Rating: 8
Parquet Courts are the finest example of what “the American Dream” would mean if the idea was initially thought of in modern times, as the green haze of legalization sweeps the country and possibilities for the millennial generation alternately seem limitless and unceasingly hampered by the debt and foreboding economic future they are burdened with.
Four stoner-hipsters from Brooklyn formed a punk band in 2010. They don’t try that hard, or at least their aesthetic is effortless. Not effortless in the way that Larry Bird’s jump shot was, but more in the way most of Adult Swim’s programming comes off: high quality but low fidelity, a cohesive core with fringed edges, cutoff shorts upcycled from thrift store jeans.
After putting out two albums, they made their network television debut on Fallon’s “Late Night” in January of this year, wearing unglamorous clothing and wielding cheap guitars and cheaper haircuts. They performed “Stoned and Starving,” from 2012’s “Light Up Gold.” The song features lackadaisical lyrics that include, “I was debating Swedish Fish / Roasted peanuts or licorice / I was so stoned and starving.”
At the very end of the performance, as Fallon plugs their album and upcoming gigs, bassist Sean Yeaton put his arm around the host, who looks to his right, mistakenly thinking the touch was from lead singer Andrew Savage. Then Yeaton swings big, as it appears he goes in for a butt grab, but guitarist Austin Brown taps Yeaton’s shoulder and nonverbally advises him to maybe think this one over again before giving a peace sign to the audience. Yeaton, smile still on, offers a weak wave to the crowd.
Such is indicative of the band’s apparent mission statement. Their brief but acclaimed career seems like one big instance of the group getting away with something, and nobody’s caught on to their shenanigans yet. They push boundaries, but not too far. They’ll go for a shoulder and almost forget a derriere might be uncouth, but pull the hand back before contact has been made. They actively strive to sound lazy, but put in enough work to avoid coming off as uninspired.
Even their name has become part of the gag. Parquet Courts is likely a reference to the famed playing surface of the old Boston Garden, on which Bird and his Celtics have participated in some of sports history’s biggest moments, but for no obvious reason beyond “just because,” they sometimes go by Parkay Quarts, as they do on their latest release, “Content Nausea.”
Is the name variation whimsical nonsense, or does it refer to two-pint containers of branded margarine? Maybe it’s a prophetic drug-fueled concept that ended up making sense once their heads cleared. It’s tough to tell whether a savvy unseen figure is at the controls, or if you’ll just find four bros sharing a nearly-finished joint when you pull the curtain aside.
Either truth could explain the inclusion of “These Boots,” a cover of the song most famously recorded by Nancy Sinatra in 1966, then later by Jessica Simpson for the soundtrack of the “The Dukes of Hazzard” movie in 2005. The proposition of recording the track for release may have started with “Dude, how funny would it be if we…,” but novelty aside, the cover is competent and even adds a new dimension to the tune.
As is classic Parquet Courts/Parkay Quarts, Savage’s vocals are in constant danger of falling behind the already relaxed pace of the band, who stay in rhythm but can distort any sense of time. Tracks that run for less than a couple minutes can seem to go on forever, while long cuts like the six-minute “Uncast Shadow Of A Southern Myth” seem to be over an hour too quickly.
In the chaos of a record that throws its line all over the pond, the group manages to reel in cohesion. The album will hit shelves tomorrow, but early reviews are positive for the 35-minute release that was recorded on a four-track tape recorder. Who knows whether they opted to use this antiquated recording technology because it provides a vintage, appealingly low-fi sound that modern equipment can’t achieve, or because they had one laying around and it was easier than getting off the couch.
Four years ago, four red-eyed Brooklynites figured they may as well start a band and see what happens. Today, the indie blogosphere awaits their fourth full length album, the follow-up to one from earlier in 2014, “Sunbathing Animal,” which reached No. 55 on the Billboard charts. Despite lyrics like, “Storm chasin’ hippies at a discount mall / Megaphone Muppet poster on the wall,” these guys have pulled wool over eyes and made it.
Good on you, Parquet Courts, Parkay Quarts or whatever you want to be called: you’re the new American Dream.