Today's Hotness: Fields, Logh, Varsity Drag

>> UK act Fields claims a new vinyl single it will release later this month will be the first ever to feature an etched b-side that contains a code fans can use to digitally access one of two non-album track b-sides. One of those b-sides is a cover of My Bloody Valentine's "When You Sleep" (which reminds us, we heard something very interesting about My Bloody Valentine earlier this week, which we hope to share once we get further confirmation). Anyway. The a-side of the tangible version of Fields' single is "Charming The Flames," and it will be released March 26. The other choice of digital b-side is a track entitled "Cold Hearted Machinery." A purely digital version of "Charming The Flames" will be released this coming Monday. The quintet will issue their debut long-player Everything Last Winter in the US May 8 via Atlantic, although the set will street a month earlier in the UK. And for local fans, Fields play Boston's Paradise Rock Club. Look for us there, as Fields' 7 From The Village EP, was one of our favorite records of 2006. We reviewed it here.

>> Swedish slow-core sextet Logh is streaming its forthcoming single "Saturday Nightmares" at its MySpace hutch here. The production of the tune sounds crisp and zesty, although its piano-driven opening smacks a bit of REO Speedwagon power balladry. It will probably be a huge hit with the "One Tree Hill" set, but it will take us some time to get used to the tune's decidedly non-guitar orientation (actually, in looking for a link to prove the "One Tree Hill" thing, we found that "Saturday Nightmares" is already being used in promos for another nighttime teledrama, "Brothers & Sisters" -- ummmm, yuck). You'd think for a sextet with three, count 'em, three guys named Matthias (two on guitar and one on bass) that at least one of them would have said during the mixing session, "Yeah, this is great, but where did all the guitar tracks go?" Hopefully there is some rock to be heard on Logh's forthcoming set North.

>> True: when pondering the early incarnation of The Lemonheads as we are wont to do now and again we sometimes believe we favor Ben Deily's compositions over those of more well-known alternahunk Evan Dando. Well, at least on the expanded version of Hate Your Friends. Deily's tunes "Ever" and "Anyway" are pop-punk classics. Devoted readers may recall our surprise and delight at learning last year that Deily was currently playing music with an act called Varsity Drag. The Drag have been touring across the pond recently and clips have been popping up on the YouTube. Imagine how stunned and pleased we were to see the clip below of Varsity Drag tearing through the old Lemonheads chestnut "Anyway." Awesome. There's more VD on the YouTube here, here and here. We've linked to these before, but check out some Varsity Drag MP3s while you rock out to the YouTube clip:

Varsity Drag -- "Skinny Ties" -- For Crying Out Loud
Varsity Drag -- "Billy Ruane" -- For Crying Out Loud
[right click and save as]

Today's Hotness: Mates Of State, Armalite, Lovely Feathers

>> Sorry for the couple days' worth of nothing. Monday night we took care of a bunch of administrative stuff and did some heavy listening. Last night we got a surprise invitation to see the Boston taping of This American Life. Host Ira Glass and friends are on a brief tour right now to promote the forthcoming debut of the This American Life television show (really) on Showtime. The taping was great and will air March 17 -- we know nobody ever does anything on March 17 and are sure you will all be home listening to public radio that day.

While the theme of the show was TV, there was actual music content, which is the reason why we can mention all of this here. Opening and closing the show was wife-and-husband duo Mates Of State, who played several times throughout the program as well. We had streamed some of their tracks before, but nothing we heard made an impression. The live performances last night definitely sold us, however. There were two or three fetching originals including "Like U Crazy" [QT video here], depending on how you count, and covers of Nico's "These Days" and Phantom Planet's "California," a/k/a the theme song to the recently defunct teen soap "The O.C." As it turns out, Ira Glass is a huge "O.C." fan. If you get the Showtime on your television set, we highly recommend the show, clips of which were screened last night in between the typical slate of stories. Anyway, Mates Of State's most recent release Bring It Back was released last March on Barsuk. How about some MP3s courtesy of the Barsuk site?

Mates Of State -- "Think Long" -- Bring It Back
Mates Of State -- "Fraud In The '80s" -- Bring It Back
[right click and save as]

>> According to a MySpace bulletin Armalite drummer Jeff Ziga [pictured here] has fracture bones in his hand. As a result the pop-punk supergroup, which rarely performs live, will not be playing the Philadelphia show March 10 that we first wrote about here. The band expects Mr. Ziga's hand will be healed in about six weeks, and hopes to reschedule the show for around then. Armalite's self-titled release was one of our favorite records of 2006. You can buy it here and download two MP3s to boot.

