dangerous modern world into one vocal performance, and promises sanctuary within himself to his lover. In a world ruled by fools, constantly on the brink of nuclear winter or destruction by nature, what more is there to offer? While Wolf Parade's peers are content to make music on a purely escapist level, they instead draw on observations from the world around them to add emotional heft to that escapism.

Vocal (and presumably song-writing) duties are split between Krug and Dan Boeckner, Krug playing the decidedly more entertaining role and Boeckner delivering something like Beck forgetting his Scientology "cleansing ritual" to take his prescription drugs. On first blush it's easy to get swept away by the standout tracks on Apologies: the aforementioned "I'll Believe", Krug's "Grounds for Divorce", "Dear Sons and Daughters of Hungry Ghosts", and Boeckner's "Shine a Light".

However, upon closer examination the album feels capable of so much more. "This Heart's on Fire" seems like an unfinished song sketch when compared to the stronger tracks, and "Dinner Bells" overstays it's welcome by about 3 minutes. After a few times through, Boeckner's scratchy howl and generally more straightforward song-writing begin to taste a bit homogenized, and a deeper appreciation for Krug's contributions may unfurl. This is not at all to downplay Boeckner's work on guitar through out the album, as his figures often wind themselves around and through the dense tapestry of the songs.

Still, the peaks are higher than the valleys are low, as Wolf Parade manage several times on Apologies to transcend their instruments and voices, creating something unbound to cold reality of the physical world.

Sigur Ros
Takk…
2005 | Geffen

I wrote this review in an airplane taking me away from a short visit with my friends and family over the holidays back to my new home of five months in the mountains of Japan. I really can’t think of a better place or time to listen to this album though, because it seems to reflect themes of fluidity, transformation, and memories — a perfect album to let plump tears slowly roll down my cheek as it’s glued to a window overlooking the pink highlighted mountains of northern Alaska.

The theme in this album is definitely some sort of flux between the idea of slipping and gliding. After listening to Takk…, I felt like I had just tapped a vein and sent clouds, stormy and soft, surging into my bloodstream. The first track, entitled “Takk..”, glued to the second track “Glosoli”, begins by lifting you very slowly into a deep crescendo. The only thing in my mind when I was listening to this was being in the ocean on a powerful wave, a strange wave of clouds that made one minute of riding feel like eternity. Waking me from my daydreams came the musical clicking sound of your favorite jewlery box as it winds down to its last few notes.

"Hoppipolla" begins with a more intense crescendo that leads into vocals which made me feel like I was walking down the street in the scene from Vanilla Sky which had recreated the cover of Bob Dylan’s Freewheelin. This album has the ability to collect all of your crushes, raw loves, and broken hearts, and compact them neatly into one cloudy fluid medium.

Track 4, “Meo Blodnasir”, did I mention crescendo and fluidity yet? Against all odds the music avoids redundancy at this point and is actually exhilarating and refreshing. This track reminds me of taking a day off to go down the shore, but the clouds are looming, drizzle is beginning to patter atop your windshield. You go anyway. As you push steadily down the highway, the song lets out small pops, which gain strength in correlation to the beams of sunlight breaking through the clouds. The song ends in one giant rumble of thunder. You make it to the beach and the sun blasts through the storm.

The next song, “Se Lest” is static radio meets Atari and the glockenspiel. These sounds seem to be recurring components in the music of a few of my favorite Icelandic bands, but they never cease to intrigue me. Small voices sounding as if they are stuck in a tube build the momentum to the soundtrack of the most romantic kisses you have ever had rolled into one child-like bouncing paper-candy sugar high. The de-crescendo lasts long enough to let you remember all the details of those kisses, and you still have time to lick the sugary deposits from your lips when you are finished. Horns kick in and force you to waltz across candy clouds in the glassy sky. The song ends as it melts into the next track by cranking back up your music box.

Straight piano coupled with high chimes with equally present vocals begins the next track, “Saeglopur”. The leftover music box floats around the background. About two minutes into the song, there is a fresh burst of energy, adding even more power to the pre-existing vocals. The de-crescendo brings you back down to the piano and lighter vocals with a constant static and a leftover buzz from the energy surge. Strings enter to sweep you back to the crest of your wave, but this time, you are headed in for the day.

“Milano” is the first real break in the album. Slow and sweet strings build up with the piano. I don’t think you can be surprised by the giant crescendo that builds at this point. Strong rises in intensity and instrumental breaks make this track seem as if it’s being dedicated to someone or something.

“Gong” has a Radiohead-type feel to its entrance. It is more rock and roll, and straight forward. Tripped up drum beats meet a slow and strong guitar riff and matter-of-fact vocals. This is the most radio friendly track on the album. A quicker tempo and haunting melodies make “Gong” super catchy. The song melts into the ninth track with sweet and dreamy strings. “Andvari” begins to melt the clouds that have gathered around you. The mellowness of the song seems to last forever and you can taste the damp sweet air.

Another break in the collision of songs allows “Svo Hljott” to add new sounds to the floating collection. The piano and vocals mesh with super strong strings. This brings the second part of the song around to meet the company of drums and cymbals. The song explodes like the first time you ever ate cherry pop rocks. The tart red burst followed by intense sugar sweetness snaps all over your tongue. The final de-crescendo is met with the opening pounce on the piano keys in “Heysatan.” The song feels like big fat raindrops just starting to fall in a big summer storm. Obese drops of water with radiating waves. The vocals enter, and I am anticipating a beautiful storm. Drawn out pauses get you lost in the freedom of your thoughts and the tempo of the song. It is impossible to not fall in love with someone when you listen to this album.

-HelloKitty