Scratch a Track: Music Review and Commentary Podcast · The Dude and Grimm Show

Is Wolf Parade Isaac Brock's Greatest Discovery? Apologies to the Queen Mary Review

·42 min·2 clips

The keyboard on “You’re a Runner and I’m My Father’s Son” instantly sold both hosts on Wolf Parade.

The episode opens with a return to Wolf Parade's first full-length studio album, *Apologies to the Queen Mary*. The hosts place it squarely in the early-2000s indie scene right away. They also lean on the long-running story that Isaac Brock helped discover the band for Sub Pop. That bit of lore adds to the fun. The record comes across as one of those albums people find and then keep around for years. The hosts talk about how that happened for them too. One of them remembers buying it years ago and only really locking in once it clicked. They set its arrival against the wider run of memorable indie records from that period, including *Funeral*. The conversation stays loose and conversational. They joke around, but they still treat the album like something worth taking seriously. A large stretch of the episode focuses on "I Am My Father's Son." The hosts dig into the line about being your father's son and the way that idea lands in the song. They hear the track as sharp and gritty. They point out how the vocal turn makes it feel harder as it goes. The ending gets special attention. One host describes the finish as breaking apart and fizzing out. They also connect the lyric to the feeling of carrying your parents in yourself. That opens into a broader reflection on how often people hear their own parents in their own habits. The conversation keeps circling back to that mix of resistance and recognition. From there, they notice that the album does not always glide cleanly from song to song. Some transitions work better than others. "Modern World" gets singled out as one of the smoother links. The move into it is described as natural and satisfying. The hosts keep returning to the record's grit, edge, and the way it holds together even when the discussion gets a little messy. They also let the talk drift into memory and fan lore without pretending to be detached critics. Near the end, they come back to the album's place in their own indie hierarchy. The tone stays affectionate and a little sideways, like two people still surprised by how much this record has stayed with them. They close by asking listeners what they think, what their favorite track is, and which song they would scratch off. The episode feels like a fan conversation that never stops listening.

As heard by us

A warm Wolf Parade hang that keeps finding the record's bite.

This is a loose, track-by-track look at Wolf Parade's Apologies to the Queen Mary that treats the album as something lived with, not just remembered.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

Want a Wolf Parade Apologies to the Queen Mary chat that sounds like two fans arguing with their memories?

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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