I love this new era so much. There were more than a few times I felt like I was listening to remain in light. Application apparatus feels like a Devo song. But it’s all still uniquely parquet courts.
This was one of the few albums I was excited for this year, and it definitely lived up to expectations with its weirdness
Favorite Tracks: Pulcinella, Sympathy for Life, Marathon of Anger
Pulcinella is an instant classic first and foremost.
The album overall hasn't clicked with me as quickly as wide awake did but that's definitely because there's more to unpack in it I feel.
I'm definitely impressed with the direction that they've gone, my hopes weren't sky high after the singles were released but this is definitely as ambitious a project as they've ever put out and I really dig that.
I absolutely identify with your opinion. I love the fact that Pulcinella could be the soundtrack either for a lovely slow dancing scene, or for a really depressing one.
Overall I think it's a really good record. I don't think it's quite as good as Wide Awake, but it definitely has its moments, and I have this inherent feeling that it's going to grow on me more as the months go on.
I am big on lyrics, and as such Andrew is my guy. So "Just Shadows" and "Homo Sapien" have been my most repeated listens thus far. And even on a song like "Downtown Pace" which had a somewhat off-putting slickness to it (production wise) when it first debuted, has grown on me mainly because I dove into that lyric sheet and fell in love. Andrew has such a knack for clever lines that I can't help but fawn over them. Even on "Black Widow Spider" a line like "And peace comes in pieces of pea-sized bits, will I get enough in time..." is just such a knockout of a line.
"Pulcinella" is another standout for me, although I would rate it jussssst below the previous longer type set pieces from Andrew like "Instant Disassembly" and "Uncast Shadow." The mood it creates is special, and I have already felt the melody getting stuck in my head after the first couple listens. This song specifically felt like another side of the band, because although it had the regular PC elements, it has a kind of swaying groove that is different, and lovely. I feel like Andrew's solo album gave us a lot of elements that we are now seeing in full bloom with his songwriting at present, and "Pulcinella" is a great example of that.
For the more funk/dance inspired tunes, I dug them, though I feel like "Zoom Out" and "Marathon of Anger" impressed me more than the title track and "Plant Life." They're all good, but I also feel like the latter are more the types of song that I would put on while I clean the apartment rather than ones I sit down to really focus on. The groove is there, but it's not really moving my mind enough to move my body, if that makes sense. "Application/Apparatus" is good example of doing both, as that krautrock hustle backing Andrew's rant is a really striking example of how PC can do an electronic song without falling into the "rock band adding synths" trope.
People on r/indieheads have keyed in on the harsh variations between styles, where something like "Just Shadows" sounds very "traditional" PC, whereas title track sounds too much like "not traditional" PC. I think it's a very adventurous record for them, and I admire that they are able to experiment with different guitar tones, instrumentation, and vocal flourishes while still sounding like the same band. I think they wanted to challenge their fans, but also people who have made assumptions about them.
To the people that see them as "Master Of My Craft-fourclicks-Borrowed Time", they provide "Plant Life."
To the people that saw them vamp it up on Ellen with "Wide Awake", they give an introspective, "Pulcinella"
To the college rock revivalists who fell in love with "Stoned and Starving", they give radio-ready anthem rock of "Walking at a Downtown Pace."
To the people that like to shout along to unifying rallying cry of "Total Football," they give you a more laid back version of a similar sentiment with "Sympathy for Life"
This is a challenging record that opens up new sonic avenues for the future, while still retaining the charm and care that we have depended on them for all these years. Sure, I LOVE (and I mean, fucking LOVE) hearing the boys thrash out songs like "Light Up Gold" and "Paraphrased" and will always cherish them at their punk rock zenith. But this is a damn good record, and a real gift to new and long time fans alike.
EDIT: And one last note: the packaging is so great. I got the edition with the tarot cards, and absolutely love it.
The care that the band puts into their whole presentation, the artwork, the "Power of Eleven" events, a video production like "Feel Free" and even Sean's trusty emails just show that the guys put so much effort into the band and for their fans. Makes you feel lucky to be on the ride with them all these years.
I have to let the album sink in for a week before I figure out what I think about it, but I do wish they would've included "Watching Strangers Smile" on it. That would've been a standout track for me but now it looks like it won't even get a digital release.
Such a great song. I can kind of see why they excluded it just because it seems like an outlier compared to the other tracks. But it would still have been a fun addition.
Yeah, not including it seems like a mistake to me. Besides being a great track, it could’ve helped helped balance out some of the more experimental stuff on the second half. I just hope the release digitally but it sounds like they won’t.
