REVIEW: MIDNIGHT RERUNS – FORCE OF NURTURE (2015)
Midnight Reruns’ sound is one that is compellingly carefree. The Milwaukee quartet creates songs perfect for soundtracking a roller-coaster ride, a Pete and Pete episode, or anytime you decide to blow off your shitty job and go do something a little more fun. The overall genre is a bit
REVIEW: BORN RUFFIANS – RUFF (2015)
RUFF is the Born Ruffians fourth album and it documents a band channeling through the refusal, frustration, unrest and even some acceptance of becoming just another middling rock band. You never thought life as mid-level rock stars could be so rough, but Born Ruffians deliver a convin
REVIEW: JUICEBOXXX – HEARTLAND 99 (2015)
The first time I ever saw Juiceboxxx was at the now defunct Darling Hall in Milwaukee in 2006 (it was close to Conejito’s if you know where that is). His live performance was an ecstatic mix of in your face MC brashness and crowd manipulation not far removed from Dan Deacon performances (here is a
REVIEW: DJANGO DJANGO – BORN UNDER SATURN (2015)
I deem myself lucky to have witnessed some of the very early days of Django Django surrounding the January 2012 release of their debut album. It was in Europe, well before their 1960s sounds harmoniously bubbled over the ocean into sold out tours in the States. The quartet united while at
REVIEW: THIRD EYE BLIND – DOPAMINE (2015)
After years of prolonged and unfulfilled anticipation, Third Eye Blind finally releases their new album, Dopamine. It’s the San Francisco band’s first album since 2009’s Ursa Major, and only their fifth studio album since the band’s formation in the mid-1990s. Over the ye
REVIEW: SURGEONS IN HEAT – DISASTER (2015)
It is quite serendipitous that Milwaukee/Madison musician John Mayer has the name John Mayer. In his band Surgeons in Heat he has a strong ability to write catchy and smooth pop songs (check out “Better On Your Own” from Surgeons in Heat for a prime example). Mayer also lends
REVIEW: HELLO DEATH – REMNANTS (2015)
“Sometimes all it takes to truly be great is that it’s not so bad as the last time that you tried.” Whether in an attempt to reassure themselves or downplay the record to come, Hello Death begins their sophomore release with what could almost have been written as an ode to follow-up a
REVIEW: MIKAL CRONIN – MCIII (2015)
For those of you who don’t know Mikal Cronin, you best educate yourself. With two incredible albums already under his belt (aptly MCI and MC II), it’s fair to say he knows what he’s doing by now. Having played in Ty Segall’s live band as a bassist, he’s certainly
REVIEW: GROUP OF THE ALTOS – R U PERSON OR NOT (2015)
Sometimes it is impossible not to be derivative in music. The Group of Altos, structurally and sonically, seems largely influenced by Canadian post-rock ensembles Godspeed You! Black Emperor and Do Make Say Think (all part of the terrific Constellation Records) with their large personnel, use of roa