For me, it's the best album of the year (with Arcade Fire, of course, but better).

High highs and not very low lows. Gets boring in the middle but finishes strong. Not as consistent as Funeral or CYHSY, but still very good.

THis AlBuM RULzZZZ111!!!!

This CD wins the "Most Overrated/Overhyped Offering of the Year" award. It's pretty good, especially considering it's a debut LP. But Wolf Parade is just treading the well-worn path of groups like Modest Mouse, Arcade Fire and CYHSY. There's nothing here that you haven't heard before. If you like indie rock you'll be pleased, but don't expect to be blown away.

Yawn. I treid to like it, I really did, but after several listens all I hear is by the number indie rock. There is nothing particularly new or interesting here. It's not bad, just painfully average.

"I'll believe in anything" might be the best song....ever. Seriously.

This is one wicked album. Gets better everytime i listen to it. This heart is definetly on fire....

It's a great album. Jack, you are the hippest of hipsters. Frog Eyes are pretty conventional themselves.

Sounds like they’re about to fall apart, like that guy borrowed a guitar from the first band, and sparks are leaking out of the amp, and the other guy’s going to lose his voice if he keeps singing like that, and dude I told you not to leave your rotis on the theremin and did any one see my other shoe? oh let’s just see what happens when we play this new song … WP are committed and the songs deliver in a way, at least for me, The Unicorns didn’t quite, to mention another ghost-ridden Montreal band. In Exclaim magazine Dan from the band says, “There’s an archetype for people in Victoria: the drunk pseudo-intellectual clown, a clown that’s read some books and then chugs a bottle of Jack Daniels and forgets everything they read except for a few funny jokes, and then falls down a flight of stairs into a pile of bikes. And then gets up.” And then forms a kick-ass band.… Expand

It is great, but I don't caculate this as a 91 overall... and it is nowhere near the best of the year... get Sufjan back on top! After 38 reviews and an average of 90 he deserves the top.

Seriously the best thing I have heard in a long time. This one deserves all the attention it is getting and then some.

So this is it. The hottest thing since CYHSY or Sufjan's ne one. Well, let me tell you...I have listened to it now 8-10 times and it keeps getting better. It is not as portable as its MM connection, even with Mr. Brock's production. Worth the time for sure.

Complete tunless dirge. Put next to Arcade Fire this record is a complete joke. Sack one of the vocalists, drop a keyboard, get a bass player in and a decent producer. Overhyped Rubbsih Record Of The Year.

Everything we can ask for from a modern indie band. Apologies delivers with scintillating vocal synths and catchy guitar riffs, yet at the same time presenting an assortment of songs that can't help but draw references to Modest Mouse and the intricateness of Yo La Tengo.

Solid album on the whole. "Shine a Light" is hands down the best single of 2005. Give the rest of the album a few spins before you pass judgement. Its hooks will eventually set in.

After over-rated albums by CYHSY and others we finally have an album that lives up to the hype. Clap Your Hands for Wolf Parade!

If your not totally into this record by the third listen then something is wrong with you!

A good LP that grows on you with repeated listenings. It is reminiscent of Modest Mouse, but that's not a bad thing. I recommend it.

amazing really

Sensational debut, that takes their earlier EP's and expands the soundscape of them. Fucking great live band and really nice dudes as well

Great album. Great band name. "Shine a Light", "Hearts on Fire", and "I'll Believe in Anything" stand out but there isn't one back track.

I'm obsessed with this album and constantly nagging friends to check it out.

Ehh

hands down the best album of the year.

oh my god!!! so, so, so good. it's like hearing the white album for the first time.

Spencer's yelping lyrical flow in Dear Sons and Daughters... is perfect. Wolf Parade embody rock, the ideals of Halloween sounds, pain, thinking, and other crisp visions.

Isn't this what indie ought to be? This album is fun, engaging, enthralling, and just straight-up cooler than the mainstream would ever give us. Also, do yourself a favor and see them live with Arcade Fire this fall, it will prove to be a very rewarding experience!

One of the top five albums of the year easily.

I agree with the comment that it falls flat after the intro song. Based on the hype and the single, I had hoped for more. Its not terrible, but it is released in a time of much, much better music being released.

This is a pleasant enough indie-pop album, but there's nothing new here to warrant anything near the "album of the year" status people have been heaping upon it. First of all, it sounds way too much like last years over-blown hype machine, the Arcade Fire. Both bands use the yelping, i-wish-i-was-david-byrne style of vocals that is just a little too trendy right now (i.e. every single new band is doing it). Basically, it's OK, but it's not life-changing (by the way, I find it funny that metacritic used the "they'll change your life" quote to sum up allmusic's review, when I'm pretty sure that was just a sarcastic reference to Garden State).… Expand

A simply amazing album. It seemed almost average on the first listen, but after putting some time into it, I can't stop listening. Every track is brimming with emotion and the inovation is clear. Definately my favorite album of the year, surpassing even Twin Cinema in my eyes.

