Infinite Shuffle

Is there some sort of law in Canada that states if you’re an indie-rock musician, you may not have fewer than three side projects at all times?

Just look at Wolf Parade. The two main cogs in that group — Dan Boeckner and Spencer Krug — have splintered off into so many different directions and have included enough similarly prolific musicians that you’d need a flowchart to keep it all straight. (Sidenote: I fully intend to create said diagram within the next year.)

But with Wolf Parade on hiatus for the last two years, and his other main project, Handsome Furs, seemingly kaput, Boeckner has moved on to another outlet. And this time, he’s heading south of the border to Austin and teaming up with Spoon frontman Britt Daniel. They, along with drummer Sam Brown (New Bomb Turks) and keyboardist Alex Fishcel (Papa) have formed Divine Fits, a synth-laden indie-pop/rock outfit that despises the term “supergroup.”

That’s Boeckner on lead vocals, which he handles on seven of the 11 tracks on the band’s debut album, A Thing Called Divine Fits. Daniel takes care of the remaining songs, as well as laying down the music for most, if not all, of the album.

According to an interview with Spin magazine, Daniel met Boeckner while attending a Handsome Furs show. The two stayed in touch, and, when Wolf Parade took a break, Daniel suggested that the two of them make some music together.

The result is an album full of new wave-tinged pop/rock that takes advantage of everyone’s strengths.

That’s one of the few songs that Daniel took the reins on. And, while his voice is normally only palatable in small doses, he really does a great job on this track.

In all the various online postings, the one member of the quartet who gets little to no recognition is Fischel, whose synth lines are critical to the band’s sound and lay the foundation for nearly every song.

The band currently has a few shows left on its U.S. tour, including three in Colorado and two in Las Vegas to close out the year. Then it heads to Australia. Hopefully, it’ll tour the States again next year — unless the members decide to turn their focus a few more side projects.