Tally All the Things That You Broke
On last winter's neck-jerkingly fast Light Up Gold – one of the year's best debuts – Brooklyn's Parquet Courts sounded like apostles of Jonathan Richman and the Minutemen, mixing smart-stoner musings with turtle-jaw-tight playing. This EP is leaner and looser: "You've Got Me Wonderin' Now" is a speedy heartbreak lament underscored by kids' flute, while "Fall on Yr Face" pairs honkytonk with madman rants – like Howard Beale on karaoke night at a Tex-Mex joint. The biggest reveal is "He's Seeing Paths," a monologue about a city-speeding drug dealer, full of apartment-buzzer blips and subterranean growls. If this is the future of Parquet Courts, it's looking golden.