Need to Know: The New Sounds of Late Capitalism
With our column, Need to Know, the Redefining Records team aims to give you exactly that. An extremely short, and concise review of a new release that only gives you the absolute bare-minimum you need to know in order to determine if it’s worth listening to.
STAR PARKS
The New Sounds of Late Capitalism
IS IT WORTH LISTENING TO?
The answer is an overwhelming yes. In the digital age of streaming and Tik Tok, we see musical artists focus less and less on crafting full-length albums and focus more and more on singles and 30-second soundbites. Star Park’s sophomore record, The New Sounds of Late Capitalism is a delightful anomaly.
BEST SONGS
Oh Bordeom (Smchmaltz City, USA)
Something More
All Your Saturdays at Once
WHO’S IT FOR?
Musicians and music nerds. This is an album worth listening to with your full attention and it begs to be appreciated. The production on this thing is frankly visionary, and I believe the band used every instrument known to mankind.
But it’s also easy to get lost in… it doesn’t take any effort to understand what Andrew Bianculli and his SEVEN-piece symphony are going for (did I mention this used to be a solo project?!). The album maintains a genuine sense of accessibility for everyone. You will enjoy these songs if you’re the type of person who loves to feel what they’re listening to. Tracks like "Oh Bordeom (Smchmaltz City, USA)" will make you wanna dance until your toes blister.
Here are some bands that Star Parks reminded me of whilst listening: The Beach Boys, The War On Drugs, Dr. Dog, The Beatles, The Districts, Michael Kiwanuka. So if you like any of those, at least give this a shot, what’s the worst that could happen?
LASTLY, the horns on this album will make your knees weak.
WHAT’S GOOD?
The coolest thing about this album is how it blatantly defies the era we live in, and simultaneously feels very modern. It’s cinematic. These songs could probably soundtrack a thousand films of all varieties. At times you feel like you’re in an old western, and at other times it feels like you’re in Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory.
The flow of each song into the next is carefully calculated. The process turns listening to this album into an experience similar to going to church. You’re joining in on a ceremony with ups and downs, stories and prayers, ecstatic joy and desperation… Or, if church is not your thing, this album can have you imagining yourself in the audience of a circus (in a good way). The instrumentation, lyrical prowess and pure raw energy of this band cannot be understated. Here are some adjectives I wrote down whilst listening: dreamlike, magical, infectious, kidlike, free-spirited, groovy, funky, melancholic, atmospheric, epic... you get the idea.
THAT’S A BUMMER:
I can’t complain too much. If I had to say something, it’s that I could see some people finding the epicness of this album as overwhelming. There are a few moments of respite, on tracks like “Not Now Brian,” “Ask Me,” or “One Big Sigh,” but even those tracks come to fairly epic finishes. Don’t let this deter you though, I’m being nitpicky to fill this paragraph. I suppose if anything, The New Sounds of Late Capitalism is guilty of having too many highs.
ALL IN ALL:
Overall, this album is a classic case of happy/sad. It'll make you feel a huge range of emotions, but ultimately leave you with catharsis over the shared experience created when the songs reminded you of moments in your own life.
