Throughout the early and mid-2000s, Parts & Labor made a name for themselves in the Brooklyn and wider NYC music scene through material that blurred the lines between noise rock, noise pop, and everything in between. Initially their albums retained more of a punk and hardcore edge to them along with a heavy emphasis on keyboards, but as things progressed they shifted towards spacey and indie territory that toned down the noise slightly. Following 2011’s Constant Future the band went on an indefinite hiatus with founding member Dan Friel exploring guitar centric noise rock/pop through Upper Wilds and for some time it seemed like Parts & Labor would remain dormant. But this year brings a double dose of Friel projects, as Parts & Labor returned with an expanded two drummer lineup and sprawling double album while Upper Wilds will release a new album in August. On the Parts & Labor side, Set of All Sets feels like an amalgamation of both eras of the band’s history while also pushing into new territory, and while it’s a lengthy undertaking at 70 minutes the material is strong enough that it holds your attention the whole way through.
Christopher Weingarten and Joe Wong played drums during different eras of Parts & Labor’s discography, and rather than having to decide which one to bring back for the group’s reunion the group opted to have both. This brings a noticeably different dynamic to Set of All Sets, as there are plenty of sections where the two play in tandem and bring this huge, booming sound to the material while other moments have them purposefully collide and move back and forth in interesting ways. You can hear this on opener “Endless Cycle Pt. 1: Repetition Nil”, where things start off with sparser keyboards before unleashing a wall of sound where the dual drumming, distortion, and soaring melodies both overwhelm and entrance at the same time. The second part of this four-song suite then picks the pace up, adopting an almost drum ‘n bass like approach rhythmically while the rest of the band moves between dreamy pop melodies and keyboard arrangements that have a videogame soundtrack feel to them. Throughout Set of All Sets there is a vast amount of musical influences at work, some of which were prominent on earlier Parts & Labor albums and others that broaden the scope. Early numbers like “Many Worlds” touch upon the earlier noise pop with noisier keyboards and dense bass lines creating a sound that feels like the churn of noise rock meets Of Montreal, while “Seamripper” goes full-on industrial and cranks up the abrasiveness of the instrumentals. On the other end of the spectrum, “Arterial Material” reminds me of a more psychedelic version of Lightning Bolt with its frenetic pacing while the album’s longest track “Indecision Tree” has a methodical almost post rock build-up and a denser tone that brings more punk and noise rock to mind. “Anti-Lions and Lemonade” also deserves mention, as the clicking of the drumsticks seems to be deliberately a few seconds off between the two drummers and it creates this sense of controlled chaos. Stylistically I’m only scratching the surface with these examples, as you’ll hear elements of world music, different electronic genres, and other styles at work throughout this foundation of noise rock/pop. It’s a lot to take in, and there are a few tracks where the patterns are a bit similar, but I can’t think of too much that would make sense to have trimmed off without impacting the flow of the album.
If you haven’t listened to Parts & Labor before, you might be wondering what the vocals sound like given the wide range of instrumental styles I described in the previous paragraph. Even within the realm of noise pop the singing can vary wildly, but Parts & Labor goes for brighter tones that soar over top of the dense foundation. On the opener once the wall of sound kicks in you’re greeted with harmonized singing that has a triumphant feel to it despite the maelstrom of things happening, and the band continues to use this to their advantage throughout Set of All Sets. Depending on whether Dan Friel or BJ Warshaw have the lead on a given song does switch up the sound a bit, as you’re either met with slightly lower and more grounded singing or airier ranges that soar up into the clouds. What struck me the most about the material on this album was how bright and cheerful it sounded despite the noticeably apocalyptic and introspective slant of the lyrics. Tracks like “Indecision Tree” are very thought provoking lyrically, but they don’t have the somber tone that can be common, and it continues to make Parts & Labor sound different.
Set of All Sets is an ambitious double album that sometimes seems like Parts & Labor is making up for lost time, and while not every band can pull off material of this length the results here showcase that this new incarnation is more than capable. The core noise factor and hook-laden melodies are still in play, but there are a lot of other styles at work throughout this album and it makes this an album that’s an adventure to listen to from start to finish. Sometimes it leans a bit more into the noise rock, industrial, and punk side of the house while other moments go pure indie and even into psychedelic territory, but there’s always this brighter tone that drives things forward and makes for some unexpectedly infectious songs. Set of All Sets is available from Ernest Jenning Record Co.
-Review by Chris Dahlberg