Parkside : "The Disintegration Service" Ep

Parkside, a 5-piece from The Netherlands, draw on a variety of influences to produce a sound that is distinctively their own. This release, "The Disintegration Service" Ep is intended as a sampler for their forthcoming album, which is due out in November 2006. Going on this evidence, it may be an extremely interesting record.

According to their bio, we should "think of Radiohead's Kid A, but with a little more a song to hold onto" when describing their sound. One member also has a talent of "making his guitar sound like (composer) Erik Satie, while another has mastered the art of copying and pasting everyday sounds and incorporating them in the songs as instruments.

As stated before, this Dutch troupe have an abundance of influences. The strongest and most apparent , to my ears, is Belgian rockers dEUS. However, they also braid there music with samples and electronics, similar to UK act Tunng.

This is most notable on opening track "A Million Scientists", where Parkside share the same experimentation and keen sense of melody as their lowland counterparts. This track builds purposefully with a driving rythmn and plucked guitar work, befor the lead singer voiciferates theatrically at the chorus, sounding not unlike Fugazi's Ian MacKaye. It is a very strong opening effort.

"Into The Void", however, doesn't build on the good work of the first track. Although, there are some pleasing touches, such as the electronic bursts throughout, the song doesn't seem to go anywhere. In fact,it kind of reminds me of a latter day U2, and that is never a good thing.

Final track, "The Disintegration Service", though, restores some of the momentum that was lost. It shows a band willing to innovate, but without hampering their ability to create well-structured songs. I really like the mellow synths scattered throughout, which are also complimented by beautiful violin sounds that weave in and out.

This Ep certainly shows why Parkside are a favourite on the Dutch live circuit. In fact, the band will soon be performing a webcast where we can also witness their live spectacle. With two songs from three, hitting home it is not a bad release at all. It hints that the album proper could be a diverse and extremely creative affair.

Listen to Parkside here, download "The Disintegration Service" for free here, and tune into their webcast on September 28th midnight CET here.