Rating: NNNN
The cover of Parquet Courts’ second album depicts a cowboy on a bucking steer, but the music is more New York post-punk than Southern rodeo. That means Television- and Sonic Youth-influenced bare-bones percussion, skittering guitars and a touch of Krautrock, all played with a sense of urgency. Light Up Gold, which originally came out in August and was just re-released by What’s Your Rupture?, is an economical introduction to the Brooklyn-via-Texas group, whose first album was only available on cassette.
Most songs clock in under two and a half minutes but manage to say plenty. Austin Brown and Andrew Savage, who share songwriting and vocal duties, make observations on the daily ennui of 20-somethings, striking the right balance between humorous and sincere. Much like Montreal’s Mac DeMarco, they come across as lovable slackers, whether they’re singing about the lack of jobs in America (Careers In Combat) or walking around downtown on drugs craving Swedish Fish (Stoned And Starving).
Top track: Stoned And Starving
