With a now shortened name (from "The 1989 Chicago Cubs", likely a smart legal move) and worthy vim and vigor (whatever they are), the '89 Cubs deliver smartly on their debut release, the oddly titled There Are Giants in the Earth. From the start of the opening track you are hit with beautiful melodies and perfectly placed time changes, melded with crunchy guitar riffs and DIY style vocals that give you the simultaneous feeling that anyone could do that but that YOU can't. Lyrically, the album is seeped in metaphor and pop culture references, while seemingly never taking itself too seriously, a tricky feat which they manage to pull off with apparent ease.

The band members are as connected to their local Omaha indie scene as you can get; made up of singer/guitarist Ryan Fox (The Good Life), bassist Dan Brennan (live sound guru for Cursive), and drummer Matt Baum (Bright Eyes, Desaparecidos), this is not just another in a long line of incestious Omaha scene bands. The Cubs have something unique to offer that is both nostalgic and new. The album borders on such greats as Sonic Youth, Unwound, and Giant's Chair, and contains elements of seventies rock/eighties garage crossed with modern day indie sounds, which may seem contrived or even ridiculous, but the Cubs make it work, and better than one might expect.

If you saw them on their recent tour with The Good Life/Neva Dinova and felt they were a bit too mellow, worry not. The band has the intensity of early era Unwound, and were likely "dumbing down" their set to match their quieter counterparts. This record contains all the energy and dissonance that you crave.

-Dave Mandell