Stars of Track & Field "Centuries Before Love and War"- -Album Review

I've gushed about this band before. Twice. Hailing from the soggy town of Portland, Oregon, Stars of Track and Field have come of age with an album that fuses the crystalline pop of the Postal Service with gritty texture and an honest emotional edge. Hype or no, these guys are worth checking out. The release of their album, Centuries Before Love and War, has been pushed back a few times already, but with its official release imminent, there is no question these guys are worth noticing. This sophomore album is no slump: at times mellow, moody, surprising and beautiful, it's a multifacted record perfect for the cold.

I've had this album for a while. Reviewers rarely get the pleasure of listening to an album more than a few times before passing judgement. Significantly, I've kept coming back to it with pleasure. Which is not just to say it stands up to repeat listens. In fact, like the best albums out there, Centuries has grown richer each time I've put it on, the songs have not only grown on me but have remained open, ever changing, ever deepening. I expect to still be enjoying this album this time next year and beyond.

As I've written, with Centuries, Stars of T&F have added electronic textures to their broody, Byronic sound (a sound can be Byronic, right?). But unlike most bands adding beeps and bloops, Stars of T&F have also learned to let their tunes soar. From the first track of the album, "Centuries," to the last (and most intimate) tune, "Fantastic," the guitar/vocal interplay on the album is epic in ways reminiscent of alternative stadium rock (maybe U2 with the sensitive heart of Morrissey, if such a fusion isn't heresy.)

Here's some really unnecessary description: listening to Stars of T&F brings me back the my early days of living in Portland, when the rain would accumulate outside and I would burrow in. From my windows view, the moist city would take on a serene and slightly nostalgic aura -- and inside, I'd be contentedly isolated, severed pleasantly from the world. Perfect.

Highlights include the atmospheric "With You," which has a harmonized chorus unlike any other, and manages to be driving without every actually going very fast (I attribute that to the twinkly, rhythmic guitar that colors the background). Another strong track is "Real Time," where a moogish sound gives, somehow, a mellow vibe. Also: "Birds, watching form the line/ while your heart beats one thousand times." Then the song builds, and builds and builds...