“Sit by my window and look outside/ wonder why the sun don’t shine on me:” Revisiting Graham Parker’s Squeezing Out Sparks

Hello! In case you missed it, over at Pitchfork I had the pleasure of revisiting Graham Parker’s 1979 masterpiece Squeezing Out Sparks. Check it out if this sounds like your cuppa Earl Grey.

Alongside his extraordinary backing band the Rumour, Parker was embedded in England’s pub rock scene, which set the template for British punk by stripping down and souping up the garage and folk rock of the ’60s—a functional bridge between the Faces and the Sex Pistols. He was endlessly compared to his ascendant contemporary Elvis Costello, with whom he shared an acidic wit and a simmering rage. If you had asked a knowledgeable fan or clued-in critic in 1979 whether Parker or Costello would have the more notable career over the long term, the wagering would have been 50-50 in either direction.