Show review: Wolf Parade @ Fox Theater, July 30

Wolf Parade rocked the Fox Theater in Oakland in a way I haven't seen them rock before.

I don't know if it was the absence of sound manipulator/synth player Hadji Bakara, who quit the band to work on a Ph.D., or vocalist/keyboardist Spencer Krug's longer hair, but for a band that often infuses their sound with baroque keyboards, Wolf Parade had a respectably rowdy crowd thrashing about the front of the stage throughout the entire show.

Part of it could be the excitement generated by their setlist Friday night -- they played an equal mix of songs from all three of their albums, yet placed their most epic tracks where they counted most: opening with "You are a Runner and I am my Father's Son," the song that launched their classic debut Apologies to the Queen Mary;  peaking midway with an orgasmic rendition of "I'll Believe in Anything;" and closing their first set with "California Dreamer" and finishing the show's encore with "Kissing the Beehive," colossal tracks from their second record, At Mount Zoomer.

I have to say the songs from their latest album, Expo 86, sound even better live, despite the Fox Theater's sometimes inferior acoustics (Wolf Parade's delicate keyboard lines sounded a bit fuzzed over on Friday). Expo 86 hasn't grown on me as immediately as their first two records, but "Cloud Shadow on the Mountain" and "What Did My Lover Say" especially earned a deserved spot on Wolf Parade's setlist.

One thing that really stood out was vocalist/guitarist Dan Boeckner's fired-up presence. Sure, Wolf Parade has always been balanced with Krug and Boeckner's alternating vocals, but I've always been a Krug girl, enjoying Krug's odd yelps a bit more than Boeckner's deep-throat crooning. I guess I'm not the only one who felt that way, as I overhead a fellow concertgoer exclaim "Go Dan!" and "See?" during the second song to his obviously Krug-loving wife.

But after Friday it ceased to be a Krug-or-Boeckner question. Wolf Parade is the ultimate yin-and-yang band.

Owwwooooooh! It's Wolf Parade

I adore Sunset Rubdown and all, but happy happy joy joy, break out the cigars: Wolf Parade's set to rejoin the music-making world with the birth of their new baby. Due June 17, it's a Gemini - you know - whimsical, creative, spontaneous ... The gossip mill, or rather, the Web site of their record label Sub Pop, reports their second album features nine tracks (which seems rather short, doesn't it?), but apparently one runs for an epic 11 minutes. Sounds like they're really stretching out their sound, huh? And for more ooh-ness, earlier this week the guys dropped a sample - "Call It A Ritual," all Spencer Krug vocal perversity and demented keyboard coolness. Yum: [On a side note, let me just say BULLSHIT to PitchforkMedia for deeming the tentative title of the album, Kissing The Beehive, as "terrible." Fuck off, bitter music writer, you. The claim has no legs. Your face is terrible.]

7 stunning concerts of '07

Wolf Parade @ Great American Music Hall 9/12 Tool, Trans Am @ Bill Graham Civic Auditorium 12/12 Isis @ Bimbos 4/6 TV on the Radio @ Fillmore 3/29 Man Man, The Sleeping States @ Slim's 10/25 Worker Bee, Silian Rail @ Gingerbread House, San Jose 11/9 Arcade Fire @ Greek Theatre, Berkeley 6/2

Show review: Wolf Parade @ The Great American Music Hall, 9/12/07

Wolf Parade wasted no time surging to the forefront of the indie rock scene. After a hasty formation in 2003, a hotshot debut opening for Arcade Fire and the release of just one full-length album, they quickly elicited drools from both fans and critics who hailed the band as the next big thing. The Montreal quintet, still at work on a forthcoming record rumored for an early 2008 release, offered a preview of new material at a sold-out show Sept. 12 at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco .

While some crowds cringe at a band’s live straying from beloved favorites, Wolf Parade fans welcomed the new songs, which were alternated among cuts from “Apologies to the Queen Mary.” Musically, whatever Wolf Parade lacked in technically perfect re-creations of their songs they compensated for with spirit, with the band freely slowing down or speeding up tracks as they saw fit. The sluggishly carnal vibe of “You Are a Runner and I Am My Father’s Son” not only sparked the audience to back up the band with floor-rocking stomps, but its slackened pace created a powerful dynamic contrast amid a segue into the punk frenzied “Fancy Claps.”

Cryptic lyrics hinting at relationships dominate new tunes and build upon the band’s established tracks with dark themes that belie the pop sensibility of melodies. Compositions blend typical rock sound layers — straightforward guitar riffs and simple drum beats — with harmonic keyboard embellishments and whimsical effects that oftentimes simulate a hectic emergency situation in a spaceship control room. Wolf Parade could provide the soundtrack to a fairy tale — but only if the story takes place in another galaxy.

The unique range of the two singers shined brightly onstage despite competing with instruments played with such strong individual personalities that they commanded attention on their own. While the almost alien-sounding originality of keyboardist Spencer Krug’s voice is what makes the band revered among most fans, guitarist Dan Boeckner’s throaty, virile growl offers a charming and grounded counterpoint to Krug’s ethereality.

Audience enthusiasm seemed to intensify throughout the set. Not only did Wolf Parade inspire mass sing-alongs, unabashed dancing and spontaneous cheers, but during climactic show-closer “I’ll Believe in Anything” one blonde showed her excitement by giving the band a full-on two-minute breast parade sitting topless on the shoulders of an accomplice. It’s notable that a flamboyant spectacle typically witnessed at butt rock concerts and music festivals occurred at an indie show in such an intimate venue; not to mention the refreshing sight of Wolf Parade inciting a crowd known more for playing the role of the cool hipster spectator into unbridled hip-shakers and flashers.

Time will tell if Wolf Parade can keep up with the restless pace they set for themselves. But judging by the ADD nature driving band member side projects — including Krug’s Sunset Rubdown and Boeckner’s Handsome Furs, both touring this fall — they aren’t going just anywhere. They’re going everywhere.