Parquet Courts and Matthew E. White

[Harold]

I thought I'd give this issue its own thread, as it keeps coming up repeatedly in the Mega-Critic postings:

Both Parquet Courts' "Light Up Gold" and Matthew E. White's "Big Inner" were initially released on small labels during 2012 (and, in fact, both earned a few points on the AM EOY spreadsheet), but they didn't begin to receive wider distribution and attention, including most of their reviews, until January. They definitely deserve to be included on Mega-Critic, although they will be noted as 2012 releases when the spreadsheet is compiled for this year.

[Matski]

Hmm, thanks for the info. Perhaps it may be better to ask Otisredding to post a conspicuous note at the top each new MCCh thread (or by both album entries) instead, as this thread could likely end up lost in the mire of threads to come.

[Jackson]

I don't have an answer to the question at hand, but this thread did remind me to stop putting off listening to Light Up Gold, which turned out to be a really, really fun album. Same appeal as 90s indie like Slanted & Enchanted.

[Matski]

Agreed on the early Pavement vibe. Kinda hits a ground somewhere between them and maybe the Minutemen. Those that don't like bands digging up old sounds probably should avoid it but if you love American alternative rock from mid-late 80s / early 90s, it's definitely worth checking out.

To the topic at hand: Not sure if this got added to the 2012 list or if it just hasn't made the 2013 list yet but like both 'Big Inner' and 'Light Up Gold', John Murry's sophomore album - 'The Graceless Age' also received its original release in 2012 but was re-released on a much wider scale earlier this year too.