Parts & Labor

Constant Future

Jagjaguwar

Constant Future

Veteran Brooklyn noise-rock outfit Parts & Labor took a hard left turn on the excellent 2008 LP Receivers, reshaping the band's driving, anthemic roar into flowing songs so (comparatively) understated they could almost be described as “subtle.” Constant Future, the band’s fifth full-length release, is significantly more aggressive than Receivers. The band’s newly regrown teeth comes from the drumming of Joe Wong, who replaced the grindcore-influenced Christopher Weingarten in 2007. Wong played a major role in toning down the band’s music on Receivers, but his blasting roll one minute into Constant Future sets a tone he maintains throughout the record, with impressive results.

At the same time, vocalists Dan Friel and B.J. Warshaw maintain the ground they gained on Receivers as singers and songwriters. Friel and Warshaw’s Bob-Mould-influenced melodic sensibility echos the “big sound” indie rock of Arcade Fire and Broken Social Scene, albeit with electronic noise in place of strings and horns. However, the pair’s simply constructed songs and obliquely political, conceit-driven lyrics give Parts & Labor the idealistic quality of ‘60s protest music-with the odd result that the band comes off something like Brainiac covering Phil Ochs. Warshaw’s “Never Changer,” with its circular harmonic structure and heartbreaking melody, is a good example of how this incongruous admixture succeeds; it’s also the best song the band has ever written. 

Parts & Labor’s ability to plug into the rock tradition at these seemingly unconnected outlets makes their music unique. Pterodactyl, by contrast, simply sounds like no other band on the planet. The likewise Brooklyn-based band, has included members of the Ex Models and Austin's When Dinosaurs Ruled The Earth. Overlaid with deranged falsetto vocals in three parts, and syncopated almost to the point of collapse, Pterodactyl’s brief songs careen unpredictably before coalescing into explosive climaxes. Their 2009 LP Worldwild was one of the best and most underrated records of the year- and a powerful argument for the belief that the most rewarding music is not necessarily the most popular or accessible.  

Parts & Labor and Pterodactly perform Monday, March 14 at Fitzgerald's, 2706 White Oak Drive. Prince Rama, Amen Dunes, and Black Congress are also on the bill.