After a year long hiatus, Montreal indie royalty Wolf Parade return with their third studio album. They say it was recorded quickly, which is perhaps why it fails to stand up to their previous material.
Kicking off with the voracious 'Cloud Shadow on The Mountain', propelled by fast-paced drums and catchy synth and guitar hooks, Expo 86's opening sets the bar high for the rest of the album. Too high. Before long it becomes apparent that there's been nothing like the kind of development that took place between Wolf Parade's debut album Apologies to Queen Mary and its follow up At Mount Zoomer. Yes, Expo 86 picks up almost exactly where At Mount Zoomer left off, except that they seem to have lost some of their vivacious and charming eccentricity.
The presence of former Arcade Fire drummer Howard Bilerman's production talents is entirely imperceptible, adding no notable qualities to Wolf Parade's characteristic rapacious sound. But though Wolf Parade's sound is itself very distinctive, few individual songs stand out here. Those written and sung by Krug are less conventional than those of his co-lead Dan Boeckner, and not just because of his wonderfully unique voice. Krug's style is generally more outlandish, his melodies more erratic with synthesisers place front and centre, while Boeckner's contributions are more standard, guitar-centric fare.
All negativity and disappointment aside, Expo 86 still has its moments. As well as the boisterous opening track, the 80s synth-rock undertones of 'Ghost Pressure' and the raucous guitars and grizzly distortion of 'What Did My Lover Say?' will certainly get the blood pumping. By normal standards, this is a decent enough record, but by Wolf Parade standards, it's just not up to scratch.
