The first two tracks on Parts & Labor's latest
should put to rest any worries about how the departure of drummer Christopher
Weingarten might affect the band's collective intensity: There'll be no
stronger opening salvo on any album this year than the one-two punch of "Satellites"
and "Nowheres Nigh." Wisely, the band doesn't seek to replicate the aesthetic
of last year's Mapmaker, a record propelled largely by Weingarten's explosive
drumming. Instead, Receivers finds the band slowing down the tempo and more
fully exploring the textures and nuances of its dense, multi-layered
soundscapes. The approach leads directly toward more accessible songwriting and
musical populism: Receivers comes off like a collection of folk songs for the
post-industrial age, complete with lyrics about machines that no longer
produce, but only serve to keep a constant watch. Strangely, such a realization
proves liberating for Parts & Labor. If you're being watched all the time,
the band seems to ask, why not make something both beautiful and inspiring?