SAN FRANCISCO--"Oh Canada!" That seems to be about all music journalists can say about the unlikely indie rock hotspot that's developed in the land of the maple leaf. The year 2005 was a huge year for our neighbors to the north, with Vancouver's The New Pornographers, Toronto's Broken Social Scene, and Montreal's The Arcade Fire enjoying critical success and becoming standard fare on college radio stations across the United States.

The most recent promising act brewed across the border is the Montreal quartet of Wolf Parade. The absence of a full-length LP enabled the band's sound to gestate under the protective umbrella of the media hype that followed fellow Quebecois The Arcade Fire. Though both bands formed in 2003, share similar postal codes, and toured together earlier this year (Wolf Parade opened for The Arcade Fire), comparing the two, which happens a lot, is a mistake. They may share the same journey to the spotlight, but that's where the similarities end.

Following a four-song EP in 2003 and a six-song EP in 2004, Wolf Parade released Apologies to the Queen Mary through Sub-Pop in September 2005. The band was instantly pegged as "the next big thing"--a typical curse that dooms those who come unprepared.

It seems as though Wolf Parade missed the memo.

The band concluded its recent tour last night with the second of two shows at San Francisco's The Independent. If there were still any thoughts that Wolf Parade was merely a flash in the pan, they were squashed a few bars into the band's opening number, "It's a Cure."

Even though the band members write collectively, there are clearly two front men: keyboardist Spencer Krug and guitarist Dan Boeckner. Hadji Bakara provides ambient oscillations that carry songs into the outer universe, and Arlen Thompsen mans the skins. The quartet picked up former Hot Hot Heat guitarist Dante DeCaro to play bass for live dates.

Wolf Parade's songs appear to belong to which ever frontman is singing the tune. Krug's staccato singing almost seems akin to Swiss yodeling at times, and Boeckner, who is definitely the most "metal" member of the band, cracks his voice and delivers lyrics like he's screaming through his teeth.

On stage, the quintet does not sit still. It's not uncommon to see Bakara wrestling with his equipment as though he's fending off a rabid raccoon, Krug bouncing his leg like a six-year-old on a sugar high, and Boeckner jumping back and forth to his own strums (or maybe that's a result of the half-empty bottle of bourbon on the stage).

The kinetic energy shows in their music. Each note is played so intensely, that the band does not even appear to notice an audience is watching them. Halfway through the show, Krug is literally dripping sweat off his brow, and it's apparent that Wolf Parade would play a Sunday afternoon practice session with the same amount of enthusiasm.

Regardless of what was put out on Apologies, their live counterparts really show off the complex songwriting and compelling lyrics that a casual listener may pass over.

The band's fixation with ghosts (see "Sons and Daughters of Hungry Ghosts," "Same Ghost Every Night," lyrics from "I'll Believe in Anything") is apt, as each song and the set as a whole seem to walk effortlessly through the walls erected by the genres they borrow from. No single instrument dominates their sound, as Wolf Parade's bridges and choruses often sound entirely (and wonderfully) detached from the rest of the song. However, everything is held together perfectly, thanks to Thompsen's thunderous drumming.

If the new song played in the set is any indication of the band's future, the collective howl of praise bellowed by Wolf Parade's pack of fans will bust a few eardrums sometime later this year. The midtempo song was not only longer than much of the previously released material, but the songwriting was more refined and more mature than anything on Apologies.

The set ended with "This Heart's on Fire" and "I'll Believe in Anything," Boeckner's and Krug's strongest songs, respectively, concluding about an hour of music that left the crowd wanting more. Of course they obliged, and began the encore with an impressively embellished version of "Dinner Bells," and concluded with a cover of "Knockin' on Heaven's Door," which saw openers Chad Van Gaalen and bandmates and Anticon's Jel hopping on stage and helping out, as a final hurrah to a memorable tour.

Everyone knows that the Wolfies sound great on their recordings, but the incredible live performance displayed last night vaults them into new territory. They may be the best in the current crop of resurgent indie-rock. It's going to take a hell of a lot of rain to stop this Parade.