Today's Hotness: Mahogany, Meneguar, Up Up Down Down etc.

>> Brooklyn-based dream-pop stars Mahogany are celebrating its brief forthcoming European tour (April 14-20) with the release of a three-song EP recorded live in the band's studio Civil Defense. The aptly titled Live At The Civil Defense is exclusively available at the septet's MySpace lean-to here, where you will also find a comprehensive list of tour dates. When in the UK the band will play on bills with post-punkers Bloc Party and electronic luminary Ulrich Schnauss -- none too shabby. We reviewed Mahogany's most recent full-length Connectivity! here in October. Live At The Civil Defense contains re-recorded but vibrant versions of Connectivity!'s "Tesselation," "The View From The People Wall" and "1 Plus 1 equals 3 Or More."

>> Indie punk act Meneguar's hotly anticipated proper debut for Troubleman Unlimited is titled Strangers In Our House, and the band is currently mixing the set. Troubleman reissued Meneguar's triumphant I Was Born At Night last year after it was originally released the prior year on Magic Bullet. Additionally, Meneguar plans to issue two single-sided LPs around the same time Strangers In Our House is released. One LP will feature stuff Meneguar recorded at home and the other LP will feature the band covering unreleased tunes by friend James Jackson Toth. Finally, the Brooklyn-based quartet notes it is planning a tour of Europe and the U.K. in September. In the meantime, Meneguar has a couple dates booked stateside which we list below. We're extra psyched about the Boston date, obviously. Also, we'll use any excuse to post Meneguar's "The Temp," so here it is:

Meneguar -- "The Temp" -- I Was Born At Night
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03/30 -- Yale Women's Center -- New Haven, CT
03/31 -- Oxfam Cafe at Tufts University -- Medford, MA

>> Criminally under-appreciated post-emo act Up Up Down Down Left Right Left Right B A Start is playing an relatively rare live date March 19 in Philadelphia. Appleseed Cast and The Life And Times (shoegazey act on DeSoto featuring the former frontman of Shiner) are also on the bill, and the gig is at the First Unitarian Church. Yeah, it's a Monday night, but this band is awesome. UUDDLRLRBAS's Girls Names EP was one of our favorite releases of 2006 -- read our full list here. The band recently launched a web site featuring tons of free downloads and videos here, so go there now if you haven't already pillaged the coffers. Here are a few choice cuts to whet your appetite for the rock:

Up Up Down Down Left Right Left Right B A Start -- "Melanie Flury" -- Girls Names EP
Up Up Down Down Left Right Left Right B A Start -- "Track 5" -- Live In The Studio EP
Up Up Down Down Left Right Left Right B A Start -- "I'm Growing Out" -- The Internet EP
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