Stars of Track and Field

Any number of attributes set Stars of Track and Field apart from their Emo-fueled peers in the Portland scene on their debut full-length, Centuries Before Love and War (available as a download last year and just now getting its official "hard copy" release). Structurally, the trio operates without an actual bassist, as guitarist/keyboardist/lead vocalist Kevin Calaba and drummer/programmer Daniel Baker Orvik provide a synthetic bottom. Musically, the three Stars create a monumental wall of sound as everyone pulls double duty; Calaba and guitarist Jason Bell are a formidable six-string duo of Pop precision and Rock chaos, Calaba's considerable keyboard skills lend both bombast and ambience through his piano and synth contributions, and Orvik's drumming is both rhythmic anchor and musical accompaniment while his programming provides a beat-driven electronic atmosphere. Once it's all assembled, Stars of Track and Field (named after a Belle and Sebastian song) roar and soar through a 10-track set that swells with the expansive Rock power of Catherine Wheel ("Movies of Antarctica," "Centuries"), embraces the delicate Pop beauty of Coldplay ("Exit the Recital") and haunts with the experimental sonic texturalism of Radiohead and Aphex Twin ("With You," "Lullabye for a G.I."). With an amazing sense of proportion, Stars of Track and Field imbue their songs with equal measures of subtlety and density to create a movingly melancholy sound that is both ethereal and majestic. (BB) Grade: B