I was on a first date with a girl (via Match.com) in a loud L.A. Mexican restaurant when she smiled and produced an iPod from her rather large purse. She apparently read my profile in depth and retained the fact that I was passionate about music; which is a very admiral trait (if you have ever done any online dating . . . you will agree) and one that definitely won her a couple gold stars on the date report card. The now pleasantly more attractive young lady claimed that she had handpicked three of her most recent/favorite tracks and wanted to know what I thought of them. Knowing my love of music, opinionated views, and lust for debate, I quickly realized that this feat could either prove to be exciting and fun or cause an argumentative discussion that would lead to date disaster and a long, uncomfortable silence before the check came. After a quick brain wrestle, I figured, “Oh well! I have eighteen more days left in my Match agreement and thousands of members to choose from . . . Bring it on!”
After barely listening to track one of the “The First Date” playlist, the second pick started to fill my ears; I asked her for more volume and was instantly coaxed into a parallel world of noise. The noise of this new world completely drowned out all the superficial chatter, glass clinking, plate scraping, and whatever crackling the jukebox happened to be spewing out at that given moment. The noise was layered with many different textures of off-kilter beats, buzzing bass lines, humming guitars, string-bashing guitars, spacey keyboards, and this prolific voice…that voice! The band was Wolf Parade, and that voice was the mastermind known as Spencer Krug. Ever since that date, Krug’s voice delightfully haunts my ears and continues to mute out the rest of my proximate environment whenever heard.
Dragonslayer is the third full-length effort from one of Krug’s three working bands, Sunset Rubdown. The other two bands this Canadian workaholic heads up are the aforementioned Wolf Parade and the lesser-known Swan Lake. There are eight tracks on Sunset Rubdown’s newest release; the first seven create short stories with complex melodies, tempo changes, and the intricate lyrical stylings a fan of any one of Krug’s projects have become accustomed to. The eighth and final track follows the same pattern, but with a 10:28 running time may be more comparable to a full novel rather than an abbreviated one.
Krug blends his poetic storytelling lyrics with very unique vocal styling and phrasing that has commonly been compared to that of Modest Mouse singer/lyricist Isaac Brock. Although Krug may list MM as an influence, any fan and/or newcomer will soon realize that his singing and writing abilities stand alone. Back again are the complex arrangements that whirl by and take you on an epic journey through Greek mythology, witch hunts, riddles, self-examination, Medieval times, and whatever other images your mind wants to ponder. Like many of Krug’s projects, Dragonslayer truly puts the listener in a meditative state, a place you must be in order to attempt unlocking the secrets encrypted in his tapestries of words. College students could spend semesters trying to decode the lyrics on this album, which could be a fun activity, but equally pleasing is to just sit back, close your eyes, and let it take over your world for forty-nine minutes.
I can’t recall the other two tracks I kind of listened to that night off the “The First Date” playlist. Nor can I recall that sweet girl’s name because that was also our last date. What I do remember: that voice, those lyrics, those complex and pleasingly confusing structures that made me a forever fan of Spencer Krug on the spot. I guess, in a weird way, this is just another success story for Match.com . . . well worth the $31.99.
|