Local Music: While we're still young

It's hard to know whether to cry or cheer for the Plastic Constellations, who are celebrating the release of their fourth album Saturday by officially going on hiatus.

On the downside, the boys of TPC -- they'll forever seem like boys, having been together since freshman year at Hopkins High and still only in their late 20s -- are more or less caving in to the fiscal and logistical realities of living the rock 'n' roll dream circa 2008.

They made a good go of it in 2006, when their third album "Crusades" came out on New York's sizable indie label French Kiss Records, and they spent four or five months touring. They had a blast, but little to show for their efforts. And that was well before gas was $3.25 a gallon.

"I probably had the greatest year of my life in 2006," said Jeff Allen, one of TPC's two singer/guitarists. "But it's really tough for bands out there now, and it's harder when you have loved ones at home you have to leave, like we do now."

And that's where the upside comes into play. Thanks to their teenaged uprising, the four Plastic Constellations are calling an end to their nearly 13-year run at a young enough age to try their luck elsewhere. They can go to school for an MBA and start a family, both of which Allen plans to do (his wife is expecting a son in July). They can settle down with a wife and a steady mechanic job, as bassist Jordan Roske has in store. They can try to make it in the art world as a painter, as drummer Matt Scharenbroich will do.

And if they really insist on sticking with rock 'n' roll, they can make beats for a burgeoning Twin Cities hip-hop crew.

"I'm the one who's still clinging to the dream," joked Aaron Mader, the band's other singer/guitarist, who works with the Doomtree clan under his producing alias Lazerbeak.

"On one hand, it was a hard decision to make because we've all been in this one band for so long that it's all we know," Mader recalled. "But it was probably easier for us because we've all known each other so long. We're able to say what we think and not hurt anybody's feelings."

The decision thus defined the new album, from its open-ended salutary title "We Appreciate You" to the way the band went about recording it.

"We knew we wouldn't have the pressure of having to play these songs live on tour six nights a week, so that opened up the possibilities a lot," Allen explained.

Where "Crusades" offered the glorious sound of a road-tested four-piece band in full sync and firing on all cylinders, "We Appreciate You" -- recorded locally with producer Joe Mabbott -- is a little more experimental and studio-driven. The band's trademark all-for-nothing, chant-like choruses, Fugazi-ish guitars and flip-flopping tempos are still omnipresent in songs like the throat-damaging opener "Stay That Way," but there are some extra-stormy flourishes in "Disastrophe" and a little more polish here and there. The final song, "So Many Friends," even includes handclaps and brass instruments -- not exactly the London Philharmonic, but a stretch for a band like this.

None of the songs are specifically about the end of the band, but there's a sense of accomplishment and a thankful attitude throughout the record. "So Many Friends" sums it up pretty well: "We're not here to change things, we're just here to survive/ This is the first day of the rest of our lives/ Do all we can to hold this moment in time."

"We're definitely not calling this a breakup," Allen admitted. For now, though, they are calling Saturday's release party at First Avenue their farewell show.

A funny thing happened in the interim between finishing the album and the rehearsals for their last few gigs, though: The guys found themselves hanging out together even more than before.

"Now, we just go over to one guy's house and drink some beers, nothing musical," Allen said. "We're having as much fun as we ever had."

Insert the final line of "Casablanca" here.

Math on the 'Mats Unless you're one of those Replacements fans who e-mails me every time I write about the band to complain that Bob Stinson is still dead (and thus, they should be ignored from here to eternity?), Tuesday is a day worth getting excited about. That's when Rhino Records is reissuing the band's first four albums, from "Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out the Trash" on up to "Let It Be." The real prize is the plethora of bonus tracks, including such rare but legendary tracks as "If Only You Were Lonely" and "You're Getting Married" to a demo version of "Answering Machine" to numerous cover tunes.

The May issue of Spin will have a spread on the reissues featuring interviews with all the (living) principal players.

Strangers in the right One of the busiest rock producers in town with his Albatross Studio, Mike Wisti still finds time to crank out great albums by his own inventive garage-rock band, the Rank Strangers. The trio's new vinyl-only album, "Tücke des Objekts, Die" (translation: "the malice of things"), could rank as its best.

Wisti is on a mission here, railing against neo-conservatism and America's great disconnect in his usual oblique way in gems like "The Christians Are Coming" and "The Vampire March." All the while, his band pulls off terrifically frazzled Guided by Voices-style fuzz-rock, always sounding serious but always having fun. Release party is Saturday at the Kitty Cat Klub with Maps of Norway opening.

Tonight at the Kitty Cat, the Autumn Leaves will be promoting their own new album, "Long Lost Friend." The 13-track set should indeed sound like a long-lost friend to fans of '80s hush-rock bands like the Church, Go-Betweens and Feelies. Band leader David Beckey and his team also pull off some nice Byrds-style paisley-electric folk on it, especially the sweetly harmonized "In the Morning."

Random mix Atmosphere's "When Life Gives You Lemons..." also comes out Tuesday. Rhymesayers is hosting a midnight-release party Monday night at Fifth Element record store, 2411 Hennepin Av. S. Both Slug and Ant are expected to be there signing away. Not so coincidental timing: Rhymesayers just announced details of its big Soundset '08 festival, planned for the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend, May 25, outside in the Metrodome parking lot with Atmosphere and most of the label's other acts performing, plus Dilated Peoples, Aesop Rock and more. ...

Mint Condition has set a date for its "e-Life" release party: May 9 at Trocaderos, three days after the disc comes out. ... Local poster-making team Aesthetic Apparatus has another feather in its cap with the April issue of Esquire. It was commissioned to create a poster for the magazine's annual music roundup, the Esky Awards. ...

Tapes 'N Tapes' "Walk It Off" got a measly 5.9 rating on PitchforkMedia.com, a review that takes three sentences to mention Clap Your Hands Say Yeah. Rolling Stone was more favorable but still wishy-washy in its three-star review. Don't believe the backlash!