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Parquet Courts are an indy rock crew from Brooklyn by way of Texas. They have recently been sticking their instruments into the ears of the mainstream on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and NPR. They hit the sold out TT the Bear's in support of their new Sunbathing Animals disk. They hit it hard. Andrew Savage on guitar and vocals stage right and Austin Brown stage left on the other guitar and vocals lend Parquet Courts a diverse set of six string and vocal options. Savage sets up the basic blueprint on opener Drivin' and Cryin'; insistent vocals, decent lyrics, fast, high rpm strum interlaced with Brown's, squibs, solos and riffs2. Dosey doe, turn around, change partners, do it again. You might hear a little Dino Jr. there, or a bit of Sonic Youth here. Or, you might find a pinch of the first Modern Lovers album a slab of Pavement or a touch of the Velvets depending on your predilection.

   It's tough to be brand new. No sin there. On this night the band is like up and coming boxer Canelo Alvarez - good, but not yet great. The parts are greater than the sum of the whole. The crowd at TT's disagrees. They are ready to go in a post collegiate, reasonably employed kind of way. They do some polite slamming. More up and down than back and forth. No crazy rams bashing heads, no army navy boot soles flying. Someone does loose a sneaker.

   A number of tunes prove that the hype isn't without merit. Black and White brought the punk and punched a hole through the crowd. The mid-set, slowly-told story of Dear Ramona gauged the reach of the fighters. It set up the whip snap one two punch of the jabbing Master of My Craft and the crunching left hook of Borrowed Time. Instant Disassembly gave us three minutes in the corner to sway and collect our wits. Into the Garden took a cue from WWE to address the diminishing returns of microphone and stand flagellation. In the end, the technique was solid, everyone went the distance, but no knockout - call it a draw.

Parquet Courts
Parquet Courts
Parquet Courts
Parquet Courts
Parquet Courts