Wolf Parade "At Mount Zoomer" CD Review

I've only heard semi-choppy live versions of each song on "At Mount Zoomer". The album doesn't hit shelves until next month, but here is a month early review anyway.

1. Soldier's Grin - Like many Wolf Parade songs, this one has a spooky ere to it backed by intense drums and a catchy guitar. The last minute of the song is really amazing. 8.5 out of 10

2. Call It A Ritual - I won't "call it a ritual" to listen to this song over and over again. The sound really doesn't do anything for me. Is it the piano that I am not digging? Could be. 7.0 out of 10

3. Language City - Now we are talking. I like the ADHD-esque tempo. The song transcends the "garage" genre by definitely giving it a whole new meaning. 9.0 out of 10

4. Bang Your Drum - It's not on YouTube anywhere. Oh, no!

5. California Dreamer - The song starts out pretty suck. Slowly, but surely the beat picks up and you instantly realize that this is a great song. A very solid combination of piano "jam" and guitar. The live version is so amazing that I don't think that the recorded version will do justice once it is released. 9.5 out of 10

6. The Grey Estates - See Song #4

7. Fine Young Cannibals - First, I've heard great things about this song, but upon listening to it for the first time all I can definitely say is that it is different. It takes about four minutes for the song to get good and by good I mean pick up speed. Is this song "great"? Not really, no. 8.5 out of 10

8. An Animal In Your Care - I read a review saying that the first half of this song is boring. That may be true with "Fine Young Cannibals", but I kind of like the start to this song. It isn't incredibly boring, but rather deep and near-psychedelic sounding. Before you know it, you hear an intense instrumental combo of guitar, piano, and drums that absolutely is mind-blowing. This is a perfect second to last track. 9.0 out of 10

9. Kissing The Beehive - The name of this track was originally going to be the name of their album, but some copyright shit screwed that up. For what it is worth, this song is a great album closer. It is just shy of 11 minutes long, but trust me you will never get bored with this one. It can be accurately described as a grand combination of everything that makes this album great. I am a sucker for post-punk influenced tracks and this certainly seems to be one of them. 9.5 out of 10

Overall Grade: 8.7. Once I listen to the two songs that I haven't heard, I will change the grade.