Ninja Tune | Masters of noise both ambient and abrasive, midwestern misfits Cougar have one-upped themselves with a brilliant follow up to 2007′s critically-acclaimed Law. With their new album, one of the hardest-hitting things out of Madison, Wisconsin since Brett Favre has returned with another sui generis work of art-rock experimentation, proving that their knack for creativity never detracts from their permanent tap on the mainstream pulse. Cougar flaunts both open disdain for the trends, yet an acute awareness that too much hip can be a bad thing. Where thick, distorted noise-driven guitar/bass meets electronica new and old: a collective of the experimental and just plain mental. And how about a band so dedicated to innovation and their hometown, they offer all their swag through a privately-owned, Madison-based clothing shop? After moving from Layered Records to the Ninja Tune Label, Cougar’s new gem, Patriot, is due out in Fall of 2009.
Words by Jeff Nau
