Graham Parker and the Rumour are all R&B-kissed coolness and trenchant aloofness on “I’ve Done Bad Things.” In other words, they’re just what you want them to be – despite a lengthy layoff.
After they set a lithe, winking groove, Parker begins ticking off a list of past sins. Some salacious, some simply wrongheaded, some uncomfortably close to home, some outlandishly funny. And, after sharing this crowded confession, he always comes back to the same place: “But I don’t care.”
Of course, with Graham Parker, that’s never entirely true. And “I’ve Done Bad Things” goes on to boldly connect with disappointments on a broader scale – the kind of missteps that can alter not just interpersonal relationships but history itself. About midway through this latest advance track from Mystery Glue (due May 18, 2015), Parker dives into a hipster rap that makes clear his anger at our modern idea of imprisonment without trial, the first of several barbs tossed at those who rise to the highest level of governance without the gumption to push back for their beliefs.
We’ve all been there, in a place where we’re ready to admit to some of our own ineffably wrong-headed ideas, even as we eviscerate those who hold more power for making similar mistakes. Ultimately, Graham Parker seems to shrug it all off, as the Rumour returns to the chugging cadence that opened “I’ve Done Bad Things” in the first place.
What are you going to do, right? After all, as Graham Parker reminds us toward the end, we’ve all done bad things.
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