Brooklyn trio Parts & Labor combines tumultuous noise with enormous, triumphant melodies on their latest album, Stay Afraid. Malfunctioning electronics howl in agony, drums rupture like fireworks, battle cries are belted through a monolithic layer of distorted bass and guitar. P&L revel in day-glo noise, charred drones, punk velocity and phoenix-like hooks_a unique blast influenced by the clamor of Husker Du, the bluster of Boredoms and the homemade spirituals of Neutral Milk Hotel. For their new record, Parts & Labor sought a bigger, more expansive sound. Dan Friel (keyboard/guitar/electronics/vocals) increasingly juggles guitar alongside his trademark mutilated keyboard, while BJ Warshaw (bass/keyboard/electronics/vocals) blankets everything with bass and additional electronic squall. They've picked up jackhammer drummer Christopher R.Weingarten, who hits so hard that the band was forced to double their amplifiers.Warshaw and Friel share lead vocal duties, emphasizing a lyrical element largely unexplored by the once-instrumental band. The result is a pop record that yowls like noise, a noise record that captivates like pop.