Parquet Courts - Human Performance

Parquet Courts
Human Performance
2016
Spotify

The thing about Parquet Courts is that they are a critics wet dream. Very eclectic, very indie and for most people not all that great. They have all the hallmarks of the band your pretentious friend will never shut up about. Pavement often falls into this category as well and that is why some many comparisons are drawn between the two. Much of the music off of their fifth full length album Human Performance is really cerebral, with tracks ranging from barely a minute to over six. There are elements from a wide array of genres but combining this many influences makes the music sound muddled. "Captive of the Sun" which has this insane almost hip hop delivery manages to be both bad at hip hop and at indie in the same song. It is hard to imagine where this song could have come from but it really is one of the worst on the entire album. Almost every track features some kind of confusing element that completely throws you off save for a few. One of the standouts is "Steady On My Mind" because it is so simple and nice. It does not try to be something it is not it simply just is. While a lot of people will say that this record has a warm sound to it, in reality it just feels kind of dated.

"One Man No City" which is supposed to encapsulate the fast paced movement of New York City, but it ends up being this almost call and response of "No City!" over and over again. This would be fine if the song was getting us somewhere but after almost six and a half minutes we really haven't gone anywhere. It feels like a jam sesh put to wax, not a well crafted song. Lyrically however this is a really solid record. Their use of words far supersedes their musical ability that much is abundantly clear. "Berlin Got Blurry" is the best song on the album with a splashy guitar line and an almost nouveau surf rock style and you can see where their style can actually come together. The disconnect between the critical reception of this record seems to be between liking something because it's good and liking something because it's smart. While a great deal of Human Performance is very, very smart it lacks the understanding that smart alone does not make for a truly enjoyable album, you need some heart in there too.

5.0 out of 10