A local band that once showed remarkable promise, Craig Klein’s The Race originally broke up in 2004, and after Klein’s refiguring of resources and creative juice, came back with 2007’s “Ice Station,” a halfway decent record. “Feathers,” which opens “Ice Station,” still holds up as a sweet, catchy experimental pop song. “Exiles” is The Race’s new record, celebrating its release tonight from St. Ives Records, and its another transformation of Klein’s group, musically, as now the band has adopted a dark, mid-nineties electro feel that’s as downbeat as it is throwback. As a dance-rock record, it works well enough and would be adequate material for getting the crowd’s collective ass moving, but compared to Klein’s earlier work, it seems relatively shallow, as if the whole record was written in the middle of the night, sleep-deprived and lacking proper judgment. These types of records always work better when they’re fun, and “Exiles,” as the title really indicates, isn’t much fun. All that said, it does feature some musical ingenuity, as its obviously Klein’s most ambitious work to date, and that can be appreciated for what it’s worth. I just miss the spaced-out fuzz rock. (Tom Lynch)
September 6 at Empty Bottle, 1035 N. Western, (773)276-3600, at 9pm. $3.
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