Operators – Blue Wave

Dan Boeckner has made music under a lot of different names & groups....
Operators : Blue Wave
7.8 Last Gang
2016 

Operators : Blue Wave

Dan Boeckner has made music under a lot of different names & groups. He first got notice as co-frontman for Montreal’s Wolf Parade, which broke through as part of the indie-rock ‘Canadian Invasion’ of the last decade. Wolf Parade went on hiatus about five years ago (QRO live review of one of their last shows), and Boeckner embarked on other outfits, including husband-and-wife duo Handsome Furs (QRO photos) and team-up with Spoon’s Britt Daniel, Divine Fits (QRO album review). Now comes his own, fully fronted band, Operators, where he takes the Boeckner you know and adds in synths & more for Blue Wave.

Despite all of that work with others, Boeckner still has a signature style and voice, and that obviously comes through clearly on Blue Wave. Opener “Rome” is the frenetic Boeckner indie-rock you know, “Shape of Things” great anxiety, and the preceding title track brighter, yet with a dark undercurrent. But there are also songs where Boeckner amps up the keyboards (something done by co-singer Spencer Krug in Wolf Parade), such as “Cold Light”, “Bring Me the Head”, and closer “Space Needle”. Like most steps into the new, it doesn’t always work so well – the eighties synths on “Nobody” feel out of place on that ominous piece – but by and large comes together.

Synthesizers are really hot these days, so it’s not so surprising Boeckner would pick them up. Meanwhile, Wolf Parade has reunited (QRO recent live review). An impressive artist keeps delivering.

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