It’s easy to write off punk-rock as grimy, distorted music dependent on high-energy and fast, palm-muted guitar. The songs are often short, the lyrics unintelligible. But some musicians manage to master this style and translate it into compelling, emotional works. In their latest album, Human Performance, Parquet Courts accomplishes this, to an extent. The record tells a story of loss, entrapment, idleness and boredom by taking full advantage of the subtle nuances that the punk genre offers.
From group-shouted choruses to punk-ballads, the unique vocals stand out to make this album particularly captivating. Lead singer Andrew Savage, known for his spoken-style singing, shows a range that depends on the emotion in his voice over his singing ability. On the short track “I Was Just Here,” Savage’s voice is deep and bassy, giving the song an eerie, disturbing tone. The vocals suddenly change on the track that follows, “Steady On My Mind,” in which Savage morosely whispers out the lyrics as if he is on the verge of tears.
This emotional range seen in Human Performance is impressive. Abstract metaphors slowly tie together to reveal a character who has lost love and now handles feelings of loss and confusion. “Captive of the Sun” and “Berlin Got Blurry” reflect how one can feel trapped as a stranger wherever he or she goes. Lyrics like “Funny how a sameness cannot be distinguished/Strangeness is relieving when you’re pointed out,” hint at sadness in the album’s story; periods of high energy drop off into somber verses with more introspective lyrics in several songs on the album.
The tone of the album appears cohesive after a listen or two, but often, the message of the album gets lost in tracks that appear incoherent with the work as a whole. Sure, there needs to be room for fun tracks that come out hard, loud, and fast, but the track order of an album like this is key. At times, the order here seems incorrect, like when the entertaining “Two Dead Cops” transitions directly into the similar song “Pathos Prairie,” making the latter seem like a generic punk song thrown in for the hell of it.
Although Savage’s words dictate the tone, the tracks do not depend on vocals alone. The rest of the band, including Savage’s brother Max, the band’s drummer, creates the perfect background that allows listeners to understand the often outlandish ideas expressed in the lyrics. This includes usage of different punk subgenre techniques, notably surfer punk and psychedelic style. The album’s introductory track, “Dust,” among others, features simple, beachy riffs and steady drums that become the core of the song. The more trippy elements of the album come from a refreshing usage of soft keyboards, as seen in the album’s titular track.
Human Performance marks Parquet Courts’ fifth album release in six years. Punk revival stays alive through bands such as this. The Ramones turned out fourteen albums in only nineteen years, all short, fun, and passionate with running times typically under 45 minutes. Parquet Courts shows a growing maturity in this album and are steadily on their way to achieving a status comparable to the Kings of Rockaway Beach.
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