Cursive

Cursive's unique brand of fractured indie rock has helped put its hometown of Omaha, Nebraska, on the musical map. While the band polarized some fans with 2006's demented-pop experiment, Happy Hollow, its latest disc, Mama, I'm Swollen, is a return to form that should appeal to fans of classic recordings such as Domestica and The Ugly Organ. Correspondingly, you can literally picture the band's frontman, Tim Kasher, scrawling lyrics on cocktail napkins as you hear him rant about his primal urges and insecurities. Thankfully, his bandmates know Kasher well enough to match his moods; they all ebb and flow through a ten-song collection of tracks that drips with so much emotion that calling them "emo" is an insult.