Keep It On The Inside

Parquet Courts “Bodies”

It grates on me so much when people say that bands “sound like Pavement,” because they never really do. It’s usually just code for “indie rock band, dude can’t sing.” And while Malkmus is very far from a technically proficient singer, he’s a guy who has a remarkably expressive voice, and that – along with the seemingly effortless grasp of melody and an innate, casual swing to the way he and the others played – is what makes Pavement sound like Pavement. Parquet Courts is a pretty decent indie rock band, but they sound way more like a band who definitely likes Pavement a lot than Pavement. Andrew Savage can sometimes come close to that casual swing here and there, but he and his band can’t help but sound kinda uptight. That’s a really good thing on “Bodies,” which has a vague, neurotic charge to it that makes it feel exciting and evocative. Savage’s voice works here too – he sounds like an anxious guy trying to seem super chill. Sometimes his voice is too flat and dull for me to take, but this is the best approach for him.

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