Skip to main content

IN REVIEW: Wolf Parade - "Thin Mind"


For their fifth album, Wolf Parade are a trio once again, and paring back the personnel immediately lends a somewhat sparser sound to the proceedings in comparison to their more recent output. This has inevitably resulted in some "throwback" talk, some of which is warranted.

To be sure, there are moments on Thin Mind that will remind listeners of what made Wolf Parade one of Canada's most overlooked indie bands during the big Arcade Fire blow-up that occurred around the time Wolf Parade released their excellent debut Apologies to the Queen Mary. Early single Julia Take Your Man Home sparkles with a similar excitement to that first record, albeit with a more shimmering, synth-propelled flair. Lead track Under Glass, meanwhile, is a more out-and-out rock song, and a strong start to the album with its sticky "nobody knows what they want anymore" chorus.

As the album progresses, synth begins to play a more important role, such as on the lead melody of Forest Green or the accompanying notes that colour the chorus of The Static Age and most of the back half of As Kind As You Can, which devolves into something approximating The Killers. It comes to a head on Against the Day, which goes all in on the '80s sci-fi shtick and winds up being the album's most noticeable song for all the wrong reasons.

Otherwise, when the synths are less grating and/or used in maximum service to the song, there are some fine songs on Thin Mind; Out of Control is sort of a classic Bowie via Interpol trip, Wandering Son is a slightly off-kilter power-pop gem, and closing track Town Square brings it home in slightly askew, psych-pop style.

Even if the rollicking start of Thin Mind doesn't translate into a consistently thrilling record, I will admit it remains interesting through its back half, as the songs get more and more reliant on keys to tell the story and the experiments become somewhat less successful. Overall, it does a better job of re-establishing them as a top notch indie band compared to 2017's lukewarm and scattershot comeback bid Cry Cry Cry, as it plays as a more focused record with some musical and narrative continuity. It's not as strong as their first three albums, but it's certainly worth your time if you enjoyed them, as long as you're okay with not getting another Shine a Light or Call It a Ritual.

January 24, 2020 • Sub Pop
Highlights Under Glass • Julia Take Your Man Home • Out of Control

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Year in Rock 2025

  Alright, I've got some explaining to do.   By now anyone who's visited this blog is well aware of how infrequently I've used this space in recent years; aside from the occasional fertile year of content, I really haven't posted all that often over the last five years or so. There are many reasons for this, which have already been outlined in previous apology posts; but, essentially, it boils down to my own laziness and the cold reality that blogs are, like Refused (again), fucking dead. So, I wouldn't hold my breath for a triumphant return to reviews, or even semi-regular posts, but:   a) I feel like Year in Rock posts have always belonged here and, even though I've experimented with different methods of presentation recently and been satisfied, the "blink and you missed it" unveiling via Facebook stories this year was perhaps ultimately a disservice to the records I lauded. After all, cramming the list into short videos isn't too far off from ju...
Post a Comment
Read more

Year in Rock 2014: And the Winners Are...

It's been a long year, and another great one for rock n' roll. While the pop charts were overrun with barely legals obsessed with their asses, rock soldiered on undeterred even as pundits (hell, in some cases even rockers themselves) mourned the genre. Sure, rock didn't dominate the money game in 2014, but that shouldn't evoke sad nostalgia and eulogies. Even for as little perceived impact rock music made, a hell of a lot happened if people had only paid attention. From grizzled vets adding jewels to their crown (Springsteen, Petty) to new beginnings (Against Me!, Antemasque) to happy returns (Faith No More, The Tea Party) and all points in between, rock continued to thrive, evolve and thrill in 2014. Enough talk. It's winning time. Your Year in Rock winners for 2014 are...
Post a Comment
Read more

Headstones Are Getting It Right. And By "It", I Mean "Everything".

When Headstones announced they were finally getting together for a new record (a decade since they'd released one, as the band drifted apart and Hugh Dillon's acting career began to pay dividends), they did so by letting their fans get in on the ground floor. Headstones got self-promotion right. They started accepting pledges toward the funding of the new record on October 19th at their official Pledge Music site , with pledge items ranging from $10 (digital download of album) and $5,000 (a private Headstones unplugged show for you and your friends). Within a day, they'd reached 90% of their goal; as of this writing, they sit at 283% reached. Headstones got funding right. With a planned release date of March 26 looming, something happened. They messed around and got a record deal after a subsidiary of Universal Music (who had originally signed the band back in '92) loved what they heard, and wanted to release it worldwide. The logistics of these things tend to...
3 comments
Read more