Originally released in 2003 through Louisville's Initial Records, Saddle Creek reissued
En Garde in 2005 after releasing
Criteria's second effort,
When We Break. Anyone who loved the allusions to D.C. hardcore in that album's "Self Help" and "Prevent the World" will love
En Garde all the way through. It's loud, with Stephen Pedersen's meaty guitar chords throttling off his opaque, opining lyrics at odd angles and the rhythm section pounding along ably, particularly on "Life" and "Coincidence." There's more than a little 1990s indie rock in
Criteria, too, the arch melodies of bands like
Silkworm and
Seaweed surfacing in "Me on Your Front Porch" and "Play on Words." But
Criteria never lose their jones for big guitar moments on
En Garde, which is why "Thorn Sharp" rewards like vintage
Weezer. Even the album-closing "Rescue Rescue," with its electronic percussion and droll, dead romantic vocals, finds a churning guitar festering underneath a preening keyboard melody. ~ Johnny Loftus