Anders Parker

To look at the band Anders Parker assembled for his most recent album, 2006's Anders Parker on Baryon Records, is to misunderstand him entirely. Though surrounded by alt-country illuminati like Eric Heywood (Son Volt), Ken Coomer (Wilco), Jennifer Condos (Joe Henry) and Kirk Swan (Dumptruck), Parker doesn't do Americana, unless one considers the genre, if not America itself, metaphysically. The sliding guitars, close harmonies and idyllic melodies drift through a spirit world of anonymous voices wishing for grace and harmony, poets proving that both God and love exist, and lost souls hanging out on Airport Road, just watching planes lift off toward destinations unknown. With a mild yet determined delivery, Parker puts hyper-individualism into the unwavering service of surreal yet emotionally real songs.