The page above comes from indie-rock lifers mag, Magnet, who love the third band on our Friday Neon Lights extravaganza (Glasslands in Brooklyn, BTW) enough to include My Teenage Stride's record Ears Like Golden Bats in their "Top 20 Albums of 2007." They are far from the only ones smitten by the sharp ties and tunes of songwriter Jedediah Smith. A brief roll call of admirers includes tasteful bastards such as Idolator, Pop Matters, Coke Machine Glow, the L Magazine, and the dearly defunct Stylus. None of this is surprising of course. What's not to love? With concise, sharply crafted songs that betray a fondness for all the great 80s record geek touchstones, it's clear that our loves are My Teenage Stride's. Postcard Records, Factory Records, Rough Trade, Flying Nun, these are the badges sewn onto the band's songwriting satchel. But as evident as they are, the songs never, ever feel rote, unimaginative, or the product of pure mimicry. MTS recalls those high-water marks because, like them, they put a premium on tight songwriting, performing exuberance, and execution, above all.

 My Teenage Stride - "Ears Like Golden Bats"

The title track to last year's critic-enchanter plays rope-a-dope in its first seconds, suggesting atmospheric clouds before breaking up the quiet with an improbably sprightly bassline. Which would be motion enough even without the introduction of jangling guitars, sprinting like the Louvre scene in Godard's Bande à part. Despite the active energy, Jed's refrain is pessimistic. "You're gonna let me down," he insists. His effortless vocal melody remains trustworthy throughout.

 My Teenage Stride - "Theme From Teenage Suicide"

Even better, perhaps, is this cut from the Lesser Demons EP, released earlier this year. The title would be enough to put me in mind of my beloved Unrest, but those giddy guitars are a more fitting tribute to the underappreciatd Teenbeat Records' catalog of the early 90s (underappreciated to the point that I really can't think of another current band really keeping that torch lit). Smith's lyrics are filled with the sort of non-sequitur that gets stuck in your head before you can puzzle out what it means, and the pinko "Red China and Russia look finer than gold" line is a fine example here, though the dark chorus, "She was a teenage suicide I never wanted her more!" wins the prize for macabre singability.

And check out the spiraling New Order guitar leads on the single below, which also throws in a nice vocal homage to Eno's "Cindy Tells Me" for good measure....

My Teenage Stride - "To Live and Die in the Airport Lounge"
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 My Teenage Stride - "To Live and Die in the Airport Lounge"

and a bonus clip, just to put it over the top.

My Teenage Stride - "They are Alone in Their Principles"
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Getting excited out there? I can hardly sit still. More info here, as always.

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P.S. If you'd like a chance to win a free ticket to this jubilant concert bill, head over to the blogosphere nexus for indie-pop enthusiasm, Skatterbrain, and read up.