One of the most anticipated indie releases of the year is Wolf Parade's Apologies to the Queen Mary, which quickly follows the band's critically lauded self-titled EP from July. With Isaac Brock behind the controls for much of the album, a Modest Mouse influence looms large, particularly in the idiosyncratic dual vocal yelping, which also recalls a bit of Black Francis at the height of his game. There are hints of The Velvet Underground's simplicity and also of ‘70's glam, Bowie-style, amidst surging, staccato guitars and truncated, spastic beats. Lyrically, the band opts for wild eccentricities over anything resembling linear stories, which is a polite way of saying the nonsense isn't a deal-breaker. Once all the influences roll off your tongue, however, you'll find yourself speechless before the excitement this album will invariably instigate.