Pitchfork

Jerryrigging two albums in as many years has to be a grind, but the workmen of Parts & Labor felt themselves up for the challenge. Heck, they even found time to squeeze out an all-electronic EP in between their two long-players. Fresh off 2006's Stay Afraid, the fruit of Parts' recent labor will emerge May 22 in the form of Mapmaker, another slab of grisly cacophony from the Jagjaguwar signees.

Mapmaker's dozen tracks were recorded and mixed in the band's native Brooklyn, with guest turns from the Good Good's Natalja Kent and P&L labelmates Pterodactyl's Joe Kremer. Standout "King of the Hill" is neither a rumination on the beloved childhood pushing-game nor an exploration of the amusing animated sitcom of the same name, but rather a cover of the Minutemen song, played on a toy keyboard.

The master craftsmen of Parts & Labor will take Mapmaker on the road for a month, joining up with likeminded sonic sculptors ADULT., Erase Errata and Dan Deacon.

In related news, Cardboard Records, run by P&L's Dan Friel, put out the album Red State by Gowns this week.

Mapmaker:

01 Fractured Skies
02 Brighter Days
03 Vision of Repair
04 The Gold We're Digging
05 New Crimes
06 Long Way Down
07 Ghosts Will Burn
08 Unexplosions
09 Camera Shy
10 King of the Hill
11 Fake Rain
12 Knives and Pencils

All over the Map:

04-04 Toronto, Ontario - Lee's Palace *#
04-05 Montreal, Quebec - La Sala Rossa *#
04-06 Brooklyn, NY - Luna Lounge
04-07 Allston, MA - Great Scott
04-08 New Haven, CT - BAR Nightclub *#
04-09 Washington DC, - Rock and Roll Hotel *#
04-10 Baltimore, MD - Ottobar *#
04-11 Greensboro, NC - Greene Street Club
04-12 Atlanta, GA - The Earl *
04-13 Jacksonville, FL - TSI *^
04-14 Orlando, FL - Back Booth *^
04-15 Pensacola, FL - Sluggo's
04-17 New Orleans, LA - House Of Blues Parish *^
04-18 Houston, TX - Engine Room *^
04-19 San Antonio, TX - The Sanctuary *^
04-20 Austin, TX - Emo's *^
04-21 Denton, TX - Hailey's *^
04-23 Tucson, AZ - Solar Culture
04-24 Hollywood, CA - Safari Sams *#
04-25 San Francisco, CA - Bottom Of The Hill *#
04-27 Portland, OR - Holocene *#
04-28 Seattle, WA - Chop Suey *#
04-29 Missoula, MT - The Laboratory
05-01 Fargo, ND - Aquarium
05-02 Minneapolis, MN - 7th Street Entry *
05-03 Milwaukee, WI - Stonefly Brewery *&
05-04 Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle *&
05-05 Detroit, MI - Magic Stick *&

* with ADULT.
# with Erase Errata
^ with Dan Deacon
& with Tussle