Receivers

Today's Music of the Day is Receivers, by Parts & Labor. This band's previous album, Mapmaker, was something reviewed here at Support Your Local Catgun in the recent past, and it certainly received the acclaim, if not attention, that it deserved. Apparently, after the release of the excellent Mapmaker, the band's drummer left. (This is possibly due to 'creative differences', or maybe because of a freak gardening accident that the authorities decided was best left alone.) So how did things hold up?

Fairly well, actually. The sound is definitely different - there are drums, but they carry much less of the record. This album seems to be a little more vocal-driven; the melodies are still present, but they're less confrontational. Sometimes the edge is clearly missed - "The Ceasing Now" has about a 15% rock to 85% drag ration - but this album is far from awful. It very much makes me think of a similar situation with another band - The Secret Machines - that released one very good album (Now Here is Nowhere) and followed up with another album that was fair but not up to the first album's standard.

Still, there are good songs, particularly "Satellites" and "Nowhere's Nigh". "Wedding in a Wasteland" has a fairly awful title but it is one of the better tracks here. I also like the way the songs transition right into each other - a number of albums that I'm especially fond of share this trait. Even the weaker songs aren't terrible, though they could stand to bump the volume by 10% and the tempo by 20%.

In short, this is a nice album with some strong moments, but Parts & Labor should probably get their drummer back.

In Other News:
More freakin' snow.

Today is going to be better than yesterday, I can already tell. A good workout will do me wonders, though. I feel okay, just haven't felt like myself for a couple days.

Mapmaker

Today's Music For a Friday Afternoon is Mapmaker, by Parts & Labor. This album came to me, somehow, as I found the first track ("Fractured Skies") and decided it was worth investigating further.

And, I'm glad I did. This is very much a modern rock album, not the kind of rock you would hear on the radio, but the kind that isn't afraid to let its instruments - even the drums - carry the show. Some vocals, sure, but not the sort of strained rasp that would give the illusion of rage or darkness to the uninformed. Really, this entire album made its way into my workout playlist less than a week after my first full listen. It's glorious hard rock, music that isn't afraid of horns. The whole album is pretty good - the opening and closing tracks ("Fractured Skies", again, and "Knives and Pencils", respectively) are the standouts. However, there really isn't a weak link.

In short, this music might not be for you, but give it a shot. This is what indie rock should be, not Conor Oberst whining about how nobody loves him for two hours. Sorry, Conor.

In Other News:
Sorry for the short blog post but it's Friday and I have to move. Wish me luck. Parts & Labor deserves a better blog post but that may have to wait.

I voted. Maybe it's for your candidate and maybe it isn't.