parks dept. No/Noise (CD + free Kooky Compilation CD, £6.95)

The Parks Dept. is primarily musician / producer Luke Farmer who lives and records in Northampton. No/Noise is the second release from The Parks Dept., written and recorded during 2009. The Parks Dept. came to prominence in 2007 with the release of their EP The Weekend Starts Round Here. Rather interestingly Farmer became frustrated with the sterile environment surrounding laptop-based performance and over a twelve month period expanded the band to an energized six piece, including live drums and percussion banks of keys and guitars. The album was self recorded and produced and it illustrates the growth of The Parks Dept.'s sound. Whilst writing and recording took place, the live band and sound developed during a series of shows. As is often the case, the live experience is more frenetic and over time the band have been favorably compared to LCD Soundsystem, Joy Division and Daft Punk although musical influences come from less obvious reference points such as Lightning Bolt and Of Montreal. ”Interesting. Very interesting.” – Steve Lamacq. ”DIY Electronica is alive and well and living in Northampton” - BBC Weekender.