Today's Hotness: The Lodger, Bettie Serveert, Superman Revenge Squad

>> Leeds, England-based pure-play indie pop concern The Lodger are back next week with a delightful new piece of aural heaven, the single "Have A Little Faith In People." The track is culled from the quartet's forthcoming third long-player Flashbacks, which will be released at the end of April. "Have A Little Faith In People" makes us long for the early days of MTV, a time when the rising television channel was heavily attuned to the new wave of music coming out of the UK. Of course, The Lodger is likely more interested by the underground, Postcard Records sounds of that era rather than the stuff that actually made its way to American teevee screens. But even so, there is something about The Lodger's fresh, clean and unadorned (save for some tasteful, buoyant brass) guitar pop here that makes us nostalgic. "Have A Little Faith In People" will be issued in the UK 5 April on This Is Fake DIY and in the U.S. the following day digitally via Slumberland Records. The Lodger's debut Grown Ups was released in 2007, and it was followed by Life Is Sweet in 2008. Catch the stream of the forthcoming single below.



>> Dutch indie rock lifers Bettie Serveert have always been fond of presenting their songs in different styles, or at least running through them as simple acoustic versions. Heck, their last album, 2006's Bare Stripped Naked, was based in part around this notion. It recast a few songs from their past -- and future, since "What They Call Love" is remade as a rocker on their new album. So here we have this rough-and-ready take of their new Pharmacy Of Love track,"Semaphore." It may be stripped of the studio sheen and killer drums, but it still retains its urgency. Read our review of Pharmacy Of Love right here. -- Michael Piantigini

Bettie Serveert -- "Semaphore (Acoustic Version)"
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>> According to this blog post top English songwriter Ben Parker's Superman Revenge Squad is preparing the release of Dead Crow Blues EP, which will apparently include the songs "Playing God Games," "An Old Man Flicking Through A Pornographic Magazine," "The Summer We Finally Cut Our Hair" and "An Endless Bottle Of Blood-Red Wine... Whistling Into The Abyss." Superman Revenge Squad recently performed those and the older cut "I’m Gonna Go To Bed And When I Wake Up I'm Gonna Be Someone Else" for a video podcast, the details of which podcast are still being sorted. But Superman Revenge Squad's planned EP sounds very exciting, not only because it will include recent collaborator Martin on cello, but also because Mr. Parker hopes to feature his brother and former Nosferatu D2 bandmate Adam on drums on one track. Artwork for Dead Crow Blues has already been secured from Dave Broadbent, whose work you will know from the 2009 Nosferatu D2 release We're Gonna Walk Around This City With Our Headphones On To Block Out The Noise [review here]. Parker and Martin have also been asked to soundtrack a film, but there are few details available about that.

Review: Lali Puna | Our Inventions [MP3]

According to its label, Lali Puna's fourth full length Our Inventions addresses modernity and "the driving forces of progress and technological obsession" -- themes that the Munich-based electropop quartet has plumbed since at least its 2001 sophomore set Scary World Theory. If there is an unexpected change manifested in Our Inventions it is the return of a softer tone and predominantly electronic palette. The change is perhaps too easy to associate with fronter Valerie Trebeljahr having become a mother for the first time since the release of the band's last record, but it also offers a ready raison d'etre for Lali Puna's retrenching its music nearer the minimalist style of its debut full-length, 1999's startlingly excellent Tridecoder. There is something to be cherished in the quiet and peaceful that new parents likely appreciate more than most.

The subdued tone contrasts sharply with the quartet's prior full-length, 2004's almost boisterous (and certainly Notwist-like) Faking The Books. That thrilling collection was replete with big guitar chords that complemented surprisingly well Ms. Trebeljahr's trademark electronics and wispy vocals. It targeted unpopular regimes and Orwellian corporations; we consider the set a strong rebuke of the U.S.-led "war on terror," and it is impossible not to recognize as criticism the coopting of a then-current Microsoft ad tagline for the chorus of the excellent (pardon this) rocker "Metronomic." There are hints of that outward-facing, critical voice on Our Inventions, such as the ominous, dense mid-album standout "Safe Tomorrow" (in which Trebeljahr repeatedly warns "never going anywhere" over pulsing laptop beats and droning synths). But for the most part the new set is the most insular and intimate since Tridecoder. Opener "Rest Your Head" and closer/album highlight "Out There" could prove serviceable as lullabyes.

