Chicago quartet
NE-HI recorded their first album very quickly after the band was formed, but on their second album,
Offers, they took their time in the studio and came up with something just as live and loose, but more impressively tuneful and sonically powerful. Their twitchy dual-guitar attack, jumpy rhythm section, and pleasantly howled vocals combined with hooky, sometimes tricky songs make
NE-HI a proud member of the cadre of bands influenced by Postcard and Flying Nun records and U.K. post-punkers like
Wire and
Swell Maps. The record kicks off with a batch of high-energy tracks that have razor-sharp hooks, great interplay between the guitars, and the sound of a well-rehearsed band playing live in a room. It sets a bracing tone that the rest of the record works hard to live up to, and songs like "Buried on the Moon" and "Drag" have all the clattering noise and pumped-up sound to keep feet moving and hearts racing. It's not all high-energy rock, though, and the occasional slower, more atmospheric track balances all the uptempo jangle and adds some murky beauty to the mix (especially on "Everybody Warned You"). There are a few other bands treading this same sonic path (
Omni being the best around), but with
Offers,
NE-HI show they have what it takes to compete.