[rayword45]

Day 138: Apologies To The Queen Mary by Wolf Parade (Album Choice: Xtreme2252)

This album is my before-bed lullaby, unless I decide I don't want it to be.

Well, that was boring.

I wanted to end the review there, but I felt an inclination to write more. This album features consistent anthemic songwriting, like the guys in the band were trying to write the next battle cry, but the vocals here would never work for that, ever. Instead, the vocals make this sound like them guys were trying to be the next Pitchfork darling.

And Pitchfork gave them a 9.2, I just checked, so I guess they were successful there. Anyways, with anthemic songwriting, your songs need a certain exuberance to not come off as hackneyed or corny. And for the most part, this album is full of energy.

And also with anthemic songwriting, you need some good hooks, or else that exuberance will seem completely superfluous. They've got catchy hooks galore though, so it's all good.

Oh yeah, one last thing, you need to be able to write good songs. And they can! They did! Four of them, and they're titled Modern World, We Built Another World, Shine A Light and It's A Curse. The rest ranges from boring to garbage, the most clear example of the latter being Grounds For Divorce which sounds like some attempt at post-ironic Tiny Tim. That song title worked better for Big Business.

Well, that was boring.

Best Track: We Built Another World
Rating: 5/10