The Prids

The Prids are one of the few bands associated with Nebraska that aren't haunted by the shadow of Omaha indie-fairy-dust-sprinklers Saddle Creek. Of course, since the all-vegan quartet now lives in Portland, Oregon, it has some distance from its heartland roots — and appears more comfortable in its dark-wave skin than ever. On albums such as 2003's Love Zero and this year's sweetly melancholic Until the World Is Beautiful, taut drumming, humming-drill riffs and dusky synths collide somewhere between droning post-punk and Joy Division. But the Prids' under-cloud-cover vibe makes more sense after their Web site bio (found at theprids.com) reveals who some of their influences are — namely, gothy U.K. cult faves the Sound and Comsat Angels, and art-punk mavens Wire.