The tight interplay between cut-out guitar lines and confident but unremarkable drum patterns favored by Athens, GA's Polemic recalls the math-rock roots of early nineties Chicago and Louisville. However, it's still only the echo of a shadow of a thought and it can't compete with the real thing. If anything, Polemic, stuck in a sound that seems closer to 1994 than 2004, would have made a good fit on the short-lived, Montreal-based Derivative imprint (or Merge, if only in their wildest dreams), satisfied to cheer as wildly as fans after their opening set for Polvo or a Pop Narcotic act. That would only work if guitarist/songwriter McKenna Mackie toned down her yelps and howls a touch -- the screaming fits that regularly interrupt the assured momentum of the majority of these songs is a disservice to the musicality on display. Opener "Turn Your Head Around" should be a template they explore further: a dry lead is backed by ethereal backing vocals that would scream Julee Cruise if it weren't for the RAT distortion that demands attention front-and-center.