With a huge emphasis on groove, NYC's Parquet Courts pull together a diverse array of tunes that combine their keen sense of post punk with their appreciation of funk and dance music. Sympathy for Life is yet another enjoyable record within the band's always eclectic discography.
Since the early 2010's, NYC has needed a resurgence in punk and dance music. It's been awhile since anyone's been truly excited for the New York underground and Parquet Courts are up to the task to change that. Now a band for over a decade, this dynamic foursome has repeatedly been knocking out the listener with noisy and contemplative post punk and garage rock anthems that are meant to be indulged happily. Seemingly always changing up their sound with each new project, Parquet Courts have evolved from a rough and rowdy group of young anti-socialites to a rough and rowdy group of bouncy partygoers. Their last album in 2018, Wide Awake! is their biggest triumph yet. It transformed the band by emphasizing on grooves and dance music while having some excellent production from the highly regarded Brian Burton, aka Danger Mouse. It was a huge gateway that perfectly combined their artful head turning sound with accessible and catchy grooves and hooks. A huge album that brought my full attention to Parquet Courts, Wide Awake! instantly became my favorite album in the genre of post punk, one of the best albums of 2018 and of the decade too. It seemed like a revolutionary record full of introspective bangers and protest anthems that truly put them on the map (the Ellen map that is).
Following up Wide Awake! is a big feat and Parquet Courts do it with grace and fluidity on Sympathy for Life. The brand new seventh studio album emphasizes even further on groove, where the band described it as the actual party that Wide Awake! was simply leading up to. On paper this is an amazing idea. I love the grooves on Wide Awake! and would love to hear that sound pushed even further. Sympathy for Life definitely continues the dance energy but I wouldn't say it's a direct sequel. The band experiments with moody electronics, vintage funk, and jazz, often sounding like a soundtrack to a late night black and white crime noir. Although these moments of experimentation are interesting, cool and provide a different side of Parquet Courts, I can't say that the majority are as memorable or as explosive as their previous records, especially their last album. They're still fun and enjoyable, but in a much lighter capacity. It's a bit disappointing that the edges of some of these songs aren't completely buffed out but the band still sounds like they're having a blast which is always great to hear.
The moments where there are groovy dance and punk riffs are by far the best moments that this album provides. "Walking at a Downtown Pace" features these jumpy shouty vocals in the chorus and a pumped up Andrew Savage on lead vocals. The grooves are the best on the record with some memorable guitars, bass and percussion. It definitely reminds me of some of the better moments off of Wide Awake! I can't say the chorus is as amazing, it kind of feels half-baked with the shouty delivery in the vocals from the band. Overall though I can get past that, its grooves are undeniable. The single "Black Widow Spider" sounded kind of plain with the more basic and straightforward garage rock instrumental. With more listens I appreciate it a lot more in the track listing. Typically Andrew Savage is great on lead vocals; his monotone, dry, shouty delivery attached to the punk grooved riffs is consistently a knockout punch that can be heard on pretty much most Parquet Courts songs. But on this track, I wished he would have more personality on the track vocally. I know he's capable of doing this, he just did on the previous track. It's still an enjoyable moment regardless of the vocals. Most of the groovy moments are great to hear, but they may just not be as accessible or instant like before. "Marathon of Anger" is a prime example of a slow burning dance tune. It's pretty laid back with it's funky guitars and bass and takes its time at becoming more and more interesting with each listen.
"Just Shadows" is an unfortunate moment where the groove and pacing is just too repetitive to listen to all the way through. The guitars sound awkward and repeat in a way that's sadly unpleasing to me. It's a sweetly sung tune that's not bad by any means but its tediousness make it a skippable song for me. "Plant Life" is a big highlight that's a six minute funk driven banger with steady percussion and light electronics that get more and more colorful. It sounds like Parquet Courts' take on a band like LCD Soundsystem and I love to hear it. It's another moment that might not be as instant due to its lighter vibe but when given the patience it is quite rewarding. The vocals from guitarist/keyboardist Austin Brown sound great as usual and many moments where he rambles sound almost identically like Talking Heads' David Byrne on a solo track. I wouldn't be surprised if Bryne's emphasis on dance music was an influence behind the song. "Application/Apparatus" has these glitchy, obtuse electronics over an echoing Savage on vocals. Like "Black Widow Spider," "Homo Sapien" got better with time. The more straightforward garage rock tune is a lot more enjoyable vocally this time around, acting almost like a continuation of their glorious "Freebird II" song. He definitely sounds more like himself this time. The title track, "Zoom Out," and "Trullo" are funkier takes on vintage rock and jazz that's pretty enjoyable with their jumpy keys and grooves that pull straight out of an old school funk record. "Trullo" transports me instantly to the glitchy grooves from 90's era Beck, specifically Odelay. The nearly seven minute closer "Pulcinella" is a slow burning guitar-driven ballad that definitely requires some patience. Overall it's a nice tune but not as expressive or captivating as some of the highlights.
With a huge emphasis on groove, Parquet Courts pull together a diverse array of tunes that combine their keen sense of post punk with their appreciation of funk and dance music. The quartet may not have made a Wide Awake! part two and that's completely fine. Considering the band's unpredictable career so far, nobody should've expected them to. A little disappointing for me personally but I really appreciate the band's attempts to add more electronics, funk and rhythm to their sound and to evolve into something different once again. The production from Rodaidh McDonald and John Parish are pretty tasteful and detailed. The track listing is a refreshingly diverse listen with an array into many different colors and styles. Most of the performances are great, I just think some of these songs could've been tweaked or adjusted to be better. Maybe some of these moments didn't pan out as well as I would've hoped but Sympathy for Life is yet another enjoyable record within the always eclectic Parquet Courts discography.
My Rating: 7 / 10
Favorite Songs: "Walking at a Downtown Pace," "Plant Life," "Homo Sapien," "Sympathy for Life," "Zoom Out"
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