GRAHAM PARKER > Imaginary Television

GRAHAM PARKER

Imaginary Television

(BLOODSHOT)

[Rating: 2 stars]

There are certain veteran rockers whose low-key approach suits their mid-life music. Unlike his former producer, Nick Lowe, Graham Parker isn’t one of them. This powerful singer/songwriter-one of the key strands in punk’s DNA- does his best work with a noisy band, one that goads Parker to bring the hooks and hair-raising vocals. Just listen to his classic, “Squeezing Out Sparks,” to see this illustrated vividly. Maybe it’s the low-budget or (Band keyboardist and Woodstock bud) Louie Hurwitz’s low-key production, but sharp tunes and his trademark urgency are sorely absent from Parker’s new, conceptual record about a fictional TV station.

Opener, “Weather Report” illustrates the problem vividly. It’s full of Parker’s familiar paranoid lyrics (“They have modified irises/Behind open lenses/They’re hiding equipment/Behind barbed wire fences”), but the subdued vocals and forgettable chorus don’t stick with you. “Bring Me A Heart Again,” is lyrical enough, but he’s not served well by its cheerful shuffle. Mostly, there’s a dreary uniformity to the record. Lots of strummed acoustic guitar, lots of tamped-down vocals. That was never the case when Parker worked with The Rumour. Might be time call Brinsley Schwarz and crank it up again.