Sympathy For Life. Parquet Courts

Parquet Courts as a band has become a household name, at least in my book. This was not a given. After a good start somewhere in the early part of the previous decade, I lost sight of the band until I registered it once again with the oh so nice 'Wide Awake!' album. From then on it was waiting for a new one. It took a while but here it is Sympathy For Life.

Perhaps it should come with a mild warning, as it is not exactly a one dimensional album, not that Parquet Courts has ever made such an album, but still. Sympathy For Life tosses me around for most of the time. In general there are a few easy references though. U.K. post Britpop bands like Franz Ferdinand, Django Django and Clinic, can be found, African sort of rhythms like Talking Heads liked to play as well. All not the easiest music to digest for most, but with undeniable grooves. Parquet Courts captures those grooves and makes them its own. Sympathy For Life is a danceable album alright and must get venues and festival pastures dancing up to the last row of people.

This lack of an absolute form of originality is more than made up for in the fun that comes with the music, not to forget the quality of the individual songs. Most songs appear to be made from the created groove. The drums and percussion is incredibly important on this album. With the bass as a good second. Only then the melody comes is, as it is an intregral part of the groove. There are exceptions, like the ballad 'Pulcinella', ending the album. A song with an epic lenght. Although it is a beautiful song, it is the only song on Sympathy For Life that seems like a missed opportunity to my ears. The end is epic, of course, but I miss that little extra, lifting it up even more, like 'I Want You (She's So Heavy)', 'Hotel California' or 'November Rain', to name a few of the great. 'Pulcinella' could have made that list, I think.

Let's go back to the start. 'Walking At A Downtown Pace' opens the album and is a great song. Grabbing my attention with the loud, powerful intro. The ideal show opener and ender. Do like U2 in 2005, opening and closing the show with 'Vertigo'! 'Walking At A Downtown Pace' can, no deserves to do this as well. Dancing guaranteed. For a U.S. band Parquet Courts sounds extremely British in my ears. I could mention some more bands than I started with as references, but won't. This song stands out as its own. A great rhythm, a great guitar lick or two and easy to sing along to. Not to forget the power it holds within it. The tight start of the next song, 'Black Widow Spider', signals: this album is going to be so okay.

The forays into more African rhythms make the album more varied. Parquets Courts experiments a little with its sound and clearly succeeds. A little, light 60s psychedelia, post punk funk, post Britpop rock and mild electronics. It all comes by more or less prominently in the eleven new songs on Sympathy For Life. The band adds a very nice new branch to its ever more impressive tree.

Wout de Natris