 What
Made Milwaukee Famous
"Trying To Never Catch Up" CD
Self-released
Genres: indie rock
May 2 - 8 2005 |
The first thing you notice about Trying To Never Catch Up is
the keyboards, which play a large role in the band's style. The
first two songs start with bleepy, videogame-style synth lines before
diving into What Made Milwaukee Famous's trademark,
guitar-heavy indie rock. This musical element isn't necessary,
but it's an example of the band's attention to detail, something that
adds up to create a completely enjoyable, very impressive debut album.
What Made Milwaukee Famous's main focus is on urgent,
dramatic indie rock, heavy in sweeping guitar lines and emotional (but
not whiny) vocals. The music seems to fit somewhere in between No
Knife and The Weakerthans. The best songs are those
that combine an energetic tension with a signature melodic catchiness;
the title track epitomizes this, with a driving, serious mood that
energizes an already exceptional, incredibly infectious
composition. "Mercy, Me" and "Curtains!" are
also exemplary songs, with powerful melodies and moving atmospheres in
a No Knife vein. Of course a few songs fall a bit short -
"Hellodrama" seems trite and unexceptional, and
"Selling Yourself Short" is a bit low on hooks - but
ultimately this is a pretty solid release. As far as modern
melodic rock goes, this seems to be among the better records out
there.
85%
Matt Shimmer [Vitals:
11 tracks, distributed by the
band, released 2004] |
