Stars of Track and Field 'Centuries Before Love and War' album

When Stars of Track and Field found themselves without a bassist a couple of years ago, the Portland, Oregon-based band didn't follow the typical steps to find a replacement. No want-ads were placed; no attempts were made to recruit from other bands and nobody within the group switched instruments. Instead, the band opted for the path less traveled: they went digital. “Our initial motivation was two fold; a chance to stretch our boundaries and break from the conventional rock format, and avoid the frustration of rehearsing bass player after bass player,” says Jason Bell.

Stars of Track and Field had become an entirely different band, one that keenly opted to straddle the divide of vintage analog and cutting-edge digital, merging the best of yesterday and tomorrow into a succinct musical package. “We could finally embrace all of our influences,” says Kevin Calaba, “and add the colors of Aphex Twin and early Pink Floyd to a palette that already included the Beatles and My Bloody Valentine.” Adds Dan Orvik, “between the three of us there are many influences, the musical direction could go anywhere.”

Fueled by their newly found “digital chemistry,” Stars of Track and Field suddenly took on an entirely revamped musical outlook and feverishly began developing new songs for their debut EP. Five hour practice sessions consisted of two-and-a-half hours of silence and self-imposed isolation; rehearsals were largely spent with all members’ headphones on, experimenting with sounds and textures, only to later share their finds. “We’re thinking in bleeps and blurps these days as much as we used to think in rhythms and melodies,” says Bell.

The result of these sessions was the band's self-released debut EP, You Came Here for Sunset Last Year. Recorded and produced by Tony Lash (Dandy Warhols, Elliott Smith) and Jeff Saltzman (Stephen Malkmus) for a mere $2,500, the EP was released in June 2005 and garnered significant radio attention throughout the Pacific Northwest, which included commercial airplay. The public responded, and the band went on to sell several thousand copies of the release via live shows and local stores. The EP appeared on many Best of 2005 lists and reader polls, highlighted by SXSW Executive Producer Matt Dentler's blog, which listed Stars of Track and Field as the #4 “Band To Watch for 2006.”

Orvik explains, “We never wrote songs with the thought, ‘Wouldn’t this sound great on radio?’ The attention has been great, but it hasn’t changed our compositional outlook. As long as this band exists, our intention is to simply make art.”

After a brief stint on the Southern California-based indie label Sidecho Records, Stars of Track and Field signed to Wind-up Records. “Around the time of SXSW 2006, several labels had their hands down the back of our swim trunks,” jokes Calaba, “and it always makes sense to take advantage of that kind of interest. Wind-up is about developing careers, and that is the priority for this band.”

Returning to the studio with Lash and Saltzman, the team created Centuries Before Love and War, the band's first full length, which was released exclusively on iTunes on August 22nd. An ambitious debut, Centuries Before Love and War displays the band’s dichotomous formula, successfully mining elements from across rock's history while simultaneously embracing the digital technology of the future. "Tony really put his heart and soul into it,” says Bell. “He thinks it's the best thing he's ever worked on. That's saying quite a bit."

One listen reinforces Lash’s confidence. The CD begins with the title track’s intriguing blend of vinyl-sampled kick drum, digital handclaps, reverse cymbals and keyboard arpeggio which builds to the song’s crescendo of electric guitar feedback, layered vocals and live drums. “’Centuries’ had to be first because it best demonstrates the juxtaposition between digital and analog while setting the lyrical theme of the record,” says Calaba. The song “Movies of Antarctica” briefly incorporates a drum machine before launching into a guitar/drum attack that any arena rock band would appreciate. “’Movies of Antartica’ kind of wrote itself,” quips Bell. “Satan himself lisped that riff into my ear.” “With You” traverses the sonic territory from digital to analog and back, oscillating between digital minimalism and indulgent walls of keyboard and guitar. States Calaba, “Sonically and lyrically the song describes the emotional tug of war that occurs between sorrow and elation.”

If the anthemic rock aesthetic found on the full-length feels somewhat melancholic, then similarly bittersweet is the lyrical content. "We called the CD Centuries Before Love and War due to the fact that all the lyrics deal with maligned memory and love loss. And obviously, with the war going on now, it's pretty hard not to have that affect your writing,” says Calaba. “The difficult part is presenting your politics with insight and thoughtfulness, while avoiding trite rhetoric and cliché,” adds Bell. “How one cannot be shocked and horrified by the random violence and lackluster performance of this administration baffles me.”

With the album wrapped and label in place, the road ahead looks especially promising. The band completed an August US tour with Jeremy Enigk (Sunny Day Real Estate & The Fire Theft) and is preparing to head out for another US Tour in October/November with The Twilight Singers (Greg Dulli, ex-Afghan Whigs). “For me, the live setting allows for us to present songs like ‘Movies of Antartica’ or ‘Say Hello’ in a much more raw fashion than the record,” adds Bell. “Sounds like we’ll never be home again,” Orvik laughs.

And although Bell and Calaba have been writing material together for a number of years in other acts, playing in Stars of Track and Field still feels relatively new, particularly since the introduction of the fourth “electronic member.” "We're still a really young band in terms of playing together, so we'd like to think that our best days are ahead of us," says Bell. "We're still trying to figure out what the hell we're doing."

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Stars of Track and Field - Centuries Before Love and War