I'm back from Cape Cod, where I spent seven days on a beach with virtually no music whatsoever except for oldies stations on the car stereo -- Boz Scaggs, Dr. Hook (does every one of their songs have to sound like it was written by a pervert?), Gerry Rafferty, ELO, Orleans, Ambrosia -- you get the picture, it was a week of FM Gold. Boston stations barely reach the Cape, and those that did only played hip-hop or retro. Indie music as we know it didn't seem to exist. But hey, you don't go to Cape Cod to sniff out hot local clubs brimming with introspective indie bands. You go there to get away. When you do find a club with live music, chances are you're in for an evening of Jimmy Buffett covers or a Doobie Brothers tribute band... and you wouldn't want it any other way.

So, not a lot to write about. Looks like there was some news while I was gone. Saddle Creek Records signed Tokyo Police Club, a deal that's been rumored for months. I'm not sure how they fit into the Creek roster, but I don't think the label execs care all that much about things fitting these days. TPC is a band that's going to support their debut release in classic Creek style -- by constantly touring, which is what they've done for the past year. Their sound clashes no more awkwardly with the old-line Creek stable than, say, Georgie James or Two Gallants. Two Gallants seemed like an odd addition when they climbed aboard the S.S. Saddle Creek a couple years ago. Over time, the signing made more sense if only weighted on their music's lyrical content. Georgie James was more of a question mark, though some people pointed toward drummer John Davis' Q & Not U connection and his relationship with other Creek bands. Who knows. None of these new signings except for maybe Art in Manila are going to be big earners for the label in the vein of The Big Three or Jenny Lewis, who was a veritable home run for Team Love. Does it matter? Maybe not. Anyway, look for TPC's debut in early 2008.

I dropped in on The Terminals at O'Leaver's last night, they were headlining a show with a couple touring bands. Their set started rough and only got more brutal as the night wore on (in a good way). They sounded about as heavy as I've ever heard them (but nowhere near as distorted as Forget About Never). Fans and followers crowded the "stage," standing on railings, forming a standing circle around the band. You had to press up close to see what was going on. Strangely, after about a half dozen songs -- and just when it was getting really interesting -- the band called it a night. The set seemed half-finished and it was only 12:30.

Tonight at The Waiting Room, it's Cary Brothers with Stars of Track and Field and Mother Mother. Cary Brothers plays adult alternative (a more horrible term I can't think of) in the vein of The Fray, and just like that band, they've had some of their tracks played on TV shows like Scrubs, Grey's Anatomy, ER and a couple lame Zach Braff flicks. Inoffensive, probably boring, but likely well-played. Stars of Track and Field are Radiohead replicants (OK Computer era). Opening band, Vancouver's Mother Mother is the most interesting of the three -- think Tegan and Sara with a guy added to the mix, though their music is weirder, almost proggy in an indie sort of way. Quaint and clever, Mother Mother has an identity of their own making, which is more than you can say about the two "big bands" on this bill. $10, 9 p.m.

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