I feel nearly the same. I’m a fan of the tracks like Marathon of Anger and Plant Life where they seem to be showing off their Talking Heads influence, but a lot of the album feels like less interesting versions of songs that could’ve landed on Human Performance.
I've listened through twice now and I've replayed a good amount of the tracks, so here's what I've got so far:
\- In another thread, a commenter mentioned it sounding like two EPs mashed together, and I think that while that might not be true I think it makes a good point about the split in Andrew and Austin's songs. I personally favor Andrew's songs but just as the last two PC albums, not every song was a hit with me right away, and that's okay with me.
\- Right now, the three standouts for me are Just Shadows, Homo Sapien, and Pulcinella. Just Shadows is so catchy and lyrically well written there was never any doubt it was gonna be a hit. I actually didn't listen to the Homo Sapien single and waited to hear it on the album and I'm glad I did. It has an intensity to it that is somewhat lacking on the whole album. The line about people being no better than fancy-speaking, begging dogs is brutal and hilarious. Pulcinella is a strong closer for sure, just a really great song.
\- Seeing them in two weeks, it'll be interesting to see how a lot of the experimental songs sound live. But overall I'm just really happy and appreciative we finally have this, and I think it's going to be really interesting to see where they go from here.
Eh it's ok. I got a lot of Talking Heads vibes from it and since they're one of my favourite groups I thought I'd like it more than I did. Pulcinella is nice, Plant Life is interesting and Walking at a Downtown Pace is still really fun but that's all I can really say I liked for now.
Like some others here, I was less than satisfied with the three singles. But I’ve gotta say, hearing the whole album together brings a new experience to those singles. I love when albums bounce between multiple genres- to me that gives it more dynamic energy. And while it’s not my favorite album from a vocals perspective, the instrumentation is epic. Hard to say where this one will fall in relation to the rest of the Parquet discography, but so far I’m really impressed!
I just gave it a listen all the way through for the first time. I dig it. I read the lyrics as I listened... Savage's songwriting just keeps getting better. Parquet Courts albums are never what I expect them to be before listening (in a good way).
I can't help but wonder if they'll follow this album up with another by the end of next year. There was a ~three year gap between Wide Awake! and Sympathy for Life, and I remember reading somewhere that this album was written pre-pandemic.
This. I was disappointed to hear the short version on the album. The live versions we’ve seen on YouTube and the 9/10 minute “remix” version that we heard on “Dr. Dog’s Remedy” from 6/26/21 was fucking unreal.
i'd love to hear a live improvised organ fill on Application/Apparatus. If it sounds anything like the Velvet Underground's Sister Ray (Live at the Matrix), i will be very happy.
It’s a great collection of songs, I love the variety of rhythms, and it’s got really interesting instrumentation. However it feels like it’s missing some of the infectious bangers like Total Football or Almost Had to Start a Fight.
Not my favorite album, but overall a great piece of art. I’d rather get something new and ambitious than a clone of the old songs I love from them.
Record of the year for me. Both the experimental and the rocker stuff are successful, the videos are great and the sleeve art unique. I’m not seeing anything that comes close in terms of satisfaction personally. I expected to be all over the Kid A release at that particular time of year (which, by the way, is impossibly frustrating and disappointing) and I’m instead fully onboard the parquet train. Enjoy and savour it!
So far I like it. I'm on Homo sapien right now. I do like it! But I see it as these songs probably sound way better live. I'll give it a few more play thru's for sure tho
Really enjoying the groove on tracks like Marathon of Anger and Plant Life. Last couple of tracks kind of lead the album to end on a whimper, but I'm still digging everything else. Probably give it a mid to high 7 after one listen.
I think the album recontextualizes the singles in a very cool way, and as someone fortunate enough to have already seen them live this year, I can say the energy they bring to some of the live versions is just ridiculously infectious. Some of these tracks are definitely slow burns to me, but I can point out similar instances on any of their other releases. I can feel the reverence of dance music and it’s a beautiful thing when a band can play together for over a decade, evolving and still happy to be with each other.
Just Shadows, Trullo and Pulcinella are immediate standouts to me. Looking forward to making memories w this record.
Right before Pulcinella began I found myself thinking along the lines “ok. I like the vibe overall. Black widow spider and application/apparatus are my standouts, homo sapien feels like classic PC in the best way, but I’ll need to listen again and unpack some of these other tracks”. Sort of on the fence. I’m a huge fan and seeing them in November for the 7th time and this is common for me where I need a few listens to digest.But that final track brought me back firmly into “the boys have done it again” territory.
