Parts and Labor at Corsica Studios

Parts and Labor at Corsica Studios

28 July, 2008
by: Domzig

It's been all change in Parts and Labor town recently. Hailing from Brooklyn, the band has not only lost their drummer Christopher R. Weingarten to a budding media career, but they've also added celebrated New York sound artist Sarah Lipstate as a new guitarist, which has really meddled with their sound.

Last time I saw these guys, they were a happy no wave band not to dissimilar to TV on the Radio, but on recent listens it seems that they've wandered into the arenas of noise rock. Therefore, I'm filled with a certain amount of trepidation as we head down to Corsica Studios to watch them play an edition of Baba Yaga's hut with Screaming Tea Party. Will they still be any good? Will the new stuff work? Is the beer expensive?

We get there to catch the end of Screaming Tea Party's set, and they're right in the middle of some catchy as hell art rock. There is something quite Sonic Youth-esque about this band, especially when Nell sings and I feel a little bummed out to have missed the start of their set.

Oh well, one beer later and Parts and Labor are taking the stage. It takes a couple of songs to get going but when it does all my worries disappear. This totally works live, the drumming's still crazy, there's still pop hooks all over the place and although it's a little bit 'conceptual' in places, the band still manage to keep it from getting in the way of great songs.

I'm not really with the idea that musical development kills bands. It makes them sound different, but different doesn't always mean crap. By the time Parts and Labor are finishing up, I'm of the opinion, 'hell, leave these dudes to whatever they want'. They could decide to make sonatas out of waste paper bins and knitting needles and it would still be amazing.

I leave at the end with my faith in Parts and Labour renewed. Yeah, they're still the best band nobody's heard of, and yeah, the new stuff completely rules. The beer wasn't that bad either.

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Domzig