Parquet Courts, Wide Awake!, Album Review
Parquet Courts
Wide Awake!
Album Review
The reasons that I finally decided to fully listen to the latest release from Parquet Courts are very similar to that behind my recent listen of the Blood Orange album "Negro Swan". As a result of going through a fairly scarce period in terms of good new albums to listen to, I took it upon myself to revisit some of the ones I might've missed out on, and I think it is certainly safe to say that I nearly missed out on one of the most brilliant albums this year in the form of "Wide Awake!"
This album is my first introduction to the band and their music, so I have little opinion towards their past work, but have heard from others that it is a pretty polished improvement upon their previous efforts. But from my perspective alone, It still captured me completely with its intriguing and thought-provoking political messages, nostalgic post-punk authenticity and a consistently upbeat and merry atmosphere for the majority of the album.
I thought I'd give myself a little teaser before jumping straight into the album by listening to it's first track "Total Football". Whilst bearing in mind that this is a band that founded in New York, one should consider that football holds a different meaning in the USA as it does in the UK. But whichever way you look at it, it's an instantaneously energetic song that targets a "masculine hyper-individuality". It carries through the post-punk atmosphere perfectly, reminding me a lot of some of the material from The Strokes. It is also quite relentless and fearless in its lyrics, boldly proclaiming "Fuck Tom Brady" (who is an American football quarterback).
The next track transitions the atmosphere a little from raw and energetic to a much groovier and slightly ominous tone. The amazing initial bass riff marks the start of track number 2; "Violence". With this title considered, it's not a very violent sounding song and instead sounds like a song from The specials with its quirky keyboard elements and prominent bass. but I feel that this adds a nice layer of juxtaposition and irony to the track as it addresses how we are all oblivious to the violence that happens every single day with their repeated chanting of "Violence is daily life". A brilliantly groovy track with a sinister undertone. It is certainly an effective one.
The next track "Before the Water Gets Too High" brings a much drearier rhythm which reminds me of a calmly flowing river. It's an interesting take on considering how long we have before life as we know it ends. However, I find this song to be a little lacking in the memorabilia factor in comparison to all of the other hits on this record, although it does serve as a nice departure from the more energetic tracks prior.
"Mardi Gras Beads" is another song that unfortunately doesn't come to my mind in an instant when thinking of the album. It feels like they were trying to go for some sort of Alvvays inspired track but didn't quite pull it off. It's still a very warm and pleasant track to listen to though,
The insane energy returns with the following two-part track "Almost Had to Start a Fight/In and Out of Patience". The first part is already very raw and energetic with some of the lyrics almost sounding like they're being stuttered, carrying the listener into the same sort of panic as you would likely feel if a fight actually broke out. one of the albums highlights for me though is when the speed of the track picks up even further, marking the beginning of the second half (or the "In and Out of Patience" segment). It would be near impossible to not get invested into this track after listening to that change in rhythm. It's so engaging and so exciting and would be a stellar track to listen to live. Absolutely love this one!
I initially didn't think an awful lot of the next track "Freebird II" that tones things down again with its softer instrumentation. But the more I listened to it, the more I could feel myself getting invested in the track to the point where I now consider it as one of my favourite softer tracks on the album. This song was popular enough to get its own video, and with time, I managed to understand why.
While being an extremely energetic track, "Normalization" unfortunately just didn't sit well with me. I found it to be a bit too energetic and in a way, I also found it to be quite generic without much character at all. It's very fast-paced and raw but jus doesn't convey that level of engagement that I picked up from other tracks.
"Back to Earth" is a very interesting and standout track amongst the bunch, being far more ambient as opposed to the raw and authentic vibe of the albums majority. But I find myself liking this track quite a bit. The lyrics are sung in a somewhat poetic manner and the whole thing reminds me of something off of Artic Monkeys' "Tranquility Base". The atmosphere of the song feels very vast, dark and spacial, which I feel fits the title and the lyrics very well.
Following this is the title track, which really took me by surprise with its outstanding level of funkiness and upbeat energy. The carnival instruments used such as a whistle and various other percussion almost puts the listener in a position in which they feel like they're in the middle of a carnival parade. I find this to be extremely effective and clever as it really reflects a state of awakeness (I mean, who's going to be asleep in the middle of a parade?) and ties in with the title and lyrics even more perfectly that the track that came before it. The lyrics come from the perspective of the vocalist, who has become a lot more (politically aware) and is as they say "Woke". An absolutely stunning track!
"NYC Observation" has a level amount of energy as "Total Football" and starts off sounding like the music from a Crash Bandicoot level. It's carries through the post-punk vibe very purely. The meaning behind the track is that its simply an observation of New York City and the poverty that is so common within it. It's a very good track!
"Extinction" feels a bit like something from The Cure, only much more fast-paced. Theres a level of warmth in this track that gives it this jolly vibe, despite its title, but it's actually a song about "self-improvement and examination" which I feel gives the joyful atmosphere a lot more relevance.
The penultimate song "Death Will Bring Change" sound quite a lot like a Smiths track, especially with its melancholy atmosphere and choir of children chanting "Death will bring change". It feels like a very haunting track that addresses the death of the sister of Austin (one of the bands co-lead vocalists) in a car crash and how it affected him and his family, hence the title. It is a very effective song in that sense and I can totally appreciate it.
The album then oddly enough finishes with my favourite track on there. "Tenderness" carries through an uncanny level of joy and merriness with its groovy guitar riffs and saloon style piano. An incredibly interesting fact about this song is that the vocal performance is apparently inspired by iconic drag queen Divine. It also shares a similar sort of message lyrically to "Total Football" and is a track that shines with optimism, which I feel is one of the best ways to end an album.
All in all, I am incredibly glad that I didn't miss out on this album before the year ended. It's without a doubt one of the better authentic sounding albums I've listened to this year. If you haven't already, please give this album a listen. You can thank me later.
Thank you for reading,
BBP
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