criteria
en garde
'The more records that get released, the more this question becomes inevitable: Are the only creative musical hotbeds of this country in Omaha and Seattle?
It is decidedly so, according to the Magic Eight Ball. That's the answer on which Criteria's Stephen Pederson was banking. It must have been a good combination of luck, skill and careful shaking.
When his last band, The White Octave, disbanded, Pederson returned to his Omaha home to run through marathon writing sessions, 10 cuts of which were to appear on "En Garde," his solo-band debut. "En Garde" is a savory blend of part Cursive, part The Cure, part The Good Life, part The Faint and all Omaha; errr... except for that part about The Cure.
Featuring session help from members of Nebraska's elite, including members of Desaparecidos, Bright Eyes and Lullaby for the Working Class, Pederson had a good deal of backing that was bound to, at the very least, pad record sale statistics. Still, money was most likely not a factor. When you have some of the most talented musicians in the indie scene today at your disposal, why not use them?
He also has the experience of working with Tim Kasher on his side. From the band's inception until 1998, Kasher was Cursive's second guitarist. Once he parted ways with the band, Lullaby for the Working Class's Ted Stevens took his place.
The time spent as Kasher's second set of six-string-strumming hands has rubbed off on him. "En Garde's" content could very easily be mistaken as the B-sides for Cursive's more recent efforts to the inattentive listener.
His songwriting is a bit more staid than Kasher's, but the resemblances are there. So are the differences. Their voices sound nothing alike. There is no apparent concept behind this album. There is also little dissonance built into the music, but the guitar progressions and vocal melodies are clearly comparable, revealing that he is a disciple of the almighty Kasher.
Criteria could stand its own ground without the Cursive influences, but using the lessons he has learned with that band have only added to this already heady record. The songs are tight, the production is pristine and Pederson shows a good deal of potential with this record. It is a solid debut.