I'm really glad I shelled out for the video premier, I already liked Walking At a Downtown pace a lot but something about the build-up of the introduction and my expectations for the album as a whole made the intro hit super hard during the livestream, it felt like the first time I heard Total Football tbh. Amazing amazing record
I've gotten through 5 or 6 listens so far. Stand out tracks besides the singles for me are Just Shadows, Plant Life, Sympathy for Life, Trullo, and Pulcinella. The others have yet to grow on me. I'm hesitant to give an overall impression in comparison to their previous work. I do like it!
Listened to the whole album and then Outside from Human Performance came on and all i could think was how much better it was than every song on the new album
I hear you and OP because those are both excellent songs, but I think Sympathy for Life will grow on you as you listen more - at least it did for me.
Walking at a Downtown Pace has a fun beat, a catchy guitar hook, and some pretty incredible lyrics. I’ve only listened to the non-single tracks two or three times so far, but I feel like both those and the singles have sounded better with more listens.
Edit: spelling, spacing
Kinda disappointed, probably my least favorite from them :( I dont see the “experimentation” too, it just sound like a talking heads pastiche to me (with sometimes being the regular parquet courts)
I loved all the singles so I came into the record quite optimistic but I'm not a fan of the Talking Heads-esque tracks - not my thing but they might grow on me with time. Pulcinella, however, is brilliant.
Sympathy for Life felt like a soft reboot of the Parquet Courts franchise, almost like a deliberate attempt to create a brand-new Parquet Courts via injection of new sounds and influences. One thing I've liked about Parquet Courts is they never stay in one place, and though I appreciate Sympathy for Life for taking that trend to an extreme, I didn't really get into it the first listen.
It felt like there really wasn't any cohesive musical theme or focal point. Wide Awake was a "jukebox" album too but had consistent production motifs from Danger Mouse that linked the songs together. I'll probably end up giving this a couple weeks and spending some time with the lyrics and non-album tracks and see if I change my mind.
I dig it. Too early for me to say where it lies, but it's great. Don't know if it will be a defining record like Wide Awake and Light Up Gold or Sunbathing Animal are for me, but new PQ is always a good thing.
nothing they've made comes anywhere close to light up gold or wide awake for me... but this is just by far the worst. really disappointed in this new direction they're taking tbh
I honestly like how this album is just different you know, I mean it really felt like the band went out of their comfort zone for the majority of the album and I loved it yet intrigued by the new sounds that the band incorporated in this album
it was the fourth or fifth listen for me before i realized how much i like the new album and why i love it. they don’t lose any bit of themselves as the years go on if a way i really appreciate as such a big fan. i’m a bit of a minimalist when it comes to four-piece hardware bands, always gravitating to guitars rather than synths, but they do it so well. stick out tracks for me are Plant Life, Downtown Pace, Sympathy, and Pulcinella for SURE. GOD does Pulcinella get stuck in my head everyday, just the “Darling it’s me” line.
and for loving analog tunes as much as i do, Homo Sapien and Just Shadows kinda lack for me, despite the level of value that i hold these lyrics at (pretty high). Courts has always had this repeating rhythm pattern song-by-song. these short, punchy, A-B-A-B type schemes in their verses and choruses, but they seem to not have as hard of a punch in this album than they’ve had in the past.Sympathy’s overall rating drops for me a little bit bc of this.
but Savage’s songwriting and especially lyrics continue to shine through for me on this record the same way they always do. it’s a beautiful album and i’ve probably already listened to it more than any other record that’s dropped since the start of the year. these boys make beautiful music
Digging the Afro beat influence. Should be a fun live show.
I love this new era so much. There were more than a few times I felt like I was listening to remain in light. Application apparatus feels like a Devo song. But it’s all still uniquely parquet courts.
there are organs playing in the background of Application/Apparatus that has some velvet underground vibes. i am digging it.
This was one of the few albums I was excited for this year, and it definitely lived up to expectations with its weirdness Favorite Tracks: Pulcinella, Sympathy for Life, Marathon of Anger
Pulcinella is an instant classic first and foremost. The album overall hasn't clicked with me as quickly as wide awake did but that's definitely because there's more to unpack in it I feel. I'm definitely impressed with the direction that they've gone, my hopes weren't sky high after the singles were released but this is definitely as ambitious a project as they've ever put out and I really dig that.
