Waving at Parked Cars (CD review)

If there were any justice in the world some A&R rep (do they even exist anymore?), some DJ, or some indie movie director would take one listen to the latest offering from Audrey Can’t Die, pick up the phone and start getting this band the national recognition they deserve. Waving at Parked Cars, the band’s third album IS that good. At a time when rhythm reigns on the radio, we sometimes forget the subtle power of a great melody. Until we hear one. Throw in the lush guitar work of John Kolakowski, Rob Pierce’s poignant and poetic lyrics and pleading vocals, and you get a rock album that seduces, grabs and holds on long after the first listen. From the hook laden opening Silent to the closing drinking anthem Please Don’t, the songs are laced with a suburban disconnect that is both comforting and disquieting. At the heart of the album though are the three songs that should catapult Audrey into the limelight: Dig; Killing Time; and Beebe Gun. Listen to Rob Pierce’s wounded falsetto in Beebe Gun followed by the reflective lyric “Regret is the best I can do” and you’ll see why. Audrey fans have had to wait three years for a new record. But one thing’s for certain; she’s never been more alive.