Graham Parker

Graham Parker emerged in 1976 as one of the most dynamic performers of the British pub-rock scene, with a voice that’s soulful in a way most singers who aren’t named Van Morrison can only dream of. Parker’s career peaked with 1979’s Squeezing Out Sparks, but he still tours doggedly, and remains as fiery, outspoken, and exciting as ever. The title of Parker’s latest disc, the concept record Imaginary Television, is far more on-the-nose than any of the ersatz TV theme songs contained within. A former Angry Young Man with several edges left, Parker packs Imaginary Television’s bright ditties with plenty of existential dread—a sense only accelerated by the liner-note synopses of Parker’s alternate-universe prime-time lineup.

Updated 04/28/2010