As close to perfect a debut I've ever heard.

It's obvious by my numeric rating that I think this album is a great piece of work. Further, for those of you who just die for comparisons and categorization, Apologies sounds like a solid cross between Beck's mid-career work and The Arcade Fire. It's exteremely fitting that this band and the Fire are touring together, thereby providing audiences with a consistent, and building, concert experience. There's definitely something in the water in Montreal. Now, let's just hope The Stills can evolve just as well....… Expand

Not one of the thirty best albums of 2005? You're crazy or you didn't bother to listen to it a second time. These guys are the goods, their live show wrecked anything else I saw come through nyc, no mistake, this is one of the very best of 2005.

Was it one of the best of 2005?.... Yes, it was because of the nurturing indie rock songs and then the pounding of the drums beating along with a large thud. Wolf Parade is Canada's latest and greatest thing to come out since Stars or Arcade Fire. It is beautiful lyrically in some songs even though the lyrics may not make as much sense you can feel that they wanted to make sure the lyrics represented their personality in some way. Apologies to the Queen Mary had many high points that were really a foundation for the album. The album really balances itself when it comes out with the music for instance the first few songs are good and then it starts to become average then after that around the middle of the album everything is nearly perfect. It amazes me how they can come up with such melodies and sound as if they were just creating their own mess. Wolf Parade is a huge success and deserves all the good reviews it can get. Modest Mouse may have sort of sold out ( not really ) but Wolf Parade doesn't in my opinion resemble them at all and that is one of their highest qualities.… Expand

I've purposely waited awhile to review this fantastic album which has become an indespensible part of my musical rotation over the past month. I've taken in all the too-much-like Modest Mouse critisism and heard numerous people compare this band to Arcade Fire and I'm here to disagree on both accounts. Yes, Issac Brock produced the album, and yes Spencer Krug does sound a great deal like Brock, but that is where the simlarites end. Not to mention the fact that the other talented lead singer of this band (Dan Boeckner) brings a distinctly different feel to his contributions. The depth of the lyrical content of the songs on this disc shames anything ever done by MM and that's no easy task. I find a deep emotional connection to many songs on Apologies to the Queen Mary including what I consider to be the best song released in many years, "I'll Believe in Anything," which is about an all-consuming need to be emotionally involved in a relationship that builds and builds with waves of guitar, keyboards and distorted wind instruments untill Krug's (and the listener's) soul is laid bare for all the world to see: "Give me your eyes, your blood, your soul and your ghost" and "I'll take you where nobody knows you and nobody gives damn - either way" are pure lyrical mastery and convey the depth of the conviction of the singer's love. I have not heard a musical build up as intense as this since "Untitiled" off of Nuetral Milk Hotel's swan song which leads into the tear inducing "Two Headed Boy Part II" "Dinner Bells" is another haunting Krug piece that is melancoly and forelorn and makjes the listener think deeply about their own mortality and the lives of loved ones who have come before them. "Dear Sons and Daughters of Hungry Ghosts" inspires us to think about our place in life and whether or not we're living up to the expectations, real or imagined, of generations of our forefathers (and foremothers, if their is such a word): "I've got water and I've got holes." is an exceptionally descriptive line. Boeckner's songs tend to be more upbeat in tempo, but equally introspective. The breakdown and subsequent chorus in "Modern World" is catchy and addictive, while one can't help but recall the sounds of Wilco, circa Summerteeth, when listening to "Same Ghost Every Night." In fact, Tweedy's influence is so strong that this could easily mistaken for a missing track off that album. "Ghosts" of ancestors can be found all over this rewarding album, and that is the only connection I can see between Wolf Parade and Arcade Fire (that and the fact that they toured together). Musically, they are entirely different animals. Overall, I can't recommend "Apoligies to the Queen Mary" enough and it's right up there with Sufjan Steven's "Illinois" for albumn of the year.… Expand

Meh . . . Over hyped, over rated album.

Amazing.

fantastic debut, all I can say is Oh, Canada. Watch out Americans, Canadians indie bands are taking over, from Broken Social scene to Arcade fire and Metric, now we can add Wolf Parade. Were colonizing the indie scene, deal with it, oh and when where done colonizing we'll take CYHSY for good measure.

