The Fashionably Late Top 60 of 2014 #32: Parquet Courts

2014 was quite a year. Not the best of years, on a personal level, but a rather good year from a music standpoint. Having given a listen to record after record after record from the year that was, I’ve pulled together a list of favorites, finding it next to impossible to whittle the list down any further beyond 60 (I tried). In this group of 60 you’ll find records from old, faithful friends, upstart newcomers, and even a headscratcher or two. You’ll probably see some records that were a Big Deal not on this list. I either didn’t bite or didn’t buy the hype. I’m pleased as punch with this list, and I hope you’ll come across something that might have otherwise passed you by. And so, without further ado, my favorite records of 2014.

WHO: Parquet Courts

WHAT: Sunbathing Animal

WHEN: June 2014

WHERE: What's Your Rupture

WHY: I'm admittedly a novice to the wonderful world of Parquet Courts (or Parkay Quarts if you're nasty), but I'm learning fast. The droll, decidedly bumpy ride of Sunbathing Animal is not to be missed. They will saw your lumber, they will inspire your outlandish dancefloor solo, they will soundtrack your car sticky summer car rides with the windows down. At times they sound almost like a branch of the Beat Happening tree, though with fewer sharp angles and more muddiness, and I don't know about y'all but I dig that a whole heck of a lot. And these dudes get bonus points for throwing Moleskine into a song lyric ("Dear Ramona"). If you somehow missed this one when it was released, there's no time like the present to get to it. 

My jams: “Bodies Made Of,” “Black and White,” “Dear Ramona,” “Always Back In Town,” “Sunbathing Animal,” “Up All Night,” “Instant Disassembly,” “Ducking and Dodging,” “Black and White 7inch Version”





[posted 4.25.15]