There's always something about Parquet Courts where it feels like a put-on. It's like a bunch of smart-asses picked up guitars, etc. I get it. The trick for me with Parquet Courts has been to listen for a riff that's especially fierce, or a hook that lodges in the head. And here, on the new solo album from the band's A. Savage, that whole smart-ass thing is here in my head again.
Several Songs About Fire is blues-y, and roots-y, but who knows if it's all a ruse or a genuine new direction for Andrew Savage. While opener "Hurtin' or Healed" has a certain swagger, "Elvis in the Army" seems more fully realized, and so fairly memorable. "My My, My Dear" has a nice melody that is at odds with Savage's plain vocals. The contrast creates something interesting, and there's a kind of laconic quality to the whole thing that works. Elsewhere, "Mountain Time", like gentle closer "Out of Focus", finds Savage with his heart on his sleeve. Things seem more natural on these numbers, with the singer veering a tiny bit into territory once mapped by Smog and Palace.
All that said, there's something detached here, like with any Parquet Courts record too, where the style at hand seems like something being tried on. Maybe A. Savage means it. Maybe it doesn't matter. On Several Songs About Fire there's enough to earn this a recommendation from me because, as you can tell, I do like Parquet Courts. They confuse me and confound me sometimes, but they're interesting. And sometimes that's enough. A. Savage is interesting too, and hearing him dabble in other genres kept me entertained, with a couple of these melodies actually being pretty lovely.
Several Songs About Fire by A. Savage is out on Friday. Details below.
[Photo: Vince McClelland]