Album review: Sympathy for Life marks a point of evolution for Parquet Courts
Brooklyn-based rock quartet, Parquet Courts, released their seventh LP, Sympathy For Life on Friday, October 22. Parquet Courts’ seventh studio album marks a point of significant evolution for the band.
Three years have passed since the band released the masterful and spirited “Wide Awake,” an album that made ‘best-of’ lists worldwide that year.
Sympathy For Life marks a point of creative growth for Parquet Courts. While the band has experimented far outside their sound before, with albums Milano and Monastic Living, those seemed to be singular efforts, whereas Sympathy For Life seems more like a permanent expansion of the band’s sound. It is easily Parquet Courts’ most complex effort.
Originally set for issue in 2020, the group decided to hold the release during the lock-down and worked on the album almost every day in some form or fashion, even modifying the album artwork.
The first track, “Walking at a Downtown Pace,” opens the album in familiar territory, delivering a sound that is unmistakably Parquet Courts’ signature. There is a layer of complexity and incorporation of guitar work that is not typical of the Brooklyn quartet’s previous work.
“Black Widow Spider,” the second number on the LP, marks the early point of the album at which Parquet Courts delves into a more psychedelic, post-punk sound. It becomes immediately clear that the band has experimented with their sound, and it works. This pleasantly surprising trend continues throughout the album’s track list.
With “Marathon of Anger,” the band introduces prominent electronic elements, slowing the tempo significantly. “Just Shadows” takes Sympathy For Life back to a more familiar Courts delivery, before expanding upon previous sound exploration with “Plant Life.”
The album’s title track is an ultra-funky instrumental number that, while adding to the depth and variety, feels like an intermission.
The trippy, experimental “Trullo” yet again takes the LP into new territory just before Sympathy For Life culminates with the contemplative, bluesy number, “Pulcinella.” It is a moving close to an album that covers such vast musical terrain.
Parquet Courts’ seventh studio album marks a point of significant evolution for the band. Not only that, but also displays the inordinate range and talent of the NYC-based four piece. Somehow, Parquet Courts manages to orchestrate a vast variety of sounds in fascinating fashion.
Catch the NYC band at legendary Austin music venue and restaurant, Stubb’s BBQ on November 19. Tickets are still available. Additionally the band is raising funds for women’s reproductive health. This statement appears on the Stubb’s ticketing page for their show next month:
Parquet Courts have partnered with PLUS1 so that $1 from every ticket goes towards the PLUS1 x NOISE FOR NOW Reproductive Health Access Fund, which supports grassroots organizations working throughout the USA to provide and protect our reproductive rights.
This record is a snapshot of Parquet Courts’ evolution musically. The songs are unmistakably the Courts but the material is more complex while expanding or pushing the envelope artistically like good artists do.
Andrew Savage (vocals/guitar)
Austin Brown (vocals/guitar/keyboards)
Sean Yeaton (bass/vocals)
Max Savage (drums/percussion/backing vocals)
