PARQUET COURTS - Sunbathing Animal (What’s Your Rapture/Mom & Pop)

Disclaimer: The words “slacker” or “Pavement” will not be used in this review.

Everybody who’s cool knows that the best debut album (that was actually their second record) that came out in 2013 (but actually came out in late 2012) was Parquet Courts’ Light Up Gold. But a buzz band is only as good as their second record (the second one to come after people are paying attention, that is) and da Courtz do not disappoint with Sunbathing Animal.

The most well known jam off their last record was the sprawling kraut rock ode to being high and hungry, “Stoned and Starving” (sidenote: I will be stealing “High and Hungry” for a song that will in no way sound like the Parquet one.) In interviews, the band has said that they’ve shied away from that song and its connotations (at least that’s why I think the interviews I vaguely read while bored at work said), to avoid being pigeonholed. They did keep one thing; the intense motorik groove of that earlier tune drives a lot of the best songs here: “Black and White” is a less poppy sister (with insane guitar breaks as well) and the title track’s blazing Ramones speed and lack of chords could also be traced back to “Stoned.” That’s not to imply the band only has one trick up their sleeve, in fact as much as I like those tunes, I find myself drawn to the Courts’ more expansive and experimental tracks. Taking queues from “He’s Seein’ Paths,” an eight minute pseudo-rap song (more Beck than Wu-Tang) about a weed delivery boy in Brooklyn from their last EP, the band allows songs like “She’s Rollin’” and standout “Instant Disassembly” to stretch out in ways that would’ve sounded out of place on the last LP. The former ultimately gets bogged down with a long feedback-y harmonica solo but “Instant Disassembly” is an instant… classic that will almost certainly populate hip sad boys’ lovelorn mix tapes for years to come.

The overwhelming sense I get so far from these boys is that they're meant to last. Even though not everything works, they keep pushing their sound and put out exceptional records at a great clip. Pin your hopes on these guys, they’re keepers.

Guided by Voices – Cool Planet (Guided By Voices Inc.)

Since reuniting in 2010, Guided by Voices have put out six records and an EP. Some bands never make it to six, ever. This is the 20-somethingth LP by the band, depending on what you’re counting. That’s more than the so-called “classic” lineup put out in their heyday (if you don’t count the fact that GBV just swapped “classic” drummer Kevin Fennell, who tried to sell his GBV drum kit for 55k, for “late period” drummer Kevin March.)

Did I mention that Guided by Voices are my favorite band ever? I have 907 songs of theirs on my iPod (and that doesn’t include solo Bob Pollard or his many side projects.) Being a GBV fan is hard work and costs a lot of money if you’re a vinyl aficionado like me. But it’s all worth it for songs like the title track here, which is a heavy hitter of Who-proportions with wonderful overlapping melodies that just beg you to start the song over again. It’s a Perfect Pollard Pop P’Song (the “P” is silent.) Dude can still hit me in the “damn this is an amazing song” spot six or seven times a record (“Table at Fool’s Tooth,” “Bad Love is Easy to Do,” “The Pan Swimmers” among this record’s successes.) The crucial difference between “classic” lineup GBV and “late period” is the inclusion songwriter and guitarist Tobin Sprout. Toby is the George to Bob’s John, Paul and Ringo. I’m not entirely sure what to make of the supremely catchy “All American Boy,” which kind of sounds like Tobin is making a really hilarious joke to himself throughout the take (it’s hard to explain), but it is a highlight, along with Toby’s amazingly titled “Ticket to Hide.”

It’s also great to have drummer Kevin March back on board. He’s a studio drummer first and foremost who played with the band’s “late period” (distinguished by amazing guitarist Doug Gillard playing killer lead guitar.) Part of the reason “classic” GBV sounds so lo-fi is the sloppy drumming of now-departed Fennell. Forgetting all the behind the scenes drama, his playing hampered the reunion LPs by being noticeably off-rhythm sometimes.

