Have you seen Wolfcop? Neither have I. Word has it there were only two people in the crowd when it quietly screened in Winnipeg. While you wait for the next chance to see it, the film’s soundtrack offers a pretty sweet way to point your attention.
Dramatic and evocative, the tracks range from gentle electronic ambience to the insistent doom riffing the band has mastered. These tracks are also much shorter than we’re used to from this band, but it feels right. The pieces aren’t just short, they actually move quickly (the pulsing beats, the ominous electronics) and the whole record feels urgent. There are some curveballs to be found throughout, and approximately the middle third of the soundtrack is largely comprised of spacey, trippy pieces where the guitars take a backseat to electronics and string offerings from new recruit Toby Bond.
Oh, it also closes with one song that features vocals: “One More Day,” a sloppy, cheeky country track, takes a few hilarious swipes before fading into a reworking of the opening theme. Completely unexpected but it ties its shoes and sees itself out before the gag lasts long enough to feel forced.
Fun stuff, truly. There are a few recurring musical motifs to remind the listener this is a soundtrack, but even without the film as a reference point it’s an enjoyable series of tunes. Clocking in at just 35 minutes, it also had me hitting play again as soon as the disc finished. The same will likely be true for most fans of the band. (Sundowning Sound Recordings, shootingguns.ca) Daniel Emberg