Cougar

Crafting an intricate but accessible sound they dubbed "emergency rock," Madison, WI's instrumental rock band Cougar formed in 2003. Featuring Trent Johnson, Dan Venne, D.H. Skogen, Aaron Sleator, and Todd Hill, Cougar's members have performed with groups such as the YoungBlood Brass Band. The quintet came together through jam sessions and discussions about music; their debut album, Law, featured recording and mixing by John McEntire and drew favorable comparisons to the work of bands such as Explosions in the Sky. Law was released in Europe and the U.K. in 2006 on the aptly named Layered imprint; ACM issued it in the U.S. the following spring.