Record Shop + Live Show = Dreamy Afternoon

My favorite equation! Local indie-pop legends Math and Physics Club played an inspired in-store set at Sonic Boom in Seattle's Ballard neighborhood yesterday, and the shop was fully stocked with smiles from a throng of loyal fans that had not witnessed the boys at the Boom for about a decade. As touted a couple of weeks ago on these very pages, Math and Physics Club have a "new" release of sorts, and all but one of the songs performed came from 'In This Together,' a collection of B-sides, rarities and unreleased songs from the past decade. You might be asking yourself how a band could pull off playing only the bottom-feeders. Rest assured, Math and Physics Club never added by subtracting on the flip side, and jangly songs like "Graduation Day" and "It Must Be Summer Somewhere," (and, oh, how apropos that one was!) sounded like the hits they should have been in a just world.

The highlight for me (outside of finally meeting Jimmy from Matinée Recordings) was brand-new song "Coastal California 1985," which we'll listen to below, and I left the shop with a little hop after learning there would be another show at the Vera Project on Aug. 6. Unfortunately, within minutes, my mood was dashed as I ran smack into a bevy of naked bikers leaving the Fremont Solstice Parade. My eyes! My eyes! Secure your copy of 'In This Together' now!