The piano, in some form, has challenged the boundaries of popular music since Mozart used his compositions to thumb his nose at Austrian royalty. Before the electric guitar became a symbol of rebellion, the ivories provided a musical voice for lust, freedom, sadness and celebration. In that tradition, Dallas songwriter Sean Kirkpatrick has eschewed six strings for the true passion of 88 - paired with hammers and connected to keys, of course - for the majority of his musical career. After fronting iconic Dallas/Denton bands like no-scene darlings Maxine's Radiator (1994-1998), the cocksure synth-punk outfit The Signals (2001-2002), and co-piloting the inventive, electro-rock group The Falcon Project (1998-2002), Kirkpatrick had earned a name for himself as a showman behind the keys - and as a talented, in-demand musician. He spent a year in beloved indie band Spoon and was later asked to join the eloquent and alarming Kill Rock Stars group The Paper Chase, of which he remains a member. But during all of Kirkpatrick's time in various bands, he has been busy writing his own songs. After a couple of years playing alone to anxious fans, he finally presents his debut full-length of solo material, Turn On the Interference. It's an album of haunting melodies spanning carnival to dirge, with Kirkpatrick's classically-gifted fingers traversing the keys throughout each track. His tenor/baritone voice is strong and emotive, representing all feelings from surly to sorry with a sincerity listeners can only hear from those that perform self-penned tunes. "The Interference" sends bluesy to space and back, and "Quiet As He's Sleeping" takes what are sometimes near-barrelhouse keys into an almost sinister arena. "Erica, Welcome to the Funhouse" is the swirling, swaying equivalent of looking into that very funhouse's mirror. Interference is quite obviously a labor of love - but more than the romantic sort. Kirkpatrick's love of the craft as well as the musicians that inspire him (André Ethier, Jellyroll Morton, Television, Nina Simone, The Birthday Party and others) are evident in his composition, performance and experimentation song after song. Samples, effects and accompanying instruments aside, however, Kirkpatrick's Turn On the Interference is very much a singer/songwriter's album. It is, at its very core, an exercise in expression via 88 keys and one voice.