>> You Ain't No Picasso reports here that Montreal-based pop weirdos Lovely Feathers have finished recording a sophomore set. The band hopes the record will be released this summer. A check of the Equator Records web site reveals, well, it reveals nothing, as it is under construction. We seem to recall it being under construction a year ago as well. We reviewed Lovely Feathers' debut here last March.

>> Hey, EMusic is selling Frightened Rabbits' Sing The Greys with a bonus track. It also appears as if EMusic has licensed for sale the entire Slumberland catalog, which is great. It means that you can go right over there and purchase Lorelei's amazing Asleep EP and the whole Slumberland catalog. Anyway, expect to see more about Frightened Rabbit here in the future, as we've tapped them as one of the acts to participate in the second wave of our Show Us Yours feature.

YouTube Rodeo: BURN's "Godhead" Live In Philadelphia

We love YouTube. This is sort of an obvious statement, but we'll make it anyway: there are things on YouTube that you never thought you would ever get a chance to see. Today's example is the high-quality live video of New York hardcore behemoth BURN performing "Godhead." By the time we got into New York hardcore it was on the wane. We think BURN had already broken up (well, sort of, according to Wikipedia) and its successor acts including BURN singer Chaka Malik's Orange 9MM was already gearing up to release its debut EP on Revelation, which in our opinion is the best thing the band ever did. Anyway, Malik is one of the best singers hardcore ever produced, up there with Pat Dubar, Rollins, Mackaye. And although every second and every lyric of BURN's song "Drown" is classic, perhaps the ultimate snippet is Malik howling "HEAR ME. I'M CALLING OUT" from the song "Godhead," also from the aforementioned BURN EP. The moment never fails to raise the hair on the back of our neck. And we never, in a million years, thought we'd ever actually see it live. But thanks to YouTube, we've got the next best thing. And it happens at 2:47 into the clip we've posted above. This is a little too heavy for a Sunday morning. But it is also undeniable. It's also a relatively deluxe three-camera job, a level of quality rare for hardcore videos. BURN reformed to record an album Cleanse earlier in this decade, but we're not sure what its members are doing now.

[Buy the BURN EP from Revelation here]

BURN: InterWeb | MySpace | YouTube | Flickr | Wikipedia

BONUS VIDEOS: Frail in 1995 [clip]. Youth Of Today performing the classic "Disengage" on a reunion tour date [clip].

1/7th of Einstellung's "Sleep Easy Mr. Parker" And More [MP3s]

As a general rule we don't memorialize here every single move of the bigger names in music, as there are enough more widely read publications -- and enough wannabes that will recycle their coverage -- around the blogosphere doing that sort of thing. So instead we endeavor to offer a different perspective, focusing on either acts to which we have pledged our undying love or to up-and-comers who distinguish themselves in a way meaningful to us. Two of the better ways for a band to gain our attention is to share a unique vision (a certain Ted Minsky record jumps to mind) or to offer something really outside the proverbial box. And so it was that we read with great interest about a band from the UK that released a 28-minute, limited edition single as their debut, performed it once live and then vowed to perform it never again. It's a move that takes the fetishism of limited edition singles and extends it into the live forum. Not a completely new idea, as every farewell tour from The Who and The Stones has at least partially built its success on a possibility of finality.

Anyway, we received email earlier this month from a chap representing the interests of Birmingham, England's -- yes, Birmingham *again* -- quasi-kraut-psych act Einstellung. It's true, the act had recently issued a 28-minute single, "Sleep Easy Mr. Parker." The track melds NEU!'s organic drone with some early Gilmour-era Pink Floyd, specifically the pastoral psych sounds evoked by that guitar legend's slide guitar work. When Einstellung's "Sleep Easy Mr. Parker" builds to its most tumultuous sections it reminds us of Dead Meadow. We've been given permission to post an edit of the track below (incidentally, you won't hear the slide guitar work in the edit, as it occurs in different sections of the track), and atop this item is a photo from the recent live debut and final live performance of the track. In addition to the edit of "...Mr. Parker," we're also offering the first track from Einstellung's full-length Wings Of Desire, which was released in September on Australia's Chatterbox Records. Dig it:

Einstellung -- "Sleep Easy Mr. Parker (Edit)" -- Limited Edition Single
Einstellung -- "Tot" -- Wings Of Desire
[YSI links; just click]

[Buy "Sleep Easy Mr. Parker" from Bearos here]
[Buy Wings Of Desire from Waterfront Records here]

