Parts & Labor
Receivers

THE REVIEW

Parts & Labor from New York: fluorescent music for my auditory canals. How much they pleased my eardrums with "Mapmaker," how my eustachian tubes stood up while they did naughty things with "Stay Afraid." Uhhh... Uhuh
 
Parts & Labor from New York: people who release records with the coolest label at the moment (Jagjaguwar), people I was waiting for at the door and who showed up three hours late... really limping.
 
After the synth whirlwinds ended, after the hurricane passed, they gathered in a circle around the fire and all held hands thinking they had survived the worst. Out with the hyper-mega-racket drummer, a facsimile of the Les Savy Fav’s singer (a truly exquisite human case), and in with an Asian and a female guitarist (yes, with an 'A'... not even that cute). Moral of the story: they must have fallen in love, the athletic preparation couldn't withstand the full ninety minutes, the fact is, they stopped and turned to Pop.
 
"Receivers," obviously released for the right folks at Jagjaguwar in 2008, is fundamentally a pop record that made me change my mind more times than my underwear. Welcomed at home like a benefactor, kicked out like a Jehovah's Witness. Receivers and I, in less than a month, went through all the stages of infatuation. From initial passion to sleep without cuddles. Deep down, there are good songs ("Satellites" and "Little Ones"), a massive single that breaks eardrums too ("Nowheres Nigh"), the reflective, somewhat adventurous moment is there ("The Ceasing Now"), the romantic one ("Mount Misery"), which strangely is my favorite, rocks. The ingredients are all there... moral of the story 2.0: BOH... "Mapmaker!"