Album of the year??? or "... Everything we can ask for from a modern indie band..."??? Are we listening to the same record? This ranks as one of the least imaginative and least creative albums this year. It only got one listen, and there was not a single catchy or appealing moment to bring me back. Come on, this is a criminally overrated album. And what's with the super-review below? This is Modest Mouse part II, plain and simple, and it doesn't deserve all this hype.… Expand

Best album of 2005.....I've got to think that those people who gave this a 1 or 2 weren't listening to the same CD as I was. At first listen it did seemlike a modest mouse clone (which ain't half bad), but after 2 or 3 listens you see much more. I would give this a 10 just for I'll Believe in Anything, which is one of the best and most powerful songs I've heard in a while.… Expand

Au contraire, Chris S, and any other nay sayers. Head and shoulders above all the other indie also-rans, like (especially) Clap Your Hands Say No....er Yeah (no really, just say no). This time, do believe the hype.

lyrics drums flawless

Has it's moments, just not that many. Seems we are really in the grand "Age of Hype" lately... Can't stand the singing... If you like "Clap you hands..." you'll dig this I suppose. Both releases havd been soooo hyped I couldn't resist... wish I had... or at least listened to them before buying... But I loved the Arcade Fire and the latest Broken Social Scene so thought I'd continue that journey in a way. But this was a wrong turn. Maybe if I was new to "indie" music, it'd be different? But 20-some years into it... guess I was hoping for more.… Expand

Keep in mind my opinion is after one listen. I don't care to give this Wolf Parade joint more like I've been told I "should." What I can tell you is this pretty much sounds like every other example of introverted indie-rock. It'll be used on the O.C. in no time. Anyone who adores this stuff (see: nearly every post above this) is obviously looking too much into this or trying way too hard.… Expand

awesome album. one of the best new indie bands!

I was doubtful when I bought this CD, but I was very wrong. One of the best CDs this year. Much more listenable than Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, the vocals are much better. Equally good as Arcade Fire's Funeral in my opinion.

The best album of year, imagine Arcade Fire with staying power.

Falls flat after the great opening track. Certainly can't compete with this year's freshest produce, Hold Steady, The New Lows and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah.

it seems the arcade fire invented a new style of music, adopted by clap your hands say yeah! and now wolf parade. one of the best abulms i've ever heard and i'm still only on track 7! thank you, you adorable parading wolves

My ears and ankles are broken from dancing to this all night long.

Total mind-blowing stuff. Modest Mouse and Arcade Fire comparisons have been given, and although this band may have been influenced by both bands their sound is more fully realized. Up there with Illinoise and Black Sheep Boy as album of the year.

I cannot stop listening to this album. easily my new favourite band.

While i would rate Illinois as the best album of the year, this is a clase second and it does have best i have heard this year Ill believe in anything

Wolf Parade owe about as much their sound to the Arcade Fire as Soundgarden owed their sound to Nirvana. The comparisons are ONLY because they come from the same scene. Their respective sounds come from very different places. I personally prefer Wolf Parade and this album to anthing I've heard in a long, long time.

wow

hands down, or is it up?? doesn't matter, this should be record of the year… a debut this strong must not be ingnored.

"I'll believe in anything" is just stunning.. my god what is going on in Canada?

The most exciting and captivating album I've heard in quite a long time.

a storming debut for sure. however, those familiar with the ep's that come before this album know that this album isn't as good as it should of been. isaac brock put his mark down on some songs and sucked the life out of them. if it's not broke, don't fix it. yes?

Satisfying on every level. This is the freshest album in years.

the arcade fire were but a voice crying out in the wilderness wolf parade are our rock and roll messiahs

Great album the lyrics are greats and it is so easy to listen to the high quality of music from this talented band. This is made better when out alone in the dead of night listening to it while walking alnoe.

Wolf Parade are like Frog Eyes if Frog Eyes played conventional indie rock. But for those of us who love Frog Eyes, as I do, a more conventional version of that band just isn't of much interest

Stunning, brilliant, and over all one of the best albums of 2005. As one reviewer called them a more reserved Frog Eyes, they are so much more than that. Wolf Parade goes straight for the heart and keeps on pulling at its strings.

The Queen Mary has sailed away without me, i'm afraid....kind of disappointed with this cd

Nice sound, but not very special. Bad lyrics too!

A better-than-average album--you can tell there are excellent songs under there, but the production has made the band Modest Mouse-tified, which doesn't really play to their strengths. A good start--but this band isn't the second coming of anything as of yet. And ditch Issac Brock, that would be a good start next time around.

