Okay, so the single “Swift Coin” has now been out for about a month and I am officially behind. But the new-to-me Land of Talk single “Swift Coin” is up at Emusic and on their MySpace page. AND their new album, Cloak and Cipher, comes out TODAY, August 24th, on Saddle Creek. So my timing is actually pretty good.

“Swift Coin” starts with a warped-swirling guitar sound–a sort of psychedelic My Bloody Valentine, if that’s not too obvious a comparison, but then it quickly turns all Land of Talk with the sweet, seething melancholia of Lizzie’s distinctive voice atop scratchy guitar that gets a bit angrier, little by little, as the song progresses, until it lets go in a flurry for the last minute or so. The B-side, “Lossless,” is a little quieter, a little colder, and more consistently and heavily laden with echo-y metallic reverb. Lizzie’s vocals are layered–she’s simultaneously in the next room, at the end of a tunnel, and whispering in your ear. Unsurprisingly, I really like both songs. These guys can’t do much that would make me unhappy, it seems. I’m really looking forward to seeing them again in November, and they’ve so obligingly arranged their dates in Boston and New York to wrap around the Interpol show in New York on my birthday. Thanks guys. I’m totally feelin’ the love.

Their upcoming tour dates:

September 16, 2010 at Lee’s Palace in Toronto
September 19, 2010 at Beachland Tavern in Cleveland
September 21, 2010 at Lincoln Hall in Chicago
September 22, 2010 at 7th Street Entry in Minneapolis
September 23, 2010 at Slowdown Front Room in Omaha
September 25, 2010 at Larimer Lounge in Denver
September 26, 2010 at Kilby Court in Salt Lake City
September 29, 2010 at Starlite Room in Edmonton
September 30, 2010 at Dicken’s Pub in Calgary
October 2, 2010 at Lucky Bar in Victoria, BC
October 3, 2010 at Biltmore Cabaret in Vancouver
October 4, 2010 at Crocodile in Seattle
October 5, 2010 at Mississippi Studios in Portland, OR
October 7, 2010 at Independent in San Francisco
October 8, 2010 at Culture Collide Festival - Echo Plex in Los Angeles
October 9, 2010 at Detroit Bar in Costa Mesa, CA
October 10, 2010 at Casbah in San Diego
October 12, 2010 at The Rhythm Room in Phoenix
October 15, 2010 at The Parish in Austin
October 16, 2010 at The Nightmare in Dallas
November 2, 2010 at Space Gallery in Portland, ME
November 3, 2010 at TT The Bear’s in Cambridge, MA
November 5, 2010 at Johnny Brendas in Philadelphia
November 6, 2010 at Bowery Ballroom in New York
November 7, 2010 at The Rock and Roll Hotel in Washington, DC
November 9, 2010 at Local 506 in Chapel Hill
November 10, 2010 at The Earl in Atlanta
November 11, 2010 at The End in Nashville
November 18, 2010 at Cabaret du Mile End in Montreal

I’ll have to report back once I’ve heard the whole album.

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