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On the Shelf 169: Parquet Courts
Aug. 5th, 2016 07:12 amParquet Courts have been on my radar, just outside. I considered them a band with a lot of potential that came out of a similar tradition to the Strokes- NYC roots with a certain amount of Anglophilia,
I have finally taken the plunge with Human Performance which is a pretty solid album. It will no doubt be on everyone's Best Of this year, which will be a bummer for me, but I have to admit I really like this one.
The Velvet Underground casts a mighty shadow on this record. "Berlin Got Blurry" is a fantastic rocker. "Steady on my Mind" could be on the VU's third. Though in many ways, it's n-th generation Velvet influenced bands that come to mind.. There's plenty of stuff that recall Modern Lovers or CBGB's-era Talking Heads. There's a bit of Television and the title track sounds like Richard Hell. Even further down the lineage bands like My I Sing With Me- era Yo La Tengo or the DGC years Sonic Youth.
The Courts are a bit of a chameleon so from song to song they sound different- which could be the two singer set up. At their fastest/loudest, they recall a band that could have been signed to Discord in the 90s. At their most introspective, they cross heavily into Pavement territory.
It makes for a fine mix and as I have said, if you can pay homage and stay original then it's well worth it. Like (while also not being like their not nearly as gritty) brethren Foxygen, the results are there, and they have delivered a near masterpiece of an album.
I have finally taken the plunge with Human Performance which is a pretty solid album. It will no doubt be on everyone's Best Of this year, which will be a bummer for me, but I have to admit I really like this one.
The Velvet Underground casts a mighty shadow on this record. "Berlin Got Blurry" is a fantastic rocker. "Steady on my Mind" could be on the VU's third. Though in many ways, it's n-th generation Velvet influenced bands that come to mind.. There's plenty of stuff that recall Modern Lovers or CBGB's-era Talking Heads. There's a bit of Television and the title track sounds like Richard Hell. Even further down the lineage bands like My I Sing With Me- era Yo La Tengo or the DGC years Sonic Youth.
The Courts are a bit of a chameleon so from song to song they sound different- which could be the two singer set up. At their fastest/loudest, they recall a band that could have been signed to Discord in the 90s. At their most introspective, they cross heavily into Pavement territory.
It makes for a fine mix and as I have said, if you can pay homage and stay original then it's well worth it. Like (while also not being like their not nearly as gritty) brethren Foxygen, the results are there, and they have delivered a near masterpiece of an album.
