Razorcake #59
Self-titled: 7"
Back in the early days of hardcore, Lee Ving used to brag that what made Fear stand out from all the other three chord punk bands at the time was that the members of Fear were “musos.” In other words, they could actually play their instruments. Now, I’ve managed to forge a reputation as a half-witted connoisseur of trashed-out, two-chord tard punk— the Grabbies being a primo example—so it might seem a bit incongruent that I would be so impressed by a band like New Labor. But impressed I am. This is a band of musos, no doubt, and they know more chords than all the other bands I like put together. Stylistic comparisons could be draw with Fear, Jesus Lizard, the DKs, Nomeansno, and the Minutemen, but this band is a unique brute of its own. The songs here aren’t overly mathy, but feature pushy riffs, all full of angles and elbows, and vocals that are a cross between a rutting sasquatch and a perverted televangelist venting his spleen to his flock. I don’t know if the magic hypno-glasses on the cover actually have me somehow mesmerized, or if I’ve just grown a few more neurons lately, but for some reason I like this a lot. Musos or not, this is one barrel-chested, cauliflower-eared, mean brawler of a record. And it’s surprisingly catchy, to boot.

MAXIMUM ROCKNROLL #331
Quirky, Hyperspastic jazzcore-punk. Don't hear much of this kind of thing these days, although I believe it's still a popular genere in Germany and parts of Eastern Europe. Think VICTIMS FAMILY, later SONS OF ISHMAEL or TH'INBRED, YOUR MOTHER, STIKKY, etc... One minute it's free jazz, then polka, then a pop-punk refrain then a metal breakdown, all within a minute-and-a-half song. Not for everyone, but nostalgic for some I'm sure.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

City Pages - Gimme Noise, August 26 2010
Since forming in 2008, the New Labor has played throughout town without any recorded material. That will soon change with a September 4th release show at the Hexagon.

"From time to time," singer Andy Bauer explains, "we'll take a month or two off to fuck around with other stuff like water skiing in Tommy Bartlett's ski show or learning to juggle while riding a unicycle or whatever." That lack of focus on a single subject just may explain the spastic nature of their self-titled debut.
The band, featuring former members of the Amish Armada, has four songs so full of life that they couldn't fit a fifth on the record (and, consequently, included it on the free download that comes with purchase). While the tempo and range of influence on their self-titled 7" is all over the place, Nomeansno immediately comes to mind with maybe a touch of early Mr. Bungle. As for Bauer's warbling vocals, think Jello Biafra, but in place of angry screams, Bauer favors a manic, crooning style that follows Mike Pinter's jazzy basslines instead of a traditional verse chorus verse build-up.

The band isn't afraid to momentarily slow things down. "Airports and Burger Kings" begins with a mid-tempo, melodic bit, followed by a jazzy breakdown, and then a sped-up, repeated first verse. The songwriting isn't structured purely around ADHD tempo-changes, but on creative segues and rising action while the lyrics tend to take a comedic concept, but with a deeper metaphoric quality, as expressed in "Sex-Ray Specs," as Bauer reflects: "These sex-ray specs have made a monster out of me."