Parkas

Critical Acclaim for the Parkas' new record: PUT YOUR HEAD IN THE LION'S MOUTH

-"I can’t think of a better rock and roll record that’s come out this year."(BERKLEY PLACE, BROOKLYN)

-"infused with a sense of defiance, glorious raggedness and probably more than a little liquid courage Lion's Mouth is a strong, heartfelt and sweaty statement of rock from a band that's paid its dues many times over and is ready for their just rewards." (CHROMEWAVES.NET)

-"This exceptional album just might be the long-lost imaginary home-spun sequel to Exile On Main St. that the Rolling Stones were too outta their heads to record." (METROTIMES DETROIT)

-"Not to get all mystical or anything, but it is a rare pronouncement that sees wisdom taking up residence in hostility's home." (TORONTO STAR Anti-Hit List)

-"On its second album, Toronto's Parkas is cranky, phrase-turning . . . and post-punk Blue Rodeo (Lenin and McCarthy). What Parkas is not is obedient, averse to the occasional use of synthesizers, music-industry loving (Toronto Enough Tonight) . . . And another thing: Parkas does not put things gently." (GLOBE & MAIL)

-"a top quality rock and roll album 8/10" (AMERICANA UK)

-"a sweatier, spikier, muscle-shirted '70s sound, all crystalline production and anthemic piss 'n' vinegar" (CALGARY HERALD)

-"lined with pointed insights, surprising textures and danceable fight songs" (EYE WEEKLY)

-"avoids any type of pretension and simply wants to rock your socks off" (HEROHILL.COM)

- Parkas

Note to reader: never start a rock band. Throughout A Life of Crime, The Parkas' excellent all-access DVD account of their 2004 cross-Canada tour, the London, Ont.-based quartet repeatedly plays for no money and no fans -- or worse, a few obnoxious fans who request Jack Johnson tunes like the musicians are a bunch of bearded jukeboxes. Surprisingly, these endless disasters and disappointments never get tiring thanks to the film's great tunes and tight structure: two tour legs bookmarked by tense footage of the final stretch when guitarist Grady Kelneck tells the band he wants out. In this context, The Parkas' accompanying Andy Magoffin-produced EP of purrty, percussive power-pop ("Darling, The Wolves") and frayed country-soul slow burners ("Start Your Own Country") -- recorded after Kelneck jumped ship -- plays like a defiant "I Will Survive." Did you think they'd crumble? Did you think they'd lay down and die? JAMES SIMONS

- James Simons

THE PARKAS NOW THIS IS FIGHTING (ENDEARING) NNNN

Indie whiz Andy Magoffin's gift as a producer is his ability to craft layered slices of perfect pop that crackle with emotion, and that's what he's brought to the Parkas' first-rate debut for Winnipeg indie Endearing Records. The London four-piece hone their quirky live energy into sparkling ditties that show off a penchant for breathy harmonies, wicked hooks and an underlying current of back-to-basics pop smarts. They know when to go whole hog with pogo-ready punk panache and more importantly when to pull back, as on the a cappella vocal parts of romantic suckerpunch Every Light Is Red, which nails the ever-elusive challenge of creating an unsissified indie ballad. Damn fine. The Parkas rock the El Mocambo Wednesday (November 5).
- Sarah Gills

Before we allow that smart and straightforward breed of pop-rock to slip away onto the endangered species list, a listen to The Parkas' sunny and guileless full-length debut might be in order. Seemingly out to rescue not only the pop beast but the entire kingdom, the boy quartet plunges right into "Bus Station Blues" -- whose catchy hook will have you nodding untiringly to the chorus, "I got lost at the Eiffel Tower/I had to
wander 'round for hours and hours." The pop assault is unrelenting as songs like
"Giants in My Field" and "Wildlife Reservations" reveal new reasons to foot tap, sing along and smile. Yes, smile. It's that simple. - LF, Chart Nov 2003
- LF

A LIFE OF CRIME/THE SCARS TO PROVE IT (2005)

"plays like a defiant 'I Will Survive.' Did you think they'd crumble? Did you think they'd lay down and die?" * * * * (four stars).
-EYE WEEKLY

-"an insightful representation of the depressing side of road life. Eagan and Loftus weave fiery scenes"
-EXCLAIM

"if anything is a apparent, it's that the Parkas have become a more formidable band . . . and they throw a hell of a party"
-GEEKENT.COM

NOW THIS IS FIGHTING (2003)

“A genuine rock’n’roll spirit that’s all too rare in these cynical times . . . indie pop beauties”
-THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT

“breathy harmonies, wicked hooks, and an underlying current of back-to-basics pop smarts . . . Damn fine.”
- NOW MAGAZINE

“One of this year’s biggest debut surprises”
- CBC RADIO 3

“Seemingly out to rescue not only the pop beast but the entire kingdom”
- CHART MAGAZINE


- for the Parkas