Even though Wolf Parade's 2005 debut Apologies to the Queen Mary was lauded as an Indie-Rock masterpiece and was voted as one of the best albums of that year by countless critics, I couldn't help but find it a tad overrated. Yes it was good but c'mon, that good? How surprising for me personally then when one of Wolf Parade's front men, Spencer Krug, released a side project as Sunset Rubdown last year and it ended up being one of my favorites. When I heard that Wolf Parade's other front man Dan Boeckner was releasing his own side project with his fiancée Alexi Perry and calling it Handsome Furs I couldn't help but be a little excited and intrigued.

I'm pleased to report that Handsome Furs is every bit as good as I was hoping for and I even like this more than Wolf Parade as well. Sounding more New Order than Modest Mouse, Hansome Furs' sound is very synth-heavy with minimal guitar and drum work. Because of this, Boeckner has nowhere for his voice to hide and it's all the better for it. Tracks such as "Dead + Rural" give listeners no choice but to make New Order comparisons with those dead on Bernard Sumner style guitar riffs, but tracks like "Hearts Of Iron" show that Handome Furs are even comfortable playing Blues-style guitar without missing a beat. I never thought I'd say this, but I'm gonna go ahead and drink the Kool-Aid and jump on the Wolf Parade bandwagon. Plague Park along with Sunset Rubdown's Shut Up I Am Dreaming have really made Wolf Parade's upcoming Fall release of their sophomore album in my mind one of the most anticipated records of 2007.