I will say that even for a hardcore fan like me, it feels a bit like oversaturation. I’d barely had time to get to know Motivational Jumpsuit, which was released in February. I also can’t imagine someone trying to get into the band through one of these reunion records. They’re all good if you’re already a fan, but I don’t know what the appeal of another hit and miss mid-fi LP holds for a casual listener. But in a world where my favorite TV show Community will no longer be airing episodes, I appreciate my favorite band continuing to give me new material.

Long live Rockathon.

STEPHEN MALKMUS & THE JINKS - Wig Out At Jagbag's (Matador)

But I'm not here to talk about that. I'm here to talk about the Slackmaster's new record, Wig Out At Jagbags. Is it just me or are the 90s-alt heroes aging better than their 60s, 70s and 80s contemporaries? Middle age is supposed to be an age of irrelevance:
G reatest hits tours and unloved new records. However, bands like Guided by Voices, Sonic Youth (RIP), and Dinosaur JR are still churning out respectable records that are at least in the same ballpark as their classic eras. Same goes for Malkmus. While none of
his records have been as good as anything Pavey did (actually it's a toss up between Terror Twilight, the last Pavement record, and Malkmus' self-titled first solo record,) each one has its own merits and show an artist who is still vital.

Malkmus solo records started getting progressively more and more jammy until 2011's Beck-produced Mirror Traffic. It was 15 taut and poppy classic rock songs and was possibly the most fun record he's put out on his own. Wig Out at Jagbags is of a similar ilk. The best thing about this record is "Lariat," easily my favorite song Malkmus has put
out since Pavement. It's a sweet, rollicking song about nostalgia with bookish lyrics and an impossibly catchy melody. Only "Scattegories" is clearly a filler track, everything else is here is pretty fantastic.

Slack on, Stephen.

Albert Hammond, Jr. – AHJ (Cult Records)

Anyone who knows me knows I have a weird thing for the Strokes. Obsessive. Sexual, even (maybe.) A lot of that fixation rests on the shoulders of formerly floppy-haired guitarist Albert Hammond, Jr. He was always my idol growing up and I love his solo records as much as I love the ones from his main gig. I was overjoyed to hear he was resuming his solo career, especially with the Strokes seemingly on hold. This EP, “AHJ,” seems to be a quick release to get Albert back on the road before finishing a full LP since it feels a little tossed off. The first track "St. Justice," has those twinkling "12:51" guitars, a sweet melody and builds exquisitely. "Strange Tidings" and "Cooker Ship" with their familiar interlocking guitars are both pretty and catchy, but they both wash off quickly. BUT first single "Rude Customer" rides. It is much groovier and aggressive than anything Hammond has released (solo, that is) and is definitely the standout of the set. Certainly there's nothing like "GFC" or "Everyone Gets A Star" from his earlier records, which still bounce around my iPod frequently. Overall, the EP feels a lot more in debt to the Strokes than his sunny Beatle-esque first two releases. Perhaps Albert felt obliged to cover classic Strokes territory while the band seeks out synthier pastures. Still, I love Albert so I'm super stroked to have him back, but if you have normal feelings towards the Strokes, it's probably not an essential listen.

Parquet Courts - Tally All the Things You Broke (What’s Your Rapture)

Well, this is disappointing. Stoner punks and hype monsters Parquet Courts follow up last year's amazing debut "Light Up Gold" with essentially a single billed as an EP. Lead off track "You've Got Me Wonderin' Now," is one of the best rock and roll songs of 2013. Its frenzied motorik groove, simple blues progression, flute solo, and sardonic lyrics about heartbreak ("I guess sunburn's better than heartburn…barely") all come together perfectly for a "hot damn this is a BAND" moment, much like the best tracks from their debut LP. Unfortunately, it's followed by four very forgettable b-sides. "Descend (The Way)" is the only truly okay one of the bunch. Everything is very yell-y and it all blends together. I'll give them some recognition for doing the goofy pseudo-rap Beck send-up (or modern Weezer, if you wanna be mean) "He's Seein' Paths." The tune is charming in its ramshackle lo-fi way, but then goes on for way too long with a silly out-of-tune flute solo. It was probably fun to record but not so much to listen to. At least it shows the band willing to try on new hats. So once again, listen to the first track and then flip back to "Light Up Gold," cause that shit is a modern classic.

