Personnel: Spencer Krug (vocals, piano, keyboards); Tim Kingsbury (guitar); Hadji Bakara (keyboards, electronics); Arlen Thompson (drums).

Audio Mixer: Jace Lasek.

Recording information: Audible Alchemy, Portland, OR; The 100 Sided Die, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Illustrator: Matt Moroz.

Montreal quartet Wolf Parade's full-length debut fully lives up to the potential bred by their early EPs and all those gushing blogs. They use Apologies to the Queen Mary producer Isaac Brock to their best advantage, acknowledging their debt to Modest Mouse but using his ear as a resource to tinge their endearingly brittle indie pop tunes accordingly. Spencer Krug and Dan Boeckner both sing in that certain kind of wry yelp that seems so quirkily marketable in the mid-2000s -- see the Shins, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Hot Hot Heat -- and it doesn't hurt that most of Wolf Parade's songs are pretty top, too. "Shine a Light" and "You Are a Runner and I Am My Father's Son" repeat from the self-titled EP, "Grounds and Divorce" bops along on cheery keyboard effects and an eight-note guitar solo, and Boeckner honks roughly over the modified new wave of "It's a Curse." Wolf Parade admit their love and theft of the past 30 years of rock music, from Bowie to Black Francis. They allow that, then purposely strip the songs of any slickness or accoutrements, so the keys and squiggly guitars and terrifically simple drums (Arlen Thompson might play just a kick drum and one big snare) teeter and balance together in a hectic and gloriously alive pop state. Have you heard Wolf Parade? They'll change your life. ~ Johnny Loftus

Produced primarily by Isaac Brock, Wolf Parade's full-length Sub Pop debut, APOLOGIES TO THE QUEEN MARY, initially garnered attention because of the Canadian quartet's associations with Brock's revered group, Modest Mouse. However, given the potent indie-rock punch that this 2005 outing packs, Wolf Parade easily stands on its own merits, particularly since the band benefits from two gifted singer/songwriters, Dan Boeckner and Spencer Krug. On these 12 tracks, Boeckner and Krug's ragged, plaintive vocals careen over fierce guitar riffs, rambunctious rhythms, and buzzing keyboard lines, as some songs bristle with restless energy and others slip into hauntingly melancholy moments. Accolades for APOLOGIES started flying around months before the record's release, and Wolf Parade's bold, inventive performances here reveal exactly why the album warrants so much praise.