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Anders Parker
Anders Parker
(Baryon)
First Appeared in The Music Box, January 2007, Volume 14, #1
Written by John Metzger
In crafting his latest album, Anders Parker brought Wilco
drummer Ken Coomer, Son Volt pedal steel player Eric Heywood, and guitarist Kirk
Swan (from Steve Wynn’s band) on board to support him, and the results are
exactly what one might expect. Much of the self-titled effort drifts past in a
dreamlike fashion, and, at times, the outing’s mellow, melancholy mood is so
unassuming that it’s easy to miss the potency of Parker’s material. Oh,
Monkeywrench, for example, is a mournful reflection upon western society’s
culture of mass consumption, while False Positive takes a shot at the
neo-cons who recently were booted out of office. Elsewhere, Proof
intertwines spiritual quests and carnal urges as Parker ponders the existence of
both God and love, and Belated is a touchingly apologetic confession of
devotion in the wake of a forgotten birthday. Although the music is drenched in
the flavors of alt-country and distorted indie rock, it more firmly is enmeshed
within the hushed and hazy etherealness of folk-pop. Pervading the eponymous
endeavor is an air of somber resignation, and only the tangle of guitars that
careens in Neil Young-ian fashion from the final chorus of Dear Sara and
the steady groove of Pajarito — which also bends the bright acoustic
guitars of Crosby, Stills & Nash around the dark and eerily ominous intonations
of Pink Floyd — bear hints of how agitated Parker is with the status quo.
Perhaps if he had shown a similar sense of urgency on several other tunes, the
collection might not have sounded as casual as it does. Nonetheless, there’s a
quiet beauty that clings to his bruised and battered refrains, and the shadowy
echoes that reverberate through the affair continue to haunt long after its
songs have finished playing. 
Anders Parker is available from
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Ratings
1 Star: Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!
Copyright © 2007 The Music Box
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