In its 13 tracks and just shy of 40 minutes, Wide Awake! shows perhaps the band's broadest emotional range to date with a healthy dollop of anger on display (see Violence or Before the Water Gets Too High).
Truly, Wide Awake! is a success all round--the joyous sound of a band taking everything that makes them great and amplifying it, toying with it and producing something even greater.
By enlisting pop wunderkind Brian “Danger Mouse” Burton as their first-ever outside producer, Parquet Courts has opened up its musical palette even more than most recent effort, 2016’s ballad-laden “Human Performance.” In fact, “Wide Awake!” may be the most woke punk-rock record since the heyday of the Clash, and it starts off with a very appropriate soccer-style chant.
Wide Awake! might be too scattershot to appeal to a much wider audience, but it does cement Parquet Courts’ position as one of US indie’s more intriguing outliers.
With light-touch production by Danger Mouse, this is also the funkiest and sweetest Parquet Courts set yet, trading off some of their trademark guitar fireworks for danceable jams.
I love everything about this album. The singing, the arragements, the flow of the tracks etc. The best album from PC and my personal favouriteI love everything about this album. The singing, the arragements, the flow of the tracks etc. The best album from PC and my personal favourite of 2018.…Expand
Welcome to Parquet Courts at their very best. Keeping their teeth in their mouths and their brains in their skulls with fine attention to theWelcome to Parquet Courts at their very best. Keeping their teeth in their mouths and their brains in their skulls with fine attention to the listener's ears, Wide Awake is my favorite record of 2018 so far. Its wordy two-faced punk-funk mentality bounces back and forth between the throes of Austin Brown and Andrew Savage. Brown delivering sweet, to-the-point and immensely catchy tunes and introspective lyrics while Savage rebuttals with anger, attitude and more political lyricism. Both carry an off-beat cadence that often runs in opposition to the instrumentals. I found this a slight obstacle at first, focusing on either the amazing instrumentals or eccentric vocal deliveries. Upon multiple listens, however, I could fully appreciate every track. Some even more in the context of others. For example, Total Football and Violence. Separate they're strong, with Total Footballs push/pull opinion of collectivism, cooperation, social dissonance and autonomy followed by Violence's aggressive preaching to the imaginary masses against our broken will. Together I feel they enhance one another, fleshing out the concept of fighting together to gain individual peace of mind. An overall fantastic 13-track roller-coaster of undeniably-influenced yet entirely unique Art-Post punk 'n funk that I wish were longer.
IGN 10/10 would listen again (F*ck Tom Brady).…Expand
Great album. First 3 songs are extremely strong and spectacular. Bass player is killing it almost in each song. Savage voice is pure rawness.Great album. First 3 songs are extremely strong and spectacular. Bass player is killing it almost in each song. Savage voice is pure rawness. And i almost forgot, ,,F*CK Tom Brady" !!!…Expand
Really really really really really really really love this album. The obvious punk inspired vocals and rocky riffs make every song, trackReally really really really really really really love this album. The obvious punk inspired vocals and rocky riffs make every song, track after track, utterly enjoyable.…Expand
Opener "Total Football" is a raucous, brazen and fun filled song that massively heightens expectations of what is to come on the rest of theOpener "Total Football" is a raucous, brazen and fun filled song that massively heightens expectations of what is to come on the rest of the record. To be fair, while nothing quite matches this blistering opener, for the most part Parquet Courts meet these expectations. "Violence" is another frantic track played like the band's lives depend on it. "Before the Water Gets Too High" slows the pace down nicely with a understated bass line working nicely with some effect laden keyboards to drive the track. "Mardi Gras Beads" has a nice twangy intro but is a standard enough tune but fits in nicely as an album track. Again, the band are extremely tight. This is followed by the wonderful "Almost Had to Start A Fight" which sounds like you'd expect a track with this title to. "Freebird II" is classic rock brought screaming into 2018. The second half of the album plays out much in the same vein as the first half, generally excellent. The great things about "Wide Awake" is that not only is it one of the best rock records of the year, paying tribute to all thats gone before it, it isn't just straight out rock either. There's weirdness aplenty to be found and loads of risks taken. It's unlikely you'll hear anything else like it. This is a band that sound like they're having a lot of fun doing what they are. Enough to almost make you jealous.…Expand
A solid album by Parquet Courts. Lots of different influences in every track starting from punk rock and ending with dub and dance-ish music.A solid album by Parquet Courts. Lots of different influences in every track starting from punk rock and ending with dub and dance-ish music. Lyrics are quite clichey though with a lot of politics throwed around, but i guess is the punk part of this CD.…Expand
Quirky, garage-bandy, lo-fi, heard-it-before, indie pop garbage with a healthy dose of political sanctimony because, why the hell not?Quirky, garage-bandy, lo-fi, heard-it-before, indie pop garbage with a healthy dose of political sanctimony because, why the hell not? Everyone else is doing it! In other words, there's absolutely nothing original here. Well produced tho, so there's that.…Expand
Over the next month, we'll be collecting year-end top 10 album lists from over 200 music critics, publications, record stores, and other sources. Find all of the individual lists and 2018's consensus rankings inside.
Published: November 26, 2018Over the next month, we'll be collecting year-end top 10 album lists from over 200 music critics, publications, record stores, and other sources. Find all of the individual lists and 2018's consensus rankings inside.