Electric Picnic: Why I'm So Excited - Reason #5

Reason #5: Wolf Parade.

Canadian alt-rockers Wolf Parade shot to fame in 2005 with Apologies to the Queen Mary. They were one of a number of acts to really benefit from the success of Arcade Fire - the whole world was watching the Canadian music scene, and dozens of acts got a little bit more attention than their talents genuinely warranted.

However, whereas the likes of Stars (who you can also catch at Electric Picnic this September) have never really moved onwards and upwards from this original boom, Wolf Parade have taken a huge step up - most notably with their newest record Expo 86.

The band have really played to their strengths on this latest record. It was written together in a converted church owned by Arcade Fire (now there's a story in itself), whereas previous work had often been written separately by the twin creative forces in the band (Spencer Krug of Sunset Rubdowns and Dan Boeckner of Handsome Furs) - hence the often overly fragmented sound of the project. Expo 86 has a rhythm and flow that did not exist on previous work, and the band have received widespread attention for this.

Personally, I think the album has a real old school feel. A number of tracks have the energy and power that was found on U2's Boy, the early work of Echo & the Bunnymen, etc. and even the Doors to an extent. The likes of What Did My Lover Say?, Little Golden Age and Cloud Shadow on the Mountain are among the best tracks ever written by these guys, and they will put on a great show in Stradbally I'm betting.

Potentially one of the sleeper hits of the weekend.

Similar Acts at EP: Stars, the New Pornographers, Modest Mouse