Top 15 Songs of 2008: 12!

What makes this song work? Well, the first element you’ll notice is the military cadence of the keyboard and drums. It still retains the generally sloppy sound that you expect from Wolf Parade, mostly due to the use of guitars and distortion to create an ominous atmosphere. I’m not exactly getting it across right, but from the moment this song comes on it sounds like war and fear.

Lyrically, the message isn’t 100% clear, but it’s my belief that this is an anti-war track. There’s enough here to suggest that the band doesn’t think a lot of the Iraq war or the decisions that got us there. It also seems like the band is critical of anti-war individuals for their passivity. Hard to say, but as always with Wolf Parade, sussing out the meaning of the lyrics is half the fun.

That’s about all I’ve got. I know this doesn’t sound like a ringing endorsement, but the song speaks for itself, and it’s great.