For Against

Hailing from Nebraska as that state's solitary dream pop act, For Against launched with Jeffrey Runnings on bass and vocals, guitarist Harry Dingman, and drummer Greg Hill. After the 1988 album December, Dingman and Hill departed to start the Millions; once an interim configuration proved unsuccessful, Steven "Mave" Hinrichs and Paul Engelhard stepped in, though Dingman rejoined during the 2000s. From the outset Runnings' group maintained a drifting yet distinctly rhythmic sound that persisted across the shifting trends of the '80s, '90s, and 2000s. One foot planted in Joy Division's British post-punk and the other in the gliding atmospherics of Kitchens of Distinction, For Against earned admiration from only a shamefully small audience, limited by geography, sparse touring, and modest-label releases that favored word of mouth over promotion. The early catalog issued on Bruce Licher's Independent Project label up through 1990's In the Marshes received CD reissues from Words on Music in the 2000s, followed in 2013 by another round from Captured Tracks in a limited-edition vinyl box set.