Today's Hotness: The Answering Machine, Christie Front Drive

>> The news is going stale at this point, but we'd be remiss if we didn't mark the passing of beloved indie-pop luminaries The Answering Machine. The Manchester, England-based foursome posted a handwritten letter to its web site Monday morning disclosing that -- after six years -- its members have ceased making music collectively and under the The Answering Machine brand name. A vinyl release of the band's recently issued sophomore set Lifeline [review here] -- previously rumored to be announced this spring -- will now be realized as a posthumous release as a thanks to fans. When we saw the note first thing Monday we were startled, but the news also placed Lifeline in an interesting perspective. On the whole, the set's tone and tenor was resigned and sometimes sad, and you have to wonder if thoughts about the future of the band were already crystalizing during the recording sessions. Either way, Lifeline's introspective tone was far removed from the scritchy, exuberant and wide-eyed guitar pop of the band's cracking full-length debut Another City, Another Sorry [review here]. Both are great albums, of course, and we encourage you to obtain them if you have to this point disregarded our prior exhortations. The Answering Machine, we salute you. We are sad to see you go, and we look forward to any new musics your various components create. Let's feel the face-melting title track to Another City, Another Sorry together one more time, shall we?

The Answering Machine - Another City, Another Sorry by HeistOrHit

>> It's an odd coincidence that fewer than 12 hours after we were cuing up the amazing Boys Life/Christie Front Drive split 10" -- and posting a video for one of the songs to Facebook -- we encountered news at BrooklynVegan that Christie Front Drive will reunite for at least one show, which show will take place in July in Brooklyn to celebrate Magic Bullet Records' reissuing of the Christie Front Drive discography. The Denver-based quartet previously reunited for a single show in 2007 after initially shuffling off this mortal coil in 1997. If you don't own this record (released on the legendary Crank! label), well, then we feel really, really bad for you.

Be Prepared: Youth Pictures Of Florence Henderson | Self-titled | 1st March

Above is the art for the magnificent sophomore full-length from Oslo-based post-rock standouts Youth Pictures Of Florence Henderson. The act enlivens the increasingly tired post-rock formula by blending in the urgency and immediacy of second-wave emo; think Christie Front Drive and Mineral (one of the songs from the new album curiously references Weston, too, although we don't hold them in quite the same esteem). The seven-year-old septet's Youth Pictures Of Florence Henderson is a limited edition double-disc set packaged in an A5-format, 32-page hardcover book in one of four colors (as above, as well as green, white and grey). The first disc is subtitled "Puzzle," and the second "The Detective."

The new music, the band's first since its 2005 debut Unnoticable In A Tiny Town, Invisible In The City, will be issued 1 March by How Is Annie Records. It costs 19 Euros and How Is Annie accepts Paypal; the latest exchange rate makes that $25.87 in U.S. currency. Youth Pictures Of Florence Henderson offered a free preview track late in 2009 via its MySpace dojo. It is the closing track to the "Puzzle" disc, "To Sit Down Or To Follow, So I Follow," which we have taken the liberty of posting below. The stirring, elegiac track has a wonderful, subdued middle section with cello and shouting buried in the mix that is very compelling.

Youth Pictures Of Florence Henderson -- "To Sit Down Or To Follow, So I Follow" -- Youth Pictures Of Florence Henderson
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[pre-order Youth Pictures Of Florence Henderson right here]

Youth Pictures Of Florence Henderson: Internerds | MySpace | YouTube | Flickr

Today's Hotness: Spoon, Fugazi, Christie Front Drive

>> Have you been saving your shekels (or Koomzles) for the big new release day tomorrow? We'll likely step out for the new Interpol set, hoping that Newbury Comics is offering it at a good discount. In our estimation, however, the biggest release is the new Spoon set, Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga, which we've been listening to daily since the promo arrived. A truly superlative effort, wall-to-wall, song for song, with typically tight, deconstructed pop songs and really engaging production. Our pre-order arrived Saturday. It was packaged with the bonus disc Get Nice, which we can report is almost as forgettable as Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga is unforgettable (sorry guys). It's certainly an interesting listen, but the only track we imagine we'll be returning to is the demo version of "You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb." Anyway, as far as other new releases, we imagine we'll grab the new Buffalo Tom after reading a lot of good things, and maybe the new They Might Be Giants because it was produced by Jon Brion and is supposedly a bit of a rock record. And that'll be that.

Spoon -- Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga [album stream]

>> Pre-orders are now being taken for Glen Friedman's very promising book of Fugazi photos titled "Keep Your Eyes Open." The hardcover streets Sept. 3, costs $30 and includes about 200 images spread across 112 pages. Perhaps equally as exciting is noted raconteur and former Nation Of Ulysses and Make Up fronter Ian Svenonious has penned a 6,000-word essay included in the book. There's more info here.

>> Although the news broke last week, we feel it is worth noting that superlative second-wave emo giants Christie Front Drive will reunite for a single, all-ages performance Sept. 1 at DenverFest III. Needless to say, kids on the message boards are going nuts, and prepping for long drives. The Denver-based quartet broke up in 1998. Its split 10" with Boys Life, released on Crank! in April 1996, is among the best 10" records ever released. The record is out of print -- not sure if that goes for the CD version we picked up several years ago, too. But in the event you've never heard Christie Front Drive, this is our favorite jam of theirs, as we'll throw in Boys Life's obliterating "Two Wheeled Train" from the flipside to boot:

Christie Front Drive -- "Valentine" -- Christie Front Drive/Boys Life split 10"
Boys Life -- "Two Wheeled Train" -- Christie Front Drive/Boys Life split 10"
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>> A local note for Bostonians. After an interminable renovation, one-time dive live venue O'Brien's in Allston Rock City is set to re-open. The only venue we've ever played at twice. More details at The Phoenix here.