 |
Everybody forgets just how good Bear vs. Shark were. After the band split in 2005, their furious inventiveness and impeccable grasp of topsy-turvy songwriting somehow evaporated into the cultural mists. Although Brooklyn's Parts & Labor formed a few years before BvS's break-up, Constant Future espouses those same spirited traits. This is an exquisite thing, rocketing toward Heaven via digital-wildflower keyboard riffs, turbulent guitars, and commanding percussion. (The drums have a crispness that adds an extra layer of youthfulness to a record that already sounds like the coolest adolescence ever.) It can be tricky to pin down Parts & Labor's busy sound — it's noise pop that's not too noisy, or maybe post-punk that's cool with cracking a fat grin — but it almost always has something entertaining going on. "Skin and Bones" is Constant Future at its best: a spacy intro, an endearing hook, a minimalist, vocals-heavy bridge to build tension, and a climax that explodes into a mega-sized celebration. The flurry of fireworks would have been satisfying enough; all that bright-eyed jubilance makes for a charming bonus.
