The typical indie rock show goes like this: there's a bar. Boys and girls in horn- rimmed glasses and black jeans arrive. There's some polite drinking. The lights go on. The opening bands commence playing. Naturally, it rarely matters whether the band is any good because no one's going to watch, anyway. Instead, the people drink some more and rub their chins. Eventually, the first band stops and the poofy- haired sound guy throws on some Def Leppard to piss everyone off.

The next band starts. This band's slightly better known, so some people stand up, but aren't getting too carried away. The band plays to a big empty space in front of the stage, with a crowd of people crammed outside the forbidden circle. Some people may even applaud half- heartedly. The second band stops. People start drinking more heavily.

The headliner takes forever to set up. The sound guy, having run out of hair rock, resorts to playing Collective Soul-- a failed last ditch effort to score some indie cred. The room heats up. People start getting totally wasted. What were rubbed chins are now scratched cheeks. People begin to realize that it probably wasn't such a good idea to wear thick black turtlenecks. Agitation sets in: "Where is the fucking band? Why are they taking so long?" The tension, in the form of someone's smelly armpit, invades everyone's noses.

Finally, the band's ready to go; everyone's excited. Release: the band begins playing. The crowd erupts in a frenzy, rushing towards the stage, all ready to... stand there and bob their heads. After the show, everyone talks about how amazing the last band was.

Scotland's Ganger fits into this frenzied moment like the index finger fits into a nostril. This is not a bad thing. In fact, Ganger ably demonstrates how angluar indie guitar pop can be thoroughly undanceable and totally great to listen to. Plugging away with teutonic precision, this foursome takes stuttering, precise rhythms and tastefully layers delectable washes of guitar noise and tension. Like Germany's late, lamented 18th Dye, and fellow Scots, Mogwai, Ganger wear proto- indie rock influences with the proper posture and a suitable scowl.

Consequently, there's not a dud to be found on Hammock Style. The album's opener, "Cats, Dogs and Babies' Jaws" begins with metalic guitar harmonic and a driving beat before unleashing a wondrous assault of noise. "First Thing in the Morning" takes the same formula and pulls it off just as well, and while it may be the same style of song, you don't care; you're so in love with this stuff. The album's closer "Lid of the Stars" is the truly adventurous track of the bunch, opening with what sounds like a sample of ambient maestros Stars of the Lid before building towards precise indie- rock bliss.

So the audience won't boogie like they should to this record... so what? In every indie- rock snob there's someone who, when no one else is home, turns on records like this and lets loose on the air guitar. Listen to Ganger and unleash that beast.

-Samir Khan