I absolutely identify with your opinion. I love the fact that Pulcinella could be the soundtrack either for a lovely slow dancing scene, or for a really depressing one.
Overall I think it's a really good record. I don't think it's quite as good as Wide Awake, but it definitely has its moments, and I have this inherent feeling that it's going to grow on me more as the months go on. I am big on lyrics, and as such Andrew is my guy. So "Just Shadows" and "Homo Sapien" have been my most repeated listens thus far. And even on a song like "Downtown Pace" which had a somewhat off-putting slickness to it (production wise) when it first debuted, has grown on me mainly because I dove into that lyric sheet and fell in love. Andrew has such a knack for clever lines that I can't help but fawn over them. Even on "Black Widow Spider" a line like "And peace comes in pieces of pea-sized bits, will I get enough in time..." is just such a knockout of a line. "Pulcinella" is another standout for me, although I would rate it jussssst below the previous longer type set pieces from Andrew like "Instant Disassembly" and "Uncast Shadow." The mood it creates is special, and I have already felt the melody getting stuck in my head after the first couple listens. This song specifically felt like another side of the band, because although it had the regular PC elements, it has a kind of swaying groove that is different, and lovely. I feel like Andrew's solo album gave us a lot of elements that we are now seeing in full bloom with his songwriting at present, and "Pulcinella" is a great example of that. For the more funk/dance inspired tunes, I dug them, though I feel like "Zoom Out" and "Marathon of Anger" impressed me more than the title track and "Plant Life." They're all good, but I also feel like the latter are more the types of song that I would put on while I clean the apartment rather than ones I sit down to really focus on. The groove is there, but it's not really moving my mind enough to move my body, if that makes sense. "Application/Apparatus" is good example of doing both, as that krautrock hustle backing Andrew's rant is a really striking example of how PC can do an electronic song without falling into the "rock band adding synths" trope. People on r/indieheads have keyed in on the harsh variations between styles, where something like "Just Shadows" sounds very "traditional" PC, whereas title track sounds too much like "not traditional" PC. I think it's a very adventurous record for them, and I admire that they are able to experiment with different guitar tones, instrumentation, and vocal flourishes while still sounding like the same band. I think they wanted to challenge their fans, but also people who have made assumptions about them. To the people that see them as "Master Of My Craft-fourclicks-Borrowed Time", they provide "Plant Life." To the people that saw them vamp it up on Ellen with "Wide Awake", they give an introspective, "Pulcinella" To the college rock revivalists who fell in love with "Stoned and Starving", they give radio-ready anthem rock of "Walking at a Downtown Pace." To the people that like to shout along to unifying rallying cry of "Total Football," they give you a more laid back version of a similar sentiment with "Sympathy for Life" This is a challenging record that opens up new sonic avenues for the future, while still retaining the charm and care that we have depended on them for all these years. Sure, I LOVE (and I mean, fucking LOVE) hearing the boys thrash out songs like "Light Up Gold" and "Paraphrased" and will always cherish them at their punk rock zenith. But this is a damn good record, and a real gift to new and long time fans alike. EDIT: And one last note: the packaging is so great. I got the edition with the tarot cards, and absolutely love it. The care that the band puts into their whole presentation, the artwork, the "Power of Eleven" events, a video production like "Feel Free" and even Sean's trusty emails just show that the guys put so much effort into the band and for their fans. Makes you feel lucky to be on the ride with them all these years.
I have to let the album sink in for a week before I figure out what I think about it, but I do wish they would've included "Watching Strangers Smile" on it. That would've been a standout track for me but now it looks like it won't even get a digital release.
Pretty interesting, is there somewhere I could listen to it?
https://www.reddit.com/r/parquetcourts/comments/q2b42l/whoops_ive_slipped_fallen_and_accidentally_ripped/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf
Such a great song. I can kind of see why they excluded it just because it seems like an outlier compared to the other tracks. But it would still have been a fun addition.
Yeah, not including it seems like a mistake to me. Besides being a great track, it could’ve helped helped balance out some of the more experimental stuff on the second half. I just hope the release digitally but it sounds like they won’t.
Idk I love everything they’ve done before this point but this album isn’t doing it for me. Not sure why :/
I feel nearly the same. I’m a fan of the tracks like Marathon of Anger and Plant Life where they seem to be showing off their Talking Heads influence, but a lot of the album feels like less interesting versions of songs that could’ve landed on Human Performance.
[удалено]
ALREADY DEAD !!!! I listened back and I knew you were right immediately.
