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Moron Parade
Dark Nights, Knife City

An album like Moron Parade's Dark Nights, Knife City is one of those albums that restores your faith in music. Just when you've had your fill of self-absorbed trendy hipsters spouting off about how you should vote or alcoholic has-beens decrying a war, an album like this comes your way and makes it all seem better.
Moron Parade, a collective of musicians from Seattle and Colorado, seem to take a minimalist approach to their music. There no sense of grand production, no sing-song choruses, no pretentiousness. Instead, the songs on Dark Nights, Knife City are indie-rock in the finest tradition of late '80s or early '90s breakout bands like Pavement, Sonic Youth, and even Nirvana (at times). It's poppy at points, dark when it should be, and ultimately brilliant.
The band -- at last count, Stephen Evins, Adam King, Martin Martin, Daryl Waits, and Mark Mercer -- stick to no formula and never once let Dark Nights succumb to the perils of trying to be something it's not. You won't hear Moron Parade's music on the O.C. or the latest teenage comedy, nor should you. The songs on Dark Nights, Knife City deserve better than that. Check out the album for yourself, and you'll undoubtedly discover one of music's best-kept secrets. (DAC)
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