Brooklyn trio Parts & Labor know how to turn a phrase. Several tracks off their new album, Stay Afraid, feature sharp, socially cognizant lyrics that speak to and for the average disenchanted citizen. Unfortunately, most of these lyrics are hidden so far behind a thick wall of sound that they fall on deaf ears.
Stay Afraid defines the genre of "drone rock," a mechanical, electronic sound that hardly allows for any melody. With howling guitars, jackhammer drums and distorted bass lines, the album is a force of sheer power that is both uplifting and unsettling.
Both Dan Friel and BJ Warshaw contribute to the band's amplified noise with keyboards, guitars and vocals. Together, they create a heavily instrumental sound with the occasional break to yell out their lyrics. Drummer Christopher R. Weingarten adds a crucial element to the band's sound with explosive drumbeats. The result is a noise record that captivates but must be used in moderation.
Stay Afraid opens with "A Great Divide," which bemoans a society that has grown cold and Orwellian. "Every tiny Armageddon will bring us closer to the shore / relieved when they arrive / maybe we'll cross a great divide," Friel sings over guitars that wail in the high end of the scale. This Rage Against the Machine attitude continues throughout the disc, with "Stay Afraid" concerning media scare tactics, "Drastic Measures" attacking government surveillance and "The Changing of the Guard" lamenting the futility of protest. "Those were hollow words serving villains while the millions did their part / the unwilling wait for the changing of the guard," Friel sings mournfully over a rhythmic beat that makes the track sound like a eulogy given at a military funeral.
"New Buildings," a blistering, yowling song that nearly ruptures eardrums with its first note, has Friel singing pointedly about the falseness of corporate America. "On sound foundation old failures rise / prolonged cessation feign paradise with victim eyes," sings Friel over guitars so intense it would seem that Parts & Labor want to destroy the wastefulness of technology with volume alone.
Along this same theme is "Repair," which features Friel on a walkie-talkie asserting that "there's nothing I can own / that will work when I am gone." The track again assaults the perils of disposable technology, the emptiness of concrete jungles and lives lived under the glare of fluorescent lights.
For as abominable as Parts & Labor paint technology, however, they make good use of it on their record. Everything from the band's name to the incessant crackle of the amplified guitars is based on the technology of noise. Most of Stay Afraid sounds like a malfunctioning vinyl record. The aura of incandescent noise radiates from each track and gives the album a velocity unmatched by other "drone rock" bands that simply play noise.
Though they are few and far between, Stay Afraid features some hints of hooky melodies. "Drastic Measures" features a cool, spunky drumbeat that proves refreshingly energetic before being swallowed up by rampant, deafening noise. "A Pleasant Stay" has the band momentarily breaking from their beloved amps to sing a few lines about bittersweet afterthoughts. Although these breaks are welcome, they are only that — breaks between unrelenting assaults of noise. With a little more melody and a little less cacophony, Stay Afraid could be brought down to a listenable level. Until then, the liner notes are where you'll find the best of Parts & Labor.
Rating: 2 out of 5
