(I don't normally use this space to hype bands whose members I consider friends. I usually find that type of puffery to be transparent and it often comes across as insincere. So, given that caveat, I am going to puff up a Nebraska-based act who deserve your attention.)

You've probably already heard about these guys. Straight out of the heartland, following on the heels of Cursive and others (read all about the incestuous scene here if you want, I get tired of explaining it), the album "en Garde" is just plain good. Authoritative. Tight and catchy. No fucking around, however you decide to describe it. Like so many similarly situated indie rock records, en Garde occasionally lapses into a generic, guitar-driven indie rock sound. Maybe Stephen Pedersen can be forgiven for this, since the record was written and recorded without a formal "band." Now, with an official line up including my good friend Aaron Druery, as well as AJ Mogus and Mike Sweeney, there is sure to be the growth, nuance, and depth that can only come from a "real" band. The production is excellent (of course it is, everything done by the Mogus brothers seems to be) and the instrumentation is intelligent, if often straight forward. You definitely won't be unaware that Pedersen used to be in Cursive, but you also won't want to be without this record.