Sunset Rubdown has a new album and it kicks ass.

If you aren't familar with Sunset Rubdown, prepare to be educated. Sunset Rubdown is an indie rock band from Canada with ties to numerous other bands, such as Wolf Parade, Handsome Furs, and Swan Lake to name a few. They are famous for Spencer Krug's warbling, indescribable voice and their surreal, sometimes bleak sound. Their two previous albums, Shut Up I Am Dreaming and Random Spirit Lover, are both indie essentials, and the albums which got me into indie rock. Their new album, Dragonslayer, is slightly, and pleasingly, different.

If we're comparing albums here, Dragonslayer is more like Random Spirit Lover than it is Shut Up I Am Dreaming. I'm not quite sure how to describe the similarities, they just are. Just listening to it, is like a surreal journey through Silver Moons, Idiot Hearts, Buffalo, Black Swans, Paper Lace, Trumpets, Nightingales, and finally into the Dragon's Lair.

Yes, those are the names of the songs (sort of, Buffalo is actually "Apollo and Buffalo and Anna Anna Anna Oh!"). The album is fairly mellow, but it does have its high, fast points (particularly in Idiot Heart and Anna Anna Anna Oh!). Contrary to what was heard on Random Spirit Lover, the songs don't change mood every other song or so. There's a fairly consistent feeling of dancing, smiling people, and yet there's still a cold and bleak air about it all. Imagine a rave in a field of permafrost; that might be something along what it sounds like. Considering the Canadian origins of the band, that might actually have been their inspiration.

This is also a great album to drive to, particularly at night. If you have a particularly active imagination, you might see dragons dressed in argyle sweaters flying out of the sky, or perhaps buffalo crossing the road in front of you. I know I did. Or that might've been the acid.

(just kidding)

The bottom line is, it's a great album. It might be a little rough for someone who is trying to get into Indie Rock, but if you like Wolf Parade or Handsome Furs, this would be an excellent next step. Or, you know, just a great album to pick up and proudly display on your mantlepiece to gain indie cred.



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