Skip to main content

IN REVIEW: Parquet Courts - "Wide Awake!"


After years of building stature as underground darlings, Parquet Courts come into album number seven willing to take some mainstream-leaning risks. Bringing on producer Danger Mouse runs the risk of twisting their sound into the same thick, soulful, M.O.R. rock territory as countless bands before them; that said, this rarely happens on Wide Awake! and, when it does, it's purely in service to the song. Take Violence, which features some stabbing keyboards but also has A. Savage's most frantic and biting vocal performance. Danger Mouse's fingerprints are all over the record, but Parquet Courts' restless and exploratory musical spirit rises above any same-ism that tends to be present on other records he's produced.

While there are echoes of the musical past here (think The Clash at their most adventurous as filtered through the lens of modern indie rock to get a head start), Wide Awake! is very much an album of the present; all manner of societal and political observations dot this landscape, and the album as a whole plays out like a plea for sanity in insane times. It's an incredibly smartly written album from a lyrical standpoint, matching the frenetic and varied scope of the music.

As much as they may be pushed to the mainstream (the album's undeniably infectious title track even earned them an invite to perform on Ellen), Parquet Courts have as much bite as they have soul on Wide Awake!, and the balancing act of feel-good music and think-first message is masterfully executed. With the current state of global affairs, to make listeners dance while questioning the things happening around them is no small feat; Parquet Courts don't just pull it off, they do so with their most confident, boldest, and best record yet.

May 18, 2018 • Rough Trade
Highlights Violence • Almost Had to Start a Fight/In and Out of Patience • Normalisation

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Year in Rock 2025

  Alright, I've got some explaining to do.   By now anyone who's visited this blog is well aware of how infrequently I've used this space in recent years; aside from the occasional fertile year of content, I really haven't posted all that often over the last five years or so. There are many reasons for this, which have already been outlined in previous apology posts; but, essentially, it boils down to my own laziness and the cold reality that blogs are, like Refused (again), fucking dead. So, I wouldn't hold my breath for a triumphant return to reviews, or even semi-regular posts, but:   a) I feel like Year in Rock posts have always belonged here and, even though I've experimented with different methods of presentation recently and been satisfied, the "blink and you missed it" unveiling via Facebook stories this year was perhaps ultimately a disservice to the records I lauded. After all, cramming the list into short videos isn't too far off from ju...
Post a Comment
Read more

Year in Rock 2014: And the Winners Are...

It's been a long year, and another great one for rock n' roll. While the pop charts were overrun with barely legals obsessed with their asses, rock soldiered on undeterred even as pundits (hell, in some cases even rockers themselves) mourned the genre. Sure, rock didn't dominate the money game in 2014, but that shouldn't evoke sad nostalgia and eulogies. Even for as little perceived impact rock music made, a hell of a lot happened if people had only paid attention. From grizzled vets adding jewels to their crown (Springsteen, Petty) to new beginnings (Against Me!, Antemasque) to happy returns (Faith No More, The Tea Party) and all points in between, rock continued to thrive, evolve and thrill in 2014. Enough talk. It's winning time. Your Year in Rock winners for 2014 are...
Post a Comment
Read more

Hear Me Out: Why Do A Greatest Hits Album?

So, Silversun Pickups announced a "singles collection" today. Now, I'm no expert on "singles" or "hits" compilations; even so, I've got to say this announcement threw me for a loop for a couple of reasons. For starters, isn't it a bit early for a band like Silversun Pickups to be given the "greatest hits" treatment? I know, I know, it's a "singles collection". But, come on; it looks like a greatest hits album, it smells like a greatest hits album, so on so forth. More importantly, though, are these really necessary entities in 2014? I mean, who is this album for? Casual fans who've already downloaded the singles they like or established fans who are expected to shill out $15 for one new song?
1 comment
Read more