ARCTIC MONKEYS – AM
(Domino Records)

What early 2000s band with a killer debut record has managed to stay relevant? Any? I'll defend the Strokes until my dying breath, but I'm probably one of a handful who still devours each and every record, side project, and NME interview they do. While every kid who came of age in the early to mid 2000's will always hold a candle for the Bloc Partys and Killers of the world as they stake out eternal claims on the bigger, but not biggest font on festival posters, very few have managed to continue putting out quality (and relevant) records.

Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not, the first Arctic Monkeys record, was the fastest selling debut of all time. They were heralded as the voices of a generation (which the NME had bestowed on the likes of the Strokes and even Franz Ferdinand before them.) Flash forward to now, and the band is still as popular as ever. With legions of Tumblr-crazed fans, press (especially British) that adores them, and arena status, they've managed to be the one band who still has it all. They just headlined Glastonbury and played the Olympics.

Why? Cause they're still damn good. On their own, Matt Helders' powerhouse drumming and Alex Turner's lyrical prowess would be enough to hold a band for years but together they're nearly unstoppable. This new record, AM, to me seems like a second stab at their only sorta blunder, 2009's Humbug. That record announced that the band was no longer a bunch of jerky teenagers and were now drug-doing adult rock stars... It just needed more songs (although the singles from that record certainly stand up to their best work.)
This record takes that sexy, stoned, desert vibe and actually does good on it. While I've never been the biggest fan of the band's Queens of the Stone Age-esque jams, this record is full of them and most are pretty good. The band is a little goofier here than ever before, like on the "War Pigs"-aping "Arabella." Frontman Alex Turner deadpans lyrics like "Arabella's got some interstellar gator skin boots," showing simultaneously that he still has a knack for turning phrases and that he's finally just having fun (the "voice of a generation" title has to weigh down on a man.) The ballad "No. 1 Party Anthem" is the centerpiece of the record, where Turner perfectly captures the vibe of feeling rightly buzzed and totally bummed that the girl you came to hook up with has gone off with another bloke. "Anthem" and "Mad Sounds" are similar in their light 60s balladeer sound to Turner's stellar solo score for the film "Submarine." Ultimately, some of the riffy, mid-tempo songs kind of blend together, and "AM" can't top 2011's "Suck It and See" which was my favorite record of that year. They're not perfect - none of those millennial bands we put all our hope into are - but they've kept up a great and solid track record, and I look forward to getting older with them.

FIDLAR (Mom & Pop Music)

Well, shit. How did no one come up with a chorus that goes "I! DRINK! CHEAP! BEER! SO! WHAT! FUCK! YOU!" before?

So goes the chorus of FIDLAR's "Cheap Beer," the opening tune on their self-titled debut album. This is a band that kicks ass, one that favors being rock stars in a time where former punk Billie Joe Armstrong has to go to rehab for being a little naughty on TV. This is not the only song on their record that includes a reference to drinking or drugs or any such shenanigans, in fact, almost every song has at least one or two. If that's not your thing, FIDLAR probably doesn't give a fuck. This album rules. It's probably already my favorite record of 2013. Now, let's talk about the tunes: pop-punk classics "Max Can't Surf" and "Wake Bake Skate," have both appeared online as singles for a few months now and both feature that kinda shouty, catchy-as-hell chorus that FIDLAR may not have come up with (see Descendants, the Damned, hell, even Blink-182) but owns so well. My favorite jams on this record have to be "5 to 9," which sounds like Blink or Green Day before they discovered U2 or rock operas, and "Gimme Something," which is a kinda-acoustic, sorta-love song (but perhaps about drugs instead of girls) that almost sounds like Creedence. The album does get a little same-y as the hooks run out towards the end of Side 2 and could've maybe benefited by including their non-album single with Kate Nash, "Awkward," or maybe trimming a tune or two. But still, all-in-all one of the most exciting debuts I've heard in a long time.