I just purchased tickets to see Wolf Parade at Kraftbrau in Kalamazoo, and I thought I'd check Metacritic to see if there was a new release that I didn't know about. Then, as usual, I wandered down to the user reviews for this album. My two cents worth is that this is one of the top five albums that I heard in 2005, and for what it's worth I listen to a rather wide variety of rock, pop, folk, classical and hip-hop music. I'm no musical scholar by any stretch of the imagination, but this is a very satisfying CD. I'll Believe In Anything didn't hook me like it did many reviewers, but this album doesn't have a weak moment in my mind. It is strong throughout and Modern World, Dear Sons and Daughters... and especially Shine A Light blew me away.… Expand

They really come with a new impresive sound!

Easily one of my all-time favorite cd's. You Are A Runner, Hungry Ghosts, and Shine A Light are my favorite songs of the year. Every time I take this cd out of my stereo, it only finds its ways back a few days later. I found out some people don't like the vocals, and I just insult those people in the best way I can think of. Everything this band does is amazing. They better roll out another cd soon.… Expand

This album is so good. I saw them awile ago and played their EP to death. The album ruins a few of the strong points of older versions of the songs, but the rerecords and new tracks more than make up for that. Best album yet this year. And it will be the best of the year, IF the Arcade Fire dont get a new album out.

Best band to make it off the Canadian Indi sceen in years.

As someone who could give rat's ass about "indie cred" or being in-the-knowier than thou, my criticism might not mean much.... but I have to say, these guy's are good. Even better than good. They were better when they were called the Talking Heads, but WP does a good job of channeling the post-punk spirit. I don't fully get the Arcade Fire references, I do see the Mouse influence, and they aren't all that different from their peers, but not too many bands are. Anyway, just two cents from someone "outside" the indie world.… Expand

Comparisons to Arcade Fire are off the mark. This is rehashed 80's, typical of the new "indie" sound, done by so many these days - British Sea Power, Bloc Party, Interpol. If I hadn't grown up in the 80's I miight find this fresh. Not a bad album just nothing new.

This cd is a perfect combination of indie hipness and unhip sincerity. I don't understand why someone would dismiss them as a modest mouse rip-off when the only real similarity is that one singer's barky voice is similar to that of Isaac Brock. Good songwriting should not be denied just because a band has a lot of buzz and Modest Mouse/Arcade Fire connections. This is a truly passionate and moving piece of work.… Expand

Alan Alda says it is just ok. " Eh " sums it up.

Arcade Fire has the better, more emotion-driven live show but Apologies to the Queen Mary surpasses Funeral....well, almost. But, it's still damn good.

The album lacks a tad of the despairing emotion from their pre-Sub Pop EP, but the album still rocks hard. Great songs, great arrangements, great vocals. Every time I listen to "Dear and Sons and Daughters..." and "I'll Believe in Anything" I forget whatever I'm doing and I get lost in the music. Why I haven't been in more car accidents is a miracle.

wow! frog eyes and arcade fire put together, this is the best thing I've heard in a while.

nothing new but worth a listen. typical of recent indie rock. listen to more music (get a good foundation) not just what is currently hyped. if u need to listen through SO many times before appreciating any creative nuances then it's probably not a very fresh sound.

At first listen, the similarity to Modest Mouse is the most noticable thing. However, repeated listens reveal that this band has a lot more to offer, and it's ultimately an even more enjoyable listen then some of Modest Mouse's best.

One of the best albums of the year. Hands Down.

Album of the year thus far.

Great debut, one of the best CDs this year.

I'm with Chris S: Overrated. Spencer Krug's voice is a rake on a windowpane. I don't know how anyone could dance to this for 5 seconds, let alone "all night long." (Is SubPop salting the readers' forum?) Definitely preview before you buy.

I agree with michael s. This album owes much to the success of the Arcade Fire, but there's still no denying that: a) They do a much better job of it than CYHSY; b) This is one of the year's best albums. Most of the songs make you want to jump up and dance - there's a perfect combination of pop sensibility and rawness at work.

Just shut up and listen.

simply remarkable.

somebody please turn off the hype machine. this album is derivative in the worst way and fails to rise above the pedestrian throughout its running time. comparisons to arcade fire and modest mouse are not to be believed.

wow

One of the best albums of 2005. Canada has had an all-star lineup this year!

So close to a 10. This is one album that has remained in CONSTANT rotation for me over the past 2 years. Unlike some of the negative reviewers on here, I really like that Wolf Parade has two different song writers with very different styles; I think it adds to the sound and makes the album more exciting. My only criticism is that there are a couple songs on here that I skip every time, their inadequacy all the more apparent next to some of the great music on this record.… Expand

It's crazy that is isn't even good enough to be in 2005's top 30. this album is simply breathtaking and great.

they might sound and be influenced by this or that, but look past comparisons and look at the beauty that is "Apologies to the Queen Mary"