Parquet Courts

This gang's ‘Light Up Gold’ had the international music press raving like the most hard-core Belieber! NME “Light Up Gold is one of the best debut albums you'll hear all year”, Spin “Parquet Courts' over-the-top energy, speed, and succinctness makes the combination sound fresher than anything the original elements have managed in years.”, The Guardian “Parquet Courts have produced a debut that's both instantly addictive and lastingly rewarding.” and even our national Humo “Realise that you always want more. If we zap through the pop-landscape, we always keeps stopping here to hang out.”, they all fell for them.

The twitchy post-punk of the four Texans who ended up in New York swings, rocks&rolls and maintains a tempo that would even suit the red-spotted jersey on the Mont Ventoux. We hear Wire (in the AT via AB on 21.09) from the Pink Flag debut period, Guided By Voices, Pavement, Minutemen and even The Strokes, in an Americana jacket, with a whopping ‘up yours’-attitude. Just the way we like it.

Their unofficial debut ‘American Specialties’ was only immortalised on cassette (yep, we reckon that's cool) while successor ‘Light Up Gold’ found its way straight into our CD player, from out of the underground and via label What’s Your Rupture (Iceage, Fucked Up). Where it will still be spinning for a while.

To be seen on the first day of Pukkelpop ’13 and after that in your ubiquitously adored AB Club. Fantastic!

Mazes

The Mancunians from Mazes kick it all off. Their second longplayer ‘Ores & Minerals’ received a good report from the press, worldwide, and it loosened comments like “Marvellous, and highly recommended” (The Guardian) and “It's the first great guitar album of the year--stimulating, idiosyncratic, occasionally challenging, but most importantly, jam-packed full of proper tunes” (The Quietus). Addictive idiosyncratic indie-rock on Fatcat Records (Breton, The Growlers, Animal Collective)!