I was asleep in a hammock/I was dreaming that I was a web/I was a dreamcatcher hanging in the window of a minivan parked along the water's edge/I'd say that I was alone is how wobbly-voiced Spencer Krug kicks off "Cloud Shadow on the Mountain," the first song from Wolf Parade's third album Expo 86. Lyrically, the record is as proggy as ever—Krug is singing about standard shit: relationships, loneliness, insecurities, but he buries it under weird stories about rockets and how he shouldn't be blamed for things he does in dreams. It's a risky road to take, and can easily come off as corny or alienating (don't know about you guys but we have a hard time connecting with songs about dragons). But that's the beauty of Krug in his many different bands—Wolf Parade, Swan Lake, Sunset Rubdown—he continues to mine these same subjects for inspiration, and he continues to find it in a way we can relate to. Deep down these songs might be about, like, doing drugs and falling in and out of love, but up front he's singing about dreamcatchers and boat shoes. Something for all the people in your life: the broken hearted teen or the weird old librarian who legitimately thought he was a wizard (just us?).
Stream: Wolf Parade, Expo 86
