BeatRoute Magazine BC Print Edition May 2018

Iceage - Beyondless Jon Hopkins - Singularity Parquet Courts - Wide Awake!
against a lush, gothic backdrop, complete with buoyant strings and
horns throughout.
Making for an enigmatic combination of Ian Curtis, a snarling
Leonard Cohen, and Mick Jagger fronting the New York Dolls, Singer
and frontman Elias Bender Rønnenfelt is at his dour, poetic best on
Beyondless. While still covering the requisite darker themes and
imagery found on previous releases, Rønnenfelt and co. have crafted
what is essentially a hopeful, occasionally joyous sounding record.
Experimenting heavily, without compromising what made them
unique, and highly buzzed-about years ago, Beyondless is another
step forward for Iceage that further cements their position as one
of the most consistent, ambitious, and thought-provoking modern
punk bands.
• Willem Thomas
MARK KOZELEK
Mark Kozelek
Caledo Verde Records
The ever-prolific Mark Kozelek returns with a beautiful self-titled
album that maintains his signature quotidian lyricism, sparse
instrumentation and reflective warmth. Mark Kozelek is sure to
satisfy longtime fans, but may alienate newcomers to Kozelek’s
particularly dense songwriting style, with tracks that stretch out
beyond the 10-minute mark.
From the first track, we are lulled into the hypnotic, reflective
ramblings of Kozelek’s lyrics; his ability to craft what seem like his
journal entries into a consistent lyricism is astonishing. Kozelek writes
about everything from his relationships, to world events, to what he
had for lunch. Part of the attraction with Kozelek’s lyrics is traversing
not only the physical spaces that Kozelek writes about whilst on
tour but also his mental timeline, drifting through his memories and
finding moments loaded with profound lessons in everyday empathy.
These reflections are all undercut with sparse, gorgeous guitar
melodies, and bouncing backing vocals that are all tied together with
some superb, delicate production.
All of the above will be familiar to long-time listeners, but the
extensive lengths of some tracks may alienate newcomers. However,
if one sticks around, they’re sure to find some beautiful moments in
Mark Kozelek.
• Alex Harrison
PARQUET COURTS
Wide Awake!
Rough Trade Records
Parquet Courts have managed to top themselves with every release
since their first studio album, Light Up Gold, and they continue
to keep their compelling art rock/post punk sound fresh with
every release. Their brand new album, Wide Awake! is certainly no
exception. The band strays from their usual garage rock sound as
they have teamed up with the prevalent producer Danger Mouse
to create a masterpiece of funk/punk fusion that keeps the listener
engaged through its 13 tracks.
Following 2016’s ballad-heavy album Human Performance,
Parquet Courts come through with a punchy and exhilarated record
full of “joy, rage silliness and anger,” according to the band’s frontman
A. Savage. The opening track “Total Football,” makes reference to
football players choice to kneel during the national anthem as a
protest to police brutality and systemic racism. “Total Football,”
along with tracks like “Violence,” “Almost Had to Start a Fight/In and
Out of Patience,” and “NYC Observation” are fast paced, fun, defiant
punk rock songs that will keep you coming back time and again.
• Darren Wright
THE VOIDZ
Virtue
Cult/RCA Records
The outfit formerly known as Julian Casablancas & the Voidz returns
with a new record that feels more streamlined and cohesive than
their last, without losing the experimental edge that makes them
compelling.
2014’s Tyranny was a massive undertaking, blending punk with
synthpop, industrial noise with Caribbean rhythms. While Tyranny
felt messy at times, one could not shake the feeling that the band
was on to something. That something is expanded in their latest
effort, which trades the most alienating, noisy moments of Tyranny
for infectious hooks and a clearer, listener-friendly sound.
Opening track “Leave It In My Dreams” lies in the uncanny valley,
sounding something akin to Casablancas’ main band The Strokes,
yet distancing itself through off-kilter instrumentation and a warped
vocal performance from Casablancas.
The second track, “QYURRYUS,” sees the band diverting into
Eurobeat while Casablancas’ vocals are run through autotune à la
Kanye West’s 808’s and Heartbreak. “Pyramid of Bones” flirts with
the sounds of nu-metal while the acoustic “Think Before You Drink”
serves to handily cut the record in two.
Like Tyranny before it, Virtue is densely political; the record’s
15 tracks see Casablancas croon about propaganda, government
deception and historical wrongdoings.
• Gareth Jones
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