Other than his insistence on giving his projects ridiculous monikers, Montreal singer/songwriter Spencer Krug canNt seem to do much wrong in recent years. His main band, Wolf Parade, had one of 2008Ns strongest albums (At Mount Zoomer), and his primary side project, Sunset Rubdown, have put together a string of tremendously satisfying works.
That actNs latest, Dragonslayer, is perhaps their best yet. A sprawling, whimsical journey into KrugNs psyche, it features ruminations on relationships; emotional calls to arms; and angry, near-vicious screeds against his detractors (including himself). As the title of the album implies, Krug mostly maintains a confident, triumphant attitude throughout, with tracks such as “Idiot Heart” full of angry yet self-satisfied assertions (“Look at you go! You know your heart . . . but itNs an idiot heart”). Musically, Dragonslayer maintains At Mount ZoomerNs prog-rock tendencies, surrounding KrugNs oft-experimental keyboard parts with a full-band sound, complete with guitar solos, feedback and male/ female harmonies. At times, it feels like the group have bitten off more than they can chew, what with the extremely long songs and constant tempo changes. For the most part, though, the work is as fun to listen to as it is ambitious.
