New Swearing at Motorists Album Due

from pitchfork

You know, kids, it's never too early to start planning for Valentine's Day. None other than lo-fi duo Swearing at Motorists have already got you covered, as their upcoming LP, Last Night Becomes This Morning, will be making its way into progressive-minded record stores across the U.S. on February 7. That gives you a whole week to wrap it in bright red paper and fasten a bag of candy hearts to it.

The album features 15 would-be indie love sonnets (hey, somebody has to be makin' out to this stuff) by the Dayton, Ohio-based pair of Dave Doughman and Joseph Siwinski. Secretly Canadian will release the disc, which will be the band's fourth official studio LP, and first since 2002's This Flag Signals Goodbye. More songs...

1. Losing the Battle, Losing the War
2. Northern Line
3. Timing Is Everything
4. Still Life With Bottle Rockets
5. This Is Not How Forever Begins
6. Waterloo Crescent
7. Time Zones And Area Codes
8. Slave to the Kettle
9. Not Tonight
10. Ten Dollars
11. You Will Not Die Tonight (Probably)
12. Done in a Hurry
13. Chick Hern to Fakie
14. Lost Your Wig
15. Suicide on the Installment Plan

More than a mere collection of tunes, the album also follows a loose thematic structure, as singer guitarist Dave Doughman recently explained. "Last Night Becomes This Morning seems to be my inadvertent indie rock version of Jackson Browne's Running On Empty. It is about a self-perpetuating myth. Where Running On Empty told of the battle to cope with fame and fortune, Last Night chronicles the struggle to live life on the road in spite of lack of fame or fortune."

The recording sessions for the disc also perpetuated this theme. Doughman continued, "It was recorded on the road, between and while on tour in various locations-- at soundchecks, in hotel rooms, rehearsal halls, and in vans and on buses (listen closely for the engine whine and the gears change). In place of the sold-out arenas, its live sound comes in busking in an empty Berlin subway station. 'Exile On Gipstraße' if you will."

And when they're not busy gettin' all philosophical on us, Swearing At Motorists are also currently on the road in Europe drumming up multi-lingual support for the upcoming disc. Doughman will play a solo show in Paris this week, before Swearing at Motorists finishes off their live activity for the year with eight dates across Italy.

11-09 Paris, France - La Fleche D'Or (Dave Doughman solo) *
11-25 Rovereto, Italy - Teatro Cartiera
11-26 Brescia, Italy - Freemusic
11-28 Padova, Italy - Spazio Aperto #
11-29 Marina Di Massa, Italy - TagoMago
11-30 Bologna, Italy - Club 74
12-01 Pesaro, Italy - Sonic Lab
12-02 Bari, Italy - Target Club
12-03 Ravenna, Italy - Charles Bronson

* with South San Gabriel
# with Medications

-- James Gregory

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