10 Perfect Garage Rock Albums With No Bad Songs
4. Wide Awake! - Parquet Courts (2018)
Blending a number of punk-inspired characteristics with a less aggressively piercing take on melody - Parquet Courts have created a truly unique sound, with their sixth studio album.
The second track, Violence, is perhaps the best example of this approach. It quickly informs you these guys know how to combine some pretty eclectic influences. They utilise politically charged, spoken word vocals, reminiscent of Gil Scott-Heron; samples, that sound like they were taken from early Tupac records; and guitar and bass melodies that sound like the Talking Heads played at half-speed. It's a bold blending, but it works.
The record was produced by Danger Mouse, which is probably why it sounds so clean. The kind of emotionally charged, social commentary found in the songs would usually lend itself to a sound that's a little more rough around the edges. It's an interesting predicament. On the one hand, the album might have packed a little more punch if it had a touch more of the lo-fi aesthetic. On the other, part of its charm rests in the richness of the production.
This is a strange blending of garage rock, post-punk and new wave, polished with a fine production sheen to bring out the finer elements of those genres. It should not be missed.