Fans unfamiliar with Lali Puna's catalog prior to Faking The Books may find the limited dynamics on Our Inventions puzzling. But despite a mesmerizing (and perhaps hyperbole-deflecting) consistency across its 10 tracks, there is a degree of sophistication in the compositions that emphasizes that, in its 11th year of releasing records, Lali Puna continues evolving. Trebeljahr's quiet, breathy delivery is as arresting as ever (particularly on "That Day," which touts a Depeche Mode-mode rhythm track), and the intelligent electronic textures that underpin her pensive, quietly anxious tunes continue to present a captivating focal point. The wonderful unspoken truth of the music on Our Inventions is that, in fact, it is not minimalist at all: every synth tone or electro beat hides beneath still more layers of sound, be they understated guitars, chopped up vocals or more synths and beats.

Our Inventions will be officially issued by Morr Music in Europe April 9; it will be available in the U.S. on April 27, according to Newbury Comics' web site. The record was "pre-released" to ITunes last Thursday along with an ITunes-only bonus track "See The Wood For Trees," which was previously only available on the "Remember" 7". Fans who purchase the CD or vinyl version of Our Inventions directly from Morr receive a copy of the "Remember" 7" for free, which makes the ITunes exclusivity of "See The Wood For The Trees" seem less and less, well, exclusive. Lali Puna plan a European tour for May and early June, and you can inspect all the dates below.

Lali Puna -- "Remember" -- Our Inventions
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Lali Puna: Internerds | MySpace | YouTube | Flickr

05.13 -- Conne Island -- Leipzig
05.14 -- Lido -- Berlin
05.15 -- Lagerhaus -- Bremen
05.16 -- Gebäude 9 -- Köln
05.17 -- Übel und Gefährlich -- Hamburg
05.18 -- Ekko -- Utrecht
05.19 -- Cactus -- Brugge
05.20 -- Pavillon Theatre -- Brighton
05.21 -- Le Grand Mix -- Lille
05.22 -- Mousonturm -- Frankfurt
05.28 -- Ampere -- München
05.29 -- Immergut Festival -- Neustrelitz
05.30 -- SC -- Zagreb
05.31 -- Gala Hala -- Ljubliana
06.01 -- Lokomotiv -- Bologna
06.02 -- Spazio 211 -- Turin
06.03 -- Exil -- Zürich
06.04 -- Exit 07 -- Luxembourg
06.05 -- Furia Festival -- Cergy

Johnny Foreigner Delivers Digital Versions Of Every Cloakroom Ever EP

Fans of Birmingham, England-based noise pop superlatives Johnny Foreigner who pre-ordered the long-awaited, forthcoming "Every Cloakroom Ever" single found a surprise in their email inboxes Tuesday in the form of links to download digital versions of what is now the Every Cloakroom Ever 10" EP. The collection was originally slated to be a single but got blown out to four tracks after enough fans jumped on board with pre-orders to make the cost structure work. Another cool thing is that the digital version of the EP was delivered as 320kbps MP3s and .WAV files. You might wonder why they bothered with the WAV files -- until you listen to the bass in the WAV file of the title track, which bass sounds as if it will explode through your speakers. So awesome. The physical manifestation of Every Cloakroom Ever has a fuzzy release date, but it is generally expected to ship next month. As the band has spent a fair amount of time in a different hemisphere in recent weeks, and there was touring to take care of prior to that, and given Johnny Foreigner is handling the vinyl release itself through special arrangement with its label Best Before, the extra time to get the product out is reasonable. Especially considering the cover art will include the name of every single person who pre-ordered the physical media, as (we imagine painstakingly) rendered by the inimitable Lewes Herriot.

In addition to the title track, the aforementioned EP contains three b-sides: "For The Chains," "Things I Would Have Swapped For Heart-Shaped Glasses, 2001-2006" and the actually quite wonderful remix of the title track "Ever Every Cloakroom." The remix is notable because fronter and guitarist Alexei Berrow takes the vocals handled by bassist Kelly Southern in the original version and vice versa. Between that and the brilliant production, we humbly suggest that this remix may actually be better than the source itself: maybe. "For The Chains" (lyrics posted here) is driven by Berrow's spiraling spoken lyrics, much like the verse of the "Criminals" b-side "Palace Fires." However, "For The Chains" is somehow more melancholy despite having a bigger electronic beat. The big, airy reverb on the clean lead guitar, some phasing drone and surprise-filled, layered production (that knocking sound tucked into the eaves of the last 30 seconds actually drives us a little batty thinking someone is at the door) makes the amazing track perhaps the most We Left You Sleeping And Gone-ish of anything the band has done in the last five years. "Things I Would Have Swapped For Heart-Shaped Glasses, 2001-2006" (lyrics posted here) opens with a somewhat discordant and Pavement-y riff (delivered at twice Pavement speed) that is sure to make the track a quick fan favorite.