Einstellung: InterWeb | MySpace | YouTube | Flickr

Today's Hotness: The Sea And Cake, Assembly Now, Evangelicals

>> Head over to Noise For Toaster and get yourself a listen to the three The Sea And Cake tracks posted right here. It is the most "rock"-oriented stuff we've heard from the long-running indie pop quartet since 1995's The Biz, one of our favorite records of the '90s. Band fronter Sam Prekop says as much about the new record, Everybody, in a blurb about the record at the Thrill Jockey site here. Observe: "It’s a rock album,” says Prekop, though its certain that only The Sea And Cake could make a rock album like this. Sam cites rock’s standard bearers The Kinks as an influence on this, “the most straight ahead, even ‘rootsy’ record we’ve ever made." So that excites us. Everybody will be released May 8. Thrill Jockey is taking pre-orders now, which will arrive on your proverbial doorstep with a poster. Cool.

>> Assembly Now, an indie rock quartet operating out of London, has posted two recent singles for download at its web site here. We picked up the first one as MP3s from one blog or another, perhaps our recent favorite Another Form Of Relief? Ah, yes, here it is. The two-year-old act released its first single, "It's Magnetic" backed with "Out On 24s," in August as a pressing of 1,000. It smokes, particularly the first cut. And as it turns out, the second single, which -- if we are reading the site correctly -- is sold out despite only having been released Jan. 29, is also several different kinds of awesome. So we are posting links to its sides "Leah-On-Sea" and "Tenement" for your enjoyment. Really, between Assembly Now and Johnny Foreigner, we're beginning to think we were born on the wrong continent and in the wrong decade. Oh well. Have at the tracks, they're dynamite.

Assembly Now -- "Leah-On-Sea" -- Label Fandango single (sold out)
Assembly Now -- "Tenement" -- Label Fandango single (sold out)
[right click and save as]

>> Oklahoma-based psych poppers Evangelicals have signed with new label Dead Oceans, a recently unveiled joint venture of Secretly Canadian, Jagjaguwar and former Misra label manager Phil Waldorf. The trio's sophomore set The Evening Descends, will be released on the new imprint, whose signings also include Dirty Projectors, Bishop Allen and Iran (which counts TV On The Radio guitarist and singer Kyp Malone as a member). The new Dead Oceans page here has posted a previously unreleased Evangelicals demo "Snowflakes," which we link to below. We previously reviewed Evangelicals' debut So Gone here, and their tour stop in Cambridge, MA right here.

Evangelicals -- "Snowflake (Demo)" -- Previously Unreleased
[right click and save as]

YouTube Rodeo: "Steppin' Out" With Sweden's Lo-Fi-Fnk

[UPDATED with correct event information below] We don't really go in for dancefloor anthems these days. But Malmo, Sweden-based electro duo Lo-Fi-Fnk's stomp-and-chant track "Steppin' Out" probably kills in clubs, and we expect every well-appointed DJ worth his weight in Sparks currently keeps this track at the ready. Lo-Fi-Fnk is a six-year-old duo comprised of Leo Drougge and August Hellsing. "Steppin' Out" is the second single (released in Scandinavia only) from the act's 2006 full-length Boylife, which was issued by Moshi Moshi. We far prefer the video linked above to the video for the first single "Wake Up." The latter clip captures the duo committing some hip-hop-cum-Ace Of Base vamping for the camera. It seems a bit silly to us, what with our pronounced Rockist bent. And we think "Steppin' Out" is simply a better song. We particularly recommend it if you like Daft Punk, as the track really reminds us of "Digital Love" once the kick drum commences its thumpety march. Anyhoo, Lo-Fi-Fnk tours the U.S. next month, including a Boston-area appearance at the exquisitely curated Squar3 Middlesex Lounge as part of Make It New March 29. Full tour dates are below, as is an MP3 of "Wake Up," even though we aren't all that crazy about the jam. "Steppin' Out" we could listen to on repeat for hours.

Lo-Fi-Fnk -- "Wake Up" -- Boylife
[just click]

Lo-Fi-Fnk: InterWeb | MySpace | YouTube | Flickr

03/06 -- Los Angeles, CA -- Safari Sam’s
03/07 -- San Diego, CA -- Beauty Bar
03/08 -- Las Vegas, NV -- Art Bar
03/09 -- Vancouver, BC -- Shine
03/10 -- Portland, OR -- Towne Lounge
03/11 -- Eugene, OR -- Indigo District
03/13 -- San Francisco, CA -- Mezzannine
03/14 -- Austin, TX -- SXSW:Stereogum/FADER party
03/14 -- Austin, TX -- SXSW:Super! Alright! Space
03/15 -- Austin, TX -- SXSW:Beauty Bar
03/16 -- Austin, TX -- SXSW:Urban Outfitters
03/16 -- Austin, TX -- SXSW:Factory People/Anthem party
03/17 -- Washington, DC -- Rock’n'Roll Hotel
03/20 -- Charlotte, NC -- Tremont Hall
03/21 -- Atlanta, GA -- Drunken Unicorn
03/22 -- Gainesville, FL -- Common Grounds
03/24 -- Miami, FL -- Post
03/27 -- Toronto, ON -- Drake Hotel
03/28 -- Montreal, QC -- Club Lambi
03/29 -- Boston, MA -- Square
03/30 -- Philadelphia, PA -- PURE
03/30 -- New York, NY -- Annex
03/31 -- Brooklyn, NY -- Studio B

