us Dan Friel: Ghost Town puts the Fun back in Noise

Parts & Labor singer Dan Friel has gone solo for the second time. After self-releasing a full-fledged debut album in 2000, Friel had originally decided he enjoyed playing in a band better, but now returns with a massively supported and already widely acclaimed follow-up. “Ghost Town” has been greeted with enthusiasm by the Web-Press and even though the sweet melodies and naive charm of Parts & Labor are still very much in tact, the album is decidedly different from the electro-indie-pop-rock of Friel’s main band. Essentially, “Ghost Town” toys with Industrial, Heavy Metal, Punk, Dance and assorted genres, melding them into ardently accessible, creatively catchy and crassly contageous, heavily distorted instrumental poptunes. Important Records have added to the festivities by offering fans a true collector’s item to boot: The first 100 copies of the record come on a special and strictly limited edition of red Vinyl.

There are a couple of MP3s available from Important and they confirm the status of “Ghost Town” as a veritable insider tip and hot contender for suprise of the year. The title track bulges out in ecstacy and “Buzzard” has a computergame melody that will haunt your sleepless nights for weeks. “Applicances of Bremen” thrives on a broodingly buzzing Kraftwerk beat, while the “Desert Song” counterpoints a laid-back groove with unnerving noise. Dan Friel has always been responsible for the freaky and funky side of Parts & Labor and the complete freedom in recording “Ghost Town” allows for these aspects to flourish even more brightly.

While Important Records have marked this as an “album with universal appeal”, one can be sure that the sheer harshness of some of the textures on “Ghost Town” will prevent these tunes appearing on format radio before too soon. On the other hand, Dan Friel has created a work which puts the fun-factor back in Noise and guides it back into the clubs – and that’s no mean feat either.

Homepage. Dan Friel
Homepage: Important Records
By Tobias Fischer, published 2008-06-18

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