Dan Friel is the guy with red hair in anthemic psychedelic Brooklyn noiseniks Parts & Labor. He's also the mind and burnt keyboards behind this interesting eponymous solo project. Stepping outside P&L isn't new for Friel, but the first full-length release Ghost Town came out a week and change ago on Important. Before this 30-minute disc, he did a series of EPs: Night People released the cassette-only Obsoleter in 2006, Velocirecords put out the Sunburn CD in 2004, and Friel self-released Broken Man Going To Work in 2001. You should have no problem tracking down Ghost Town, a thrilling collection of fuzzy instrumentals constructed by Friel, his web of "mediocre guitar accessories," a 22-year-old keyboard, "a remote control car joystick," walkie talkies, and other noisemakers. The chirpy, infectiously joyous opening track "Ghost Town (Part. 1)" has a tone that's very similar to the burnt electronics and melody as you'll find on Parts & Labor's recent outings. After that, he burrows into a new world entirely. We have the gateway drug as well as the equally uproarious "Buzzards" to give you small taste of this album's idiosyncratic beauty and blipping, crackling, and distorted fist pumpers.

[Photo by Nate Dorr]