The problem with so-called best-of lists, is that they are really just a collection of items organized based on experience and time, in that there will be plenty of albums heard the following year and beyond that will hold just as much weight as these we dub as “Best.” So, as of right now, at this particular time in the tail end of 2010 and the first moments of 2011, these albums are the best. There’s no question about it; it will change. My next list (which …

Creating a music video, in my opinion, should be about creating art. There are so many intricate elements that should go into a video that are so often left forgotten or, at least, unattended. First and foremost is the song itself — a video must compliment the art to which it is expanding from audio to video. Connecting the two is extremely important. Second is theme. The best videos have some storyline, vague or distinct. Or at least something visually interesting.

At Mount Zoomer, Wolf Parade‘s last LP, took a while to catch on for me, and from the first few listens of Expo 86, the same has held true here. The album does feature a few of those insatiable tracks, namely the first two made available for public consumption, “What Did My Lover Say? (It Always Had To Go This Way)” and “Ghost Pressure”. But many of the tracks are lingerers, tracks that will stay in the background for a short period of time before coming full circle …

After two phenomenal albums, Apologies To The Queen Mary and At Mount Zoomer respectively, many of us have been looking forward to Wolf Parade‘s third. That day is near, meaning Sub Pop has now given us a taste of what to expect. And our expectations have been fulfilled — “What Did My Lover Say? (It Always Had To Go This Way)” and “Ghost Pressure” take on the sort of progression we heard between Apologies and Mount Zoomer while maintaining those core elements that make Wolf Parade such a …

When I compiled my original Best Of 2008 list last December, it was a snow day. The sky dropped about a foot, maybe a foot and a half of fluffy white stuff and we lowly sub-compact drivers could go nowhere. Between ranking albums and locating album art, I took a stroll around town with my camera. The above image comes from that trek. Overall, I was pretty happy with last year’s list but, in revisiting all the albums from 2008, I now see quite a few …

2005 opened my eyes to a world of new music. I joined the crew at KZUU over the summer, my first summer back in Pullman working toward my Masters in Business. I’d spend my two-hour show pouring over thousands of obscure albums, looking for anything that might spark my interest. While music had always been a borderline obsession, until now it was just that – borderline. In the days that passed, it became a full-fledged consumption of everything me. There are turning points in all …

Written by Jeremy Ryan
I have always had a very difficult time reviewing releases by bands like Wolf Parade. On one hand, it is difficult to know just how much biographical information it is necessary to write about the band, all the while trying not to lose focus of the material that I am supposed to be assessing. For example, with this band in particular, I could simply discuss Handsome Furs, Dan Boeckner’s side project, and before I know it, I would be elaborating about Spencer Krug’s “classical” music project Fifths …