Personnel: Kevin Calaba (vocals, guitar, keyboards); Jason Bell (vocals, guitar); Tony Lash (guitar, keyboards); Daniel Baker Orvik (drums, programming).

Additional personnel: Tony Lash.

Audio Mixers: Tony Lash; Victor Florencia.

Recording information: Kung Fu Bakery; Mandible; Mysterious Beard, Portland, OR; Supernatural Sound.

Photographer: Anna Maj Michelson.

On CENTURIES BEFORE LOVE AND WAR, Stars of Track and Field accomplish some snake-eating-its-own-tail trickery by playing rock-informed electronica that references '80s minimalist rock bands influenced by electronic music. Sound confusing? It's not. The results are a unique and incredibly catchy blend of electronic flourishes and post-punk melodicism.

Whittled down from a quartet, the Portland, Oregon, trio easily masters both gurgling digitalia and arena-ready mope riffs a la Radiohead on their full-length debut, and almost always within the same song. "Centuries," the album's opener, finds a glorious Interpolesque chorus erupting from a grab bag of 808 beats and scratches, while the lush harmonies of "Lullaby For a G.I./Don't Close Your Eyes" recall Air's melodic side. With a deft combination of electronica and indie rock, CENTURIES BEFORE LOVE AND WAR is a unique triumph.