June 17 is the official release date.

9 songs, some of them are pretty long though.

Now's it's officially set for a June 17 release.

The name has changed to "Kissing the Beehive". Pitchfork hated the name:

http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/news/49627-the-ne...um-title-is-terrible

I think the title is alright. I think it's smart to have an album title that brings up an image, and that image should indicate the type of music on the album. If the title truely matches the music, I think it will be great.

Their last album was called "Appologies to the Queen Mary", so most anything would be better than that.

quote:

Originally posted by Shadrach:
I think the next album will be percieved very different from Apologies simply because we know Dan and Spencer now. Last time they were so unknown. The biggest connection I had to them was that the drummer was from Hot Hot Heat. Dan and Spencer were like my brother's really cool friends that would come visit and just seem totally awesome and unreachable. Now I feel like Dan and Spencer are close friends of mine.

I think the next album will be much stronger technically, and have a lot of great musical moments, but it will lack a lot of the immediacy and intrigue of their first. I wish I could go back to the day when I didn't even realize there were two different people singing the songs. Not to mention the fact that I can now tell who wrote which lyric, and is playing which melody.

I am going to stay away from all leaks and live youtube recordings until I can listen to the whole album myself. I think it helps in these situations. Last year I was set up for disapointment with The National, Arcade Fire, and Okkervil River. I just assumed they would blow me away and listened to them for the first time straight through, on a good stereo, while exploring someplace I've never been before.

i disagree completely. to fully take in an artist's lyrics, knowledge of the individual is very important. for example, listening to a dan bejar album is a lot different (and better) if you have heard his past material. how else would you catch all the self-referential moments throughout the album? spencer has a very unique songwriting style. to fully make sense of his tangled web of abstraction, i think one must look to his past methodologies. spencer was at first a cryptic, yet good lyricist, but has matured into not just a challenging lyricist, but an original and highly creative one. his maturation, coupled with a greater ability to understand his motives and thoughts, due to longer exposure to his work, makes his work just plain better. that is why, even if wolf parade is catchier, or more immediate, sunset rubdown has inarguably become the zenith of spencer's artistic talents. albums that get better and better with each listen, do so for a reason - because there is something there, something tangible and real in the lyrics that reveals itself to those willing to take the time and effort to contemplate the meaning of the lyrics in relation to other songs on the album, to other past albums, to other events in the artist's life.

Full track off of the new album is up at Stereogum.

I think this is going to be one of those albums I wait for. I'm dieing to hear a track, but I know I will apreciate it more if I anticipate it for a long time and then listen to the entire album front to back for the first time.

I really like the picture of the group that they are including with everything, with the four colored squares. Spencer is totally non-rock star.

I don't know if anyone agrees, but I've decided to hold off all of my giddy fanboy anticipation due to this year having such an alarming amount of slumps for bands with highly-regarded recent albums.

Basically, that Tapes 'n Tapes album is the easiest example of this, and I honestly believe Dave Fridmann should only produce the Flaming Lips from here on out because that's two majorly disappointing sophomore albums he's produced in as many years. Or at least he should realize that not every band needs to sound stadium-sized like Mercury Rev or Flaming Lips. He works well with Low, but the mixing was rather bizarre on Low (wear headphones and listen to "Drums and Guns," you'll see what i mean) and Sleater Kinney's last album was rightfully gargantuan sounding, but when he produces these Kitchen-sink indie bands it seems that they lose their initial charm and charisma (see CYHSY).

Anywho, I hope Wolf Parade pull off something great and will see.

I can't really justify the rant on Fridmann and its relevance here... oh well.

I'm listening to "Call it a Ritual" right now and I really like it. I think this is the first song I've heard this year that's got me truly excited.

quote:

Originally posted by sans_success:
I'm listening to "Call it a Ritual" right now and I really like it. I think this is the first song I've heard this year that's got me truly excited.

Seconded, I heard that song like ten times yesterday.

I feel like a heretic saying it, but I hope this new album is poppier than the spin-offs, and even the debut. I'm more than ready for an indie crossover success, and I'm talking something bigger than the splishy-splashy Shins crossover.

quote:

Originally posted by CleverName84:
I can't really justify the rant on Fridmann and its relevance here... oh well.

I agree with your Fridmann rant. The production on Tapes N' Tapes' latest isn't as obnoxious as CYHSY's, but I think both those bands would've been well advised to go with a producer who's more hands off. When I think of Fridmann, I think of bands that need bold production choices to make up for less than stellar songwriting -- Flaming Lips, Mercury Rev, Mogwai.

I just saw Tapes n' Tapes live and they were awesome, which only supports the claim that this guy needs to stay away from bands with songwriters. Needless to say, I wasn't that impressed with Walk It Off.

New Wolf Parade song off the new album!

http://downloads.pitchforkmedia.com/Wolf%20Parade%20-%2...0It%20A%20Ritual.mp3

I don't like how distorted his voice sounds in this song. I have a feeling I'll either love or hate this album.

So I guess they renamed their new album... again. This time to At Mount Zoomer. Personally I would have much prefered Kissing the Bee Hive.

what is it with these guys and consistently awesome music packaged under consistenly awful names. I mean, Wolf Parade itself is a fittingly cool name, but their side groups are called "Handsome Furs", "Sunset Rubdown", "Swan Lake". All names I am embarrassed to repeat in public. I personally love the name Shut up I'm Dreaming, but no one will ever take a recomendation to listen to an album called Random Spirit Lover. And then we very nearly had two Wolf Parade albums in a row that made the band out to seem like clumbsy wimps that need to appologize for everything: Appologies to the Queen Mary and Pardon My Blues. So now we have Wolf Parade At Mount Zoomer. And I know it's the name of their recording studio and all that, whatever. But they should at least be on Mount Zoomer, or something. And what kindof word is "zoomer" anyway? It sounds childish. Like the name some 7 year old would make up for his pretend transformer character.

At least their song titles are not lame I guess, "Fancy Claps" not withstanding.

Sorry for the rant. I just love Wolf Parade too much, and I get embarrased for them when I picturing people laughing at them for their goofy names and not even giving them a chance.

Actually I think Wolf Parade is definitely in the running for "worst name of a band I like".

quote:

Originally posted by sans_success:
Actually I think Wolf Parade is definitely in the running for "worst name of a band I like".

So, you're saying you don't like Spoon then?

Haha, amusing rant Shadrach. I think both Wolf Parade and Spoon are pretty good band names. "Spoon" in particular suits their music well I think...for some reason. I'd give worst name of a band I like award to the Unicorns or Clap Your Hands Say Yeah.

Leaked finally, it's pretty good, I like "Bang your drum" best for now