So we know that pre-orders were taken and fared very well. One thing we don't know is if folks who did not pre-order will be able to get their hands on the 10" vinyl. We'll try to get the answers for you.

Varsity Drag, Tartufi, Soccermom | 9 April | PA's Lounge, Somerville

Review: Bettie Serveert | Pharmacy Of Love [MP3]

Bettie Serveert takes just long enough between albums that every one feels like a comeback. This one especially, because it is so fantastic. Let’s just establish this right off the bat: Pharmacy of Love (Second Motion) is easily the best front-to-back Bettie Serveert album since their 1992 debut, Palomine.

It is true that they can never re-create the soundtrack-of-my-life nostalgia that I have for that album (and 1992 generally, since it was such a major formative music year for me, it being the year of Let Me Come Over, Tossing Seeds and Slanted And Enchanted, among many others), and it wouldn’t be fair to ask or expect it. Even still, Pharmacy gives it a run for its money: it’s sharper, more focused, and more driven.

I’ve always thought of these Dutchpersons as a great guitar band. Palomine’s warm strummy jangle just felt and sounded real, like you were there in the basement with them. Dust Bunnies’ “Geek” amped it up and still takes my breath away. I guess that’s why I got impatient with some of some of the band’s more meandering mid-period, especially when they brought in more electronics (like on some of 2005's Attagirl, say) . The songwriting was a bit less consistent – though there were certainly plenty of gems throughout. It feels like they’ve been searching for something, and Pharmacy of Love seems to bring it all into focus.

Driven, yes, by those beloved, though sharper, guitars, but especially by explosive new drummer Joppe Molenaar – the Betties sound more like a hungry young band with something to prove and less like a band 20 years and 8 albums in (the rest of the band, singer Carol van Dyke, guitarist Peter Visser and bassist Herman Bunskoeke, have all been on board since the beginning).

I could highlight each track from this album of energy and spark, but I’ll settle on three: If there were any justice (but I know there really isn’t), the album’s single and leadoff track, “Deny All,” would be the giant hit of the summer. The propulsive rhythm (with the aforementioned explosive drumming), the catchy chorus – isn’t rock and roll due to come back again? “The Pharmacy” feels epic, though more by its drama than by its length. Driven (yes, again) by an insistent drum pattern, the track starts otherwise sparse, adding tension by synth before finally resolving into a driving beat topped by guitar freak-out. And “Change4Me,” with van Dyke’s sweet vocals and its laid-back, strum could have been on Palomine.

I friggin’ love this record.

Also: don’t miss the iTunes-only “Deny All” EP – there’s a non-LP track and a couple of alternate versions that are worth the extry couple bucks.

They seem to be doing lots of touring, but no word on a US trek just yet. In looking at their schedule, I wouldn’t count on it until the fall. And, say, that's when Teenage Fanclub are supposed to hit the US in support of their finally-announced new album, Shadows. Just sayin'. -- Michael Piantigini

Bettie Serveert - "Deny All" - Pharmacy of Love
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Bettie Serveert: Intertubes | MySpace | Facebook | Twitter | YouTube

Reader Rewards: Beach House, Ted Leo, Los Campesinos!, Shout Out Louds

We haven't forgotten about you, you who love the indie rock as much as life itself. Time was we were giving away a lot of tickets for Boston area fans. Good times, right? Well the good times are back, beginning later this week, when we will be giving away the first of several hot pairs of tickets to soak in the now sounds at Paradise Rock Club. The first pair on offer will be to see Baltimore dream pop duo Beach House's sold-out show this coming Sunday (March 28). We also have a pair of tickets for each of Ted Leo with Obits (April 10), Los Campesinos! (April 24) and Shout Out Louds (May 6). So much good rock that it somewhat boggles the mind. So how do you get a chance at these? You need to follow us on the Twitterz, where our handle is @clickyclicky, and where we will a couple days before each show 1) give fair warning that we are about to give the tickets away to one lucky winner, 2) give the tickets away to the first person who replies or DMs us and 3) announce the winner. It's fun, it happens fast, and it is efficient. So start following us, already! Look for the Beach House tickets to get given and gotten sometime Thursday.

Rock Over Boston | The Clientele, Field Music | Great Scott | 3.22.10

The Clientele with Field Music at Great Scott, Allston, MA 3/22/2010. Photos by Michael Piantigini