Wide Awake is an awesome new album by indie rock band Parquet Courts. It rocks, has great grooves and a whole lot to say. This is the first Parquet Courts album that I've heard. They have five more. So I've got a lot of catching up to do.
Much of the album is an aggressive showcase of societal anger skillfully presented in a mashup of funk and punk, with some sixties pop, maybe a little Bowie and a whole lot more thrown in for good measure. PC has a lot to say. Most of the anger is on side A. Side B is a little more diverse. But I really love the funk punk of Side A. It opens with Total Football, a raw rocker, driven by electric guitars and a funky bass line, that builds to a screaming conclusion . . .
I'm a Pats fan and Michigan man, but that last line just makes me smile.
The next song is even angrier. Simply titled Violence. It features a driving bass line and kick ass organ remeniscent of The Doors.
The next song, Before The Water Gets Too High, is another highlight featuring organ and a killer funky bass line. It's not quite as raw and angry as Violence and Total Football, but as a statement on corruption, still has plenty to say.
Tenderness closes the albums closes on a more melodic seemingly happier note with some pleasing Warren Zevon Excitable Boy like piano. But of course the music says happy while the lyrics say otherwise. There are many other highlights. Mardi Gras Beads has a lighter sound that kind of reminds of The Beach Boys, with a little extra umph. Freebird II is a melodic rocking anthem.
As I mentioned at the top, Wide Awake is my first exposure to Parquet Courts. I'm really glad that I found them. This really is an aweseome album Check them out. Start with Wide Awake cause it rocks!
- Alan Likes Music