Mirrors, one of those Velvet Underground-worshipping Cleveland underground bands of the '70s frequently dubbed "legendary," played its last show with its original lineup on Sept. 18, 1975 in the courtyard of Case Western Reserve's Mather Building. Founder, guitarist and primary songwriter Jamie Klimek walked away from the group to play with Mirrors' keyboardist Paul Marotta's Styrenes, and later in the '80s, while living in New York, he played his songs with a trio version of Mirrors featuring Marotta and drummer Paul Laurence.

Now, the band has arisen from the ashes of a tragedy to perform together for the first time in more than three decades with Klimek, Marotta, Laurence, guitarist Jim Crook and bassist Craig Bell. With the exception of Laurence, all are original members. When guitarist and former Mirror Jim Jones (who later joined Pere Ubu) died early this year, his friends gathered at the Beachland to pay tribute to him.

"At the Beachland memorial, we started talking to [Beachland owner] Cindy [Barber] about it," Klimek says. "We were just going to goof around and all of a sudden it started turning into something a little different."

Klimek says there was nothing inherently stopping the group from reassembling earlier; in fact, he says, "I had written a batch of new songs toward the end of last year, early this year, and I'd been talking to Jones about getting all the guys together just to try these out, see what happens. I said, "I'm thinking of calling the other guys; are you interested?' He said, "Sure, but I don't know what I'll be able to do.' We talked about it at some length. I said, "Jim, isn't it amazing? We're all still alive!'"

The biggest obstacle standing in the way of a reunion wasn't reluctance but geography.

"We're pretty far flung," says Klimek. "Paul and Paul Laurence are in New York City. Jim Crook lives in upstate New York, and Craig Bell is in Indianapolis. If we'd been closer together I'm sure we'd have gotten together much, much sooner. There wasn't anything in particular keeping us apart. We just needed a kick in the ass to say do it."

Another spur to action was a call from a fan in Portland, Oregon named James Englebeck who wanted to re-release some of the band's old material, an eclectic lot that ranged far beyond its Velvets roots, covering '60s British pop, proto-punk, garage rock and early Pink Floyd psychedelic influences.

"This kid called and wanted to put out a record on that new-fangled vinyl kids are talking about, culled from stuff we released on Scat and Overground," says Klimek. "The album is called Something That Would Never Do on the Violet Times label. It should be released in fall."

Meanwhile, each band member is learning a set list that includes 17 songs, a three-song encore, 12 possible alternate tunes and several new tunes.

"We've actually got a surplus of songs," Klimek says. "We'll try to figure out what works and what doesn't and whittle it down. It's a good problem to have. We're perfectly prepared to play as long as anyone wants to hear us. It's basically going to end up on the day of the show we're going to decide.

"This is a cooking band and it still is," he promises. "We're taking this very seriously. This is not seat-of-the-pants stuff. Everybody's rehearsing on their own. We're going to rehearse together the afternoon of the show. It's going to be amazing; it's going to be absolutely astounding. The only problem is we're playing with much smaller amplifiers and we're not going to be able to bludgeon the audience as properly as we'd like, although we're working on upgrading things."

Klimek speaks fondly of Mirrors' departed member, whom he says was a regular companion since they got back in touch in the last five years. "We had all this shared experience. Basically he was the only guy I knew in town that I could talk to. Everybody else had departed for different shores and he was just a nice guy to call up and shoot the breeze with. We're putting him on the guest list and we're hoping he'll show up."

Mirrors, Home and Garden, Rainy Day Saints: 9 p.m. Saturday, July 19 at Beachland Tavern, 15711 Waterloo Rd., 216.383.1124. Tickets: $8.

Quickening
Crisis Or Catharsis (self-released)
myspace.com/quickening[/url]

This indie-rock trio has progressed enormously on its fourth album, on which lead singer and songwriter James Isom displays a wide range of emotions, truly creating a catharsis of his own and vocalizing the band's musical sincerity. The album's opening track, "Let It Go," perfectly demonstrates the bittersweet feelings of love and loss, setting the tone for the rest of the tracks, which give off an electric therapeutic vibe. "Island" proves this is a band that can deliver not only emotional sensibility, but also powerful vocals and apt lyrics, accompanied by an amazing combination of exhilarating keyboards and defining drum rolls. The fast-paced "3" shows off a mesmerizing guitar solo midway through the track, while "Bury Me" is just as catchy, though it closely resembles the Killers' "Mr. Brightside." With a variety of styles, this band is definitely not going anywhere except up. — Lauren Yusko

The Muttering Retreats
The Muttering Retreats (self-released)
myspace.com/themutteringretreats

The Muttering Retreats deliver an intelligent mix of music that will have you humming along to the catchy tunes. With its self-titled debut, this freshly established indie-pop trio shows itself to be a group of artistic naturals who exhibit a wide range of literary and lyrical expertise. Although the trio may sound like a mix between Death Cab for Cutie and Ben Folds Five, the members create a distinct sound of their own, offering a lyrical reverie accompanied by an array of instruments including organ, accordion, clarinet and even a filing cabinet. Each sound adds character to the songs reflecting the members' cynical, scholarly and buoyant attitudes. Tunes such as "Cupid Always Misses," "Modernism 101" and "Screw You & Your Beachfront Property," a song paying tribute to the band's Cleveland roots, energetically captivate. — LY