Is '70s nostalgia finally over and done with? Grunge, basically a reworking of and tribute to Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin, has all but disappeared from radio. With the rise of Puff Daddy, it looks like hip-hop is weaning itself off its diet of soul/ funk samples and moving on to pillaging '80s pop hits. But there doesn't appear to be any full- fledged new- wave revival starting up any time soon. No Doubt could generously be called this decade's Blondie, and a few indie- rock bands are donning retro- futuristic fashions and cheap synths to pay tribute to Devo and Kraftwerk, but there's no unified musical movement to bring back the styles of the '80s in any particular way. Of course, that could be because the '80s were then about as culturally fractured as the '90s are today.

Thankfully, we have For Against to remind us what was really cool about the '80s: reverbed, washed- out guitar jangles and equally haunting vocals which recall early R.E.M. and Anglo- gothy bands like Lush, Echo and the Bunnymen, and the Smiths. For Against's guitar sound is instantly recognizable and somewhat anachronistic in today's world of stripped- down/ pumped- up guitar sounds-- ethereal, yet firm and strong when it needs to be. Jeffrey Runnings' vocals can be the same way-- sometimes distant and sad, other times almost jubilant, but always masked behind a veil of reverb.

Even though For Against are from Nebraska, and Shelf Life is their fifth album since the band's inception in 1987. Their sound has stayed consistent throughout the years; shoegazer, that early '90s musical pigeonhole occupied by bands with a similar sound, seemed to grow and fade away without For Against ever realizing it. Shelf Life is a modest record, slight and pretty, and guaranteed to make you dig through your closet for your old Cure records. Moments of pop euphoria poke through in "Wintersong" and "Lilacs," while "Profile" is a slow, languid trip across a foggy beach at sunrise. If For Against can be faulted for anything, it's that their sound is a bit monochromatic. But like many bands out there, the one song that they know how to play is a really good one.

-Nick Mirov