At Mount Zoomer

second album time from wolf parade and it's an even more grandiose, majestic, complex and charming release. you can hear everything from classic bowie to xtc to television to 70's prog. sit down and listen to the album whole like it was intended and you won't fail to feel fulfilled. recorded and engineered by drummer arlen thompson, 'at mount zoomer' was recorded as ong improvisational sessions in the montreal church owned by the arcade fire. these tracks were then cut and pasted into discrete compositions. the result is a complex matrix of components and modules that, thanks to the collective efforts of each band member, never feels laboured or fussy. from the nimble opening strains of 'soldier's grin' to the eleven-minute aggro dirge of 'kissing the beehive,' they hand authority of the songs around among them with a refreshing absence of ownership. where first album 'apologies to the queen mary' could be read as a good-natured, sweaty volleyball match between boeckner and singer / keyboardist spencer krug, the new album shows the band as a fully coordinated moving front. this collaboration isn't just a work ethic...the band's many offshoots, side projects, and domestic ventures have taken each of them far from their home base in montreal for extended periods, compressing their time as a functioning unit. the legion of bearded, sweater-vested critics will want to file this album under 'prog rock' because it doesn't offer up sugary cast-offs for the short-attention-span set, but no one ever danced to the lamb lies down on broadway. the vinyl comes with a coupon for free mp3s of the entire album.