Mp3 exclusive: The Beatings

We don't have anything very original to say about the Beatings, whose praises have been widely and accurately sung in fishwraps and on internets alike. They write good songs that remind us of other good songs, and their records compare favorably with several boy-girl indie-pop bands we adore: the Pixies is the comparison they've been saddled with most, but there's hints of Superchunk and (early) Jawbox in there too. When they're clicking on all cylinders, as they were last Valentine's Day at a tour stop in Bozeman, Montana -- where this live, unreleased track was recorded -- you wonder why they aren't legendary already. Though the official title is "Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained," it's known by the band informally as "the summer song," and when you hear it you'll know why: it's for tops down, windows open, howling at moons. Check them out tonight at PA's Lounge with NYC's Strikes Again.

DOWNLOAD: The Beatings, "Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained" (mp3)