Hive Fives (CDep)
For Hives Fives, Parlour ditched the laptops, broadening instrumentation and expanding into a seven-piece. The result, as desired: bigger beats, stronger melodies, and a more organic sense of composition. Bass and drums lock into Neu!-like grooves, while an array of keyboards and long-time member Connor Bell's (Shedding) guitars swirl in all directions; saxophone and bass clarinet layer thick drones at the very heart of the sound, cementing the instrumental density that is Parlour's trademark. No longer just a solo vehicle for Furnish, Parlour's contributors make the group greater than the sum of its parts. With a sound like Sonic Youth on a sugar high, or a Krautrock !!!, or soundtracks to the best TV shows you never saw, Parlour are making the most vital, interesting music of their long career.