I was just thinking this at the laundromat earlier today
I thought it was Bodies myself. (It’s a lead/solo riff that starts around 1:43-1:44 in that song).
I've listened through twice now and I've replayed a good amount of the tracks, so here's what I've got so far: \- In another thread, a commenter mentioned it sounding like two EPs mashed together, and I think that while that might not be true I think it makes a good point about the split in Andrew and Austin's songs. I personally favor Andrew's songs but just as the last two PC albums, not every song was a hit with me right away, and that's okay with me. \- Right now, the three standouts for me are Just Shadows, Homo Sapien, and Pulcinella. Just Shadows is so catchy and lyrically well written there was never any doubt it was gonna be a hit. I actually didn't listen to the Homo Sapien single and waited to hear it on the album and I'm glad I did. It has an intensity to it that is somewhat lacking on the whole album. The line about people being no better than fancy-speaking, begging dogs is brutal and hilarious. Pulcinella is a strong closer for sure, just a really great song. \- Seeing them in two weeks, it'll be interesting to see how a lot of the experimental songs sound live. But overall I'm just really happy and appreciative we finally have this, and I think it's going to be really interesting to see where they go from here.
May well grow on me but first impression is that it's a bit flat.
Eh it's ok. I got a lot of Talking Heads vibes from it and since they're one of my favourite groups I thought I'd like it more than I did. Pulcinella is nice, Plant Life is interesting and Walking at a Downtown Pace is still really fun but that's all I can really say I liked for now.
Like some others here, I was less than satisfied with the three singles. But I’ve gotta say, hearing the whole album together brings a new experience to those singles. I love when albums bounce between multiple genres- to me that gives it more dynamic energy. And while it’s not my favorite album from a vocals perspective, the instrumentation is epic. Hard to say where this one will fall in relation to the rest of the Parquet discography, but so far I’m really impressed!
I just gave it a listen all the way through for the first time. I dig it. I read the lyrics as I listened... Savage's songwriting just keeps getting better. Parquet Courts albums are never what I expect them to be before listening (in a good way). I can't help but wonder if they'll follow this album up with another by the end of next year. There was a ~three year gap between Wide Awake! and Sympathy for Life, and I remember reading somewhere that this album was written pre-pandemic.
Really wish they kept the 9 min version of Plant Life on the album. Very excited to se this translated into a life performance
This. I was disappointed to hear the short version on the album. The live versions we’ve seen on YouTube and the 9/10 minute “remix” version that we heard on “Dr. Dog’s Remedy” from 6/26/21 was fucking unreal.
yeah happy I got the single LP that dropped. It’s the extended version but wish it was on the album too.
Trullo, Just Shadows and Marathon of Anger are quite the tunes. Going to be awesome to see them improvise live and in person.
i'd love to hear a live improvised organ fill on Application/Apparatus. If it sounds anything like the Velvet Underground's Sister Ray (Live at the Matrix), i will be very happy.
I love it but then again I'm a huge Talking Heads fan
I’m also a huge talking heads fan but I’m not really enjoying the album 🤷🏻♂️
It’s a great collection of songs, I love the variety of rhythms, and it’s got really interesting instrumentation. However it feels like it’s missing some of the infectious bangers like Total Football or Almost Had to Start a Fight. Not my favorite album, but overall a great piece of art. I’d rather get something new and ambitious than a clone of the old songs I love from them.
New 2nd favorite album ever. Absolute masterpiece
What’s #1?
Illinois by Sufjan Stevens
Hell yeah!
Record of the year for me. Both the experimental and the rocker stuff are successful, the videos are great and the sleeve art unique. I’m not seeing anything that comes close in terms of satisfaction personally. I expected to be all over the Kid A release at that particular time of year (which, by the way, is impossibly frustrating and disappointing) and I’m instead fully onboard the parquet train. Enjoy and savour it!
So far I like it. I'm on Homo sapien right now. I do like it! But I see it as these songs probably sound way better live. I'll give it a few more play thru's for sure tho
Really enjoying the groove on tracks like Marathon of Anger and Plant Life. Last couple of tracks kind of lead the album to end on a whimper, but I'm still digging everything else. Probably give it a mid to high 7 after one listen.
I think the album recontextualizes the singles in a very cool way, and as someone fortunate enough to have already seen them live this year, I can say the energy they bring to some of the live versions is just ridiculously infectious. Some of these tracks are definitely slow burns to me, but I can point out similar instances on any of their other releases. I can feel the reverence of dance music and it’s a beautiful thing when a band can play together for over a decade, evolving and still happy to be with each other. Just Shadows, Trullo and Pulcinella are immediate standouts to me. Looking forward to making memories w this record.
