Pitchfork

Nimble, often instrumental, and powerful as hell, Electrelane isn't the easiest beast to brand, but we love them all the same. (And not just because guitarist Mia Clarke is a Pitchfork contributor.) They love us too, and to show it, the four-piece has assembled a rarities compilation to whet fans' appetites until the next Electrelane album arrives.

Entitled Singles, B-Sides & Live, this monster drops on August 22 in the U.S. (and the day before in the UK) through Too Pure.

The collection features 16 tracks, including A- and B-sides released on Indenial/Skint, Fierce Panda, the group's own Let's Rock! label, and Too Pure. It includes a kickass cover of Springsteen's "I'm on Fire"), a John Peel session selection ("Oh Sombra!"), and three live tracks (including the band's stab at Leonard Cohen's "Halleluj-- psyche!-- "The Partisan").

Electrelane's four steadfast pistons-- Clarke, Emma Gaze, Ros Murray, and Verity Susman-- are currently in Berlin recording their fourth album after spending some time pursuing personal interests and solo/side projects (Verity as Vera November, contributing a track to the forthcoming Jens Lekman-curated Arthur Russell tribute; Ros in Ray Rumours, Sisisi Sisisi Sisi, Las Pulpas, and probably a few more obscure Iberian lo-fi bands, and Clarke writing for The Wire, Venus, and you-know-who).

No release date has being bandied about for the new album yet, so it would be safe to assume "beginning of 2007" at the earliest.

Singles, B-Sides & Live:

01 Film Music
02 Come On
03 Le Song
04 U.O.R.
05 John Wayne
06 I Love You My Farfisa
07 I Want to Be the President
08 I Only Always Think
09 I've Been Your Fan Since Yesterday
10 I'm on Fire
11 Long Dark
12 Oh Sombra! (John Peel session)
13 More Than This (live)
14 Birds (live)
15 Those Pockets Are People/The Partisan (live)
16 Today