Read this far, did you? Well, as an added bonus, here is a link to a completely different song titled "Stepping Out," a circa 1983 classic from erstwhile angry young man Joe Jackson. Man, we love this tune:

That Was The Show That Was: Relay, Lymbyc Systym

We don't think the guys and girl in Philadelphia's Relay will mind too much if we say the quartet is not exactly Van Halen 1.0 on stage. At their gig last night at TT The Bear's Place in Cambridge, Mass. there were no flaming gongs. No flashy guitar solos. Instead band leader Jeff Ziegler and his bandmates delivered focused, economical versions of a number of tracks from Relay's two 2006 Bubble Core Records releases, Type/Void EP and Still Point Of Turning. And while we didn't keep track of the set list, over the course of their half-hour of stage time Relay delivered several cracking versions of songs that have worked their way into our head over the past several months.

None of the small crowd last night seemed disappointed that Relay's particular amalgamation of Krautrock and dream pop doesn't lend itself to flaming gongs and wango tango guitar wankery. The quartet's somewhat icy stage demeanor underscored the atmosphere of many of the songs, and we didn't realize just how much that was so until realizing we were a bit surprised to see Ziegler and band crack into quiet smiles when they had completed the set and were breaking down their gear. Drummer Gerard Angelini has the most extroverted stage presence, and he allowed himself to really attack his drum parts as the set crescendoed. It reminded us of how math rockers A Minor Forest used to situate its drummer at the front of the stage with his back to the audience, and for a moment we considered whether this would work for Relay. Decidedly no, as we think the Relay stage vibe and its music jibe well. Still, those cats in A Minor Forest, at least circa the Inindependence record, were really on to something. As for Relay, its tour continues into early March and wraps up on the 6th in Alabama, at which point the band takes about a week off and then heads to SXSW.

We've read various good things about last night's openers Lymbyc Systym (particularly this item at Bradley's Almanac), but the few songs we heard prior to last night didn't move us. Which is why the electrifying close of the Pheonix, Ariz.-based duo's set floored us. We've always felt that Lymbyc Systym and one-time tourmates Album Leaf's quiet ruminations were virtually indistinguishable, but the cacaphony and clatter of Lymbyc System's finale, all synth feedback and flailing limbs assaulting the drum kit, definitely made a lasting impression on us. One final note: dream poppers Mahogany, who released the very compelling set Connectivity! last fall, canceled their appearance on the bill last night. The very same day we received an email from Mahogany HQ stating the band has just signed on to support some dates on a forthcoming Bloc Party tour of the UK in mid-April.

UPDATE: Here is a small Flickr set from the show for Relay, and another for Lymbyc Systym. Finally, here are some auditory goodies from the Relay catalog, both of which we think we've offered up before, but even so we highly recommend both tunes.

Relay -- "New Domestic Landscape" -- Still Point Of Turning
Relay -- "Context" -- Still Point Of Turning
[right click and save as]

[buy Still Point Of Turning from Newbury Comics here]

Relay: InterWeb | MySpace | YouTube | Flickr

02/21 -- Burlington, VT -- Higher Ground
02/22 -- Buffalo, NY -- Big Orbit's Soundlab
02/23 -- Southgate, MI -- The Modern Exchange
02/24 -- Champaign, IL -- Mike 'N' Molly's
02/25 -- Chicago, IL -- The Empty Bottle
02/26 -- Columbus, OH -- Andyman's Treehouse
02/28 -- Washington, DC -- Warehouse Next Door
03/01 -- Baltimore, MD -- Lo-Fi Social Club
03/02 -- Norfold, VA -- The Boot
03/04 -- Boca Raton, FL -- Dubliner
03/05 -- Tampa, FL -- New World Brewery
03/06 -- Birmingham, AL -- Bottletree
03/15 -- Austin, TX -- SXSW Showcase At The Taproom
03/16 -- Austin, TX -- Lovejoys
03/17 -- Austin, TX --SXSW Move To Philly Showcase