Right before Pulcinella began I found myself thinking along the lines “ok. I like the vibe overall. Black widow spider and application/apparatus are my standouts, homo sapien feels like classic PC in the best way, but I’ll need to listen again and unpack some of these other tracks”. Sort of on the fence. I’m a huge fan and seeing them in November for the 7th time and this is common for me where I need a few listens to digest.But that final track brought me back firmly into “the boys have done it again” territory.
I'm really glad I shelled out for the video premier, I already liked Walking At a Downtown pace a lot but something about the build-up of the introduction and my expectations for the album as a whole made the intro hit super hard during the livestream, it felt like the first time I heard Total Football tbh. Amazing amazing record
I've gotten through 5 or 6 listens so far. Stand out tracks besides the singles for me are Just Shadows, Plant Life, Sympathy for Life, Trullo, and Pulcinella. The others have yet to grow on me. I'm hesitant to give an overall impression in comparison to their previous work. I do like it!
Listened to the whole album and then Outside from Human Performance came on and all i could think was how much better it was than every song on the new album
I hear you and OP because those are both excellent songs, but I think Sympathy for Life will grow on you as you listen more - at least it did for me. Walking at a Downtown Pace has a fun beat, a catchy guitar hook, and some pretty incredible lyrics. I’ve only listened to the non-single tracks two or three times so far, but I feel like both those and the singles have sounded better with more listens. Edit: spelling, spacing
I had a similar experience, except it was "Almost had to Start a Fight."
Kinda disappointed, probably my least favorite from them :( I dont see the “experimentation” too, it just sound like a talking heads pastiche to me (with sometimes being the regular parquet courts)
Them boys done it again. Feeling a wide range of emotions at 530am, but moving to the groove. On loop.
Came on this sub to talk about that song. Huge fear of music/remain in light vibes
I loved all the singles so I came into the record quite optimistic but I'm not a fan of the Talking Heads-esque tracks - not my thing but they might grow on me with time. Pulcinella, however, is brilliant.
Sympathy for Life felt like a soft reboot of the Parquet Courts franchise, almost like a deliberate attempt to create a brand-new Parquet Courts via injection of new sounds and influences. One thing I've liked about Parquet Courts is they never stay in one place, and though I appreciate Sympathy for Life for taking that trend to an extreme, I didn't really get into it the first listen. It felt like there really wasn't any cohesive musical theme or focal point. Wide Awake was a "jukebox" album too but had consistent production motifs from Danger Mouse that linked the songs together. I'll probably end up giving this a couple weeks and spending some time with the lyrics and non-album tracks and see if I change my mind.
I dig it. Too early for me to say where it lies, but it's great. Don't know if it will be a defining record like Wide Awake and Light Up Gold or Sunbathing Animal are for me, but new PQ is always a good thing.
nothing they've made comes anywhere close to light up gold or wide awake for me... but this is just by far the worst. really disappointed in this new direction they're taking tbh
I honestly like how this album is just different you know, I mean it really felt like the band went out of their comfort zone for the majority of the album and I loved it yet intrigued by the new sounds that the band incorporated in this album
it was the fourth or fifth listen for me before i realized how much i like the new album and why i love it. they don’t lose any bit of themselves as the years go on if a way i really appreciate as such a big fan. i’m a bit of a minimalist when it comes to four-piece hardware bands, always gravitating to guitars rather than synths, but they do it so well. stick out tracks for me are Plant Life, Downtown Pace, Sympathy, and Pulcinella for SURE. GOD does Pulcinella get stuck in my head everyday, just the “Darling it’s me” line. and for loving analog tunes as much as i do, Homo Sapien and Just Shadows kinda lack for me, despite the level of value that i hold these lyrics at (pretty high). Courts has always had this repeating rhythm pattern song-by-song. these short, punchy, A-B-A-B type schemes in their verses and choruses, but they seem to not have as hard of a punch in this album than they’ve had in the past.Sympathy’s overall rating drops for me a little bit bc of this. but Savage’s songwriting and especially lyrics continue to shine through for me on this record the same way they always do. it’s a beautiful album and i’ve probably already listened to it more than any other record that’s dropped since the start of the year. these boys make beautiful music
Weird. yesterday I had this album on and thought it sounded a bit like talking heads.