Parts & Labor Nowhere Nigh
As a close to 5 year Brooklynite, I would say that I am no longer part of the www.myopenbar.com new breed, but not yet approaching the Park Slope ex-Williamsburger territory either. To those of you not from the area, that means that I am not fresh meat, and also not an out of touch baby stroller pusher. This being said, I have been around to experience some small change here in the better borough. One of those things would be the band Parts & Labor. Parts & Labor is one of the staples of the Brooklyn music scene. What I like about Parts & Labor is that their music is more cohesive and collected than their contemporaries. Most bands focus too much on the shock and spazz than on the actual songs they are writing. After a line-up shift, Parts & Labor released their latest album Receivers in 2008. On the initial listen, it was clear to me that they were looking to approach their recent reformation with a new sound. Their old material was a lot noisier and maybe a little more experimental. However, that does not mean it was better. Receivers really kicks in with the second track, a song called “Nowhere Nigh,” which I have to admit is playing on repeat on my rotation. At the same time, it seems a little too deliberate to open the album with a more familiar sound before introducing the new one. A little too well thought out. The track comes off as a definite attempt to make a clear jump in the new direction, and reads like the “radio hit”…if it were to be played on radio. Which it wouldn’t, thank G-d. I could sit here and run down each track individually or in groupings, but to me, “Nowhere Nigh” is so confidant in it’s own, that it could almost continue for 30 straight minutes and exist as an extended jam. The other tracks still sort of resemble the Parts & Labor I once knew, but with a desire to see what else is out there. It’s like being a geek in high school, but wanting to experience the cool kids table for a day. But do you become a “cool kid” or do you still appeal to the geeks? Another way to look at it might be like listening to any of the last few Modest Mouse albums. You can still hear Modest Mouse, but not the Modest Mouse you knew back when people still carried beepers. But back to the track at hand. My only criticism is that it borders on guilty pleasure territory. The octave raise, the hooky chorus, the sing-a-long lyrics, the “guitar solo.” Or perhaps the band has finally decided that they are tired of being one of Brooklyn’s worst kept secrets and are ready to really allow people to take interest in what it is they are doing. We’ve gotten TV on the Radio, YYY’s, the Hold Steady, the National and Grizzly Bear…why not Parts & Labor. Whatever it is, they should keep it up. I will say that while I’ve always had an appreciation for music of the obscure, I will always go back to good old pop tracks. More pop the better. And in this case, that formula continues to prove itself right.
3 years ago • Notes