After disappointment at Soundfix Records (D.C.-area primal post-punks the Apes had canceled), I made it back across the river in time to catch Montreal's We Are Wolves opening the day's Fader Magazine party. Somewhere in between Wolf Parade and Wolf Eyes, these three canines kicked up rousing dance-punk from a storm of raw, blurting synthesizer hooks, disco bass, echoed or vocodered incantations, and thrashing live rhythms (the keyboardist abandoning his post to join in on the drum set at one point). While the band seems to write mostly in English, they betrayed Francophone origins with their background stage chatter and the song “Magique”. In fact, it might even behoove them to go by “Nous Sommes Loups” — sure, Americans would probably butcher the pronunciation in retaliation for the Canadian dollar surpassing our own, but at least no one would get them confused with co-Montrealers AIDS Wolf, who are also in town this week.
–Nate Dorr
