Happy Hollow (2006)

Cursive's Tim Kasher isn't as well-known as fellow Omaha indie rocker and labelmate Conor Oberst, but he makes CDs every bit as bold without the melodrama. Happy Hollow wrestles with big issues: childhood dreams vs. soul-sucking adult jobs, evolution vs. creationism, faith vs. fanaticism. All that metaphysical hand-wringing makes for some knotty songs, but the band attacks them with zeal: brisk tempos, muscular riffs, and blasts of melody. ''The Sunks'' boasts guitar chords worthy of Thin Lizzy, and blaring horns turn ''Dorothy Dreams of Tornadoes'' into an ecstatic shout-along.