5 Charms 01.26

The Nunnery - Ascending (Eau Claire, WI; 2025)

I'll let you know when I'm going
And you can take flight there

Eau Claire/Minneapolis artist Sarah Elstran creates short stories with sound, layering organic mouth sounds, hand drums, and vocal harmonies that suggest purely electronic music, but actually have more in common with pop folk and choir music than with IDM. Her new album, Ascending, is a recording filled with warmth, sweetness, and movement, but watching her build the songs in real time is another experience altogether. I had the chance to see The Nunnery last year in Milwaukee, and the audience was awestruck by her technique. Starting with beatboxing and ambient vocals, she stands behind a table and loops everything through pedals and processors before getting to the lyrics. On the album, it's much more direct, with songs like "Ocean Chorus" and "Garden of Your Heart" sounding inspired by Sylvan Esso, Mountain Man, and Daughter of Swords. On "Go Where" and "Ascending," she leans into ambience, composing long and loose branches of reverbed vocals where lyrics drape like blossoms. Other songs add live drums and cello, so there is a variety of interesting textures to be found throughout the record. The Nunnery is a project about creating beautiful and mysterious love songs and this new album comes highly recommended.

Sonic Daphne - Chase the Sun (Madison, WI; 2025)

meet back there
but you never came
left all my pain
under pacific waves

Just in time for the winter months, another fine shoegaze release from a Wisconsin band. This time, Madison artist Sonic Daphne pulls out the pedal boards and whispers into a mic in their beautifully produced debut album, Chase the Sun. On the shoegaze genre map, Sonic Daphne is more to the "dream pop" side than the noise side (for that, see fellow Madison band Cult of Lip). Daphne chases their distorted guitars with synth melodies and electronic drums, but also gives vocalist Terra Shaide some space in the mix to be more than another droning texture. Although the first few songs are heavy on guitar, by the middle of the record, Sonic Daphne's electronic influences shine. "Into You" opens with flute-like arpeggios of shimmering keyboard before the drums kick in. "Jinx" is all drum pads and icy synths, while guitar chords layer in the background. "Threw me for a loop" comes in huge with warm distortion and keys working together to push the song forward while Shaide's vocals sit comfortably above it all. This is a fun and engaging album, with surprises on every track and enough variation of the shoegaze trope that it begs to be listened to as an album rather than a collection of singles. Sonic Daphne is:

vocals and guitars: Terra Shaide
synths: Caitlin S.
bass:Gav
drums: Ada L.

Spectaculous - Spectaculous (Madison, WI; 2025)

I'm looking to sink my teeth into
Something much more raw

Here's something I don't do very often: review a pop record. To be clear, this is more of an alternative chamber/jazz/hip-hop fusion album. String quartets, spoken word, horn sections, jazz breakdowns. Where did this incredible collection of songs come from? Impeccably engineered, flawlessly arranged, masterfully performed by all involved. Check out "Tempo" and "Overlord" to hear what I mean. Spectaculous is a project of spoken word artist Dequadray White and jazz/fusion composers Mr. Chair. White developed his art as a vocalist in the First Wave program (2020 cohort). For those unfamiliar, First Wave is UW-Madison's intensive, undergrad Hip-Hop & Urban Arts program. It has produced numerous luminaries in poetry, dance, and hip-hop. White's vocals, warm and occasionally inflected with electronics, fit snugly into the live drums, strings, and brass that punctuate the songs. This album is sonically and lyrically both beautiful and challenging, with White singing and rapping about the queer Black experience. "Outta Character" ends the record on a high note: White singing an anthem of power and freedom over a pop-punk vibe while guitars and trombones solo around him. It's an unexpected album and totally unique in the Wisconsin scene. Listen and download – the summery sound will bring some warmth into your winter. Spectaculous is:

Dequadray White: vocals
Jason Kutz: keyboards
Ben Ferris: bass
Mike Koszewski: drums

Ryan Necci and the Buffalo Gospel (Nashville, TN/Milwaukee, WI; 2025)

Been down so low
My shadow’s having doubts

Ryan Necci, a native of Ixonia, Wisconsin, has been a fixture in Nashville for nearly a decade. In that time, he has put out lots of songs of his own (with his backing band "the Buffalo Gospel") and has written songs for other artists. In April, he officially signed as a songwriter with Warner Chappell Music (also home to Morgan Wallen). Necci's music is squarely in the Wiscountry camp, from his seasoned, southern-accented voice, to the tasteful fiddle playing and guitar licks of his band. The Buffalo Gospel is made up of mostly midwestern performers including Andrew Koening and Nick Lang (both of Long Mama) and Minnesota fiddle player and vocalist Haley Rydell. Necci sings about small town, country stuff, whether that is southern or midwestern: lost friends and family ("Gone or Getting There"), the beauty of home ("Mockingbird"), regret and religion ("One Sin at a Time"). Like most country records, the songs tell stories true to the cliches of the genre while seasoning each track with little touches that are specific to Necci's life. "Tried my hand at a Sunday song / Sterling sound of a right gone wrong / A little joy is all that I’m after" he sings in "I'll Take the Devil," and the songs meander in and out of melancholy and hope like a river through a pasture. Give it a listen and see what you think. A traditional Wiscountry album written and performed with skill and dignity.

Diet Lite - Double Wide Yukon (Milwaukee, WI; 2025)

Desolation’s calling me
But I don’t take it personally

Is Diet Lite destined to be exported into the wide world, along with the inevitable resurgence of early-00s garage rock? Maybe. Although "Pack It Up" opens the record with a deceptive blast of post-punk energy, the scuzzy riffs and Dylan-esque vocalisms start off with "Rider" and hang on through 13 more tracks of pummeling middlewestern sleeze. The Wisconsin indie scene is teeming with experimental art punks, queer screamo kids, and cowboy hat wearing roots rock bands, but Diet Lite stands out from this crowd with their massive drumming, guitar swagger, and the strut of their lyrics "Now I only write drunk and edit sober," they sing in "Swingin' for the Fences," and the record has that vibe. Folk rock songs pulled apart, pummeled into submission, then rebuilt out of oil and overdriven amps. It's the kind of music that causes disillusioned sound guys to smile and nod their heads and push the volume just a little more. Highlights include "Pack it Up," "Tin Widow," and "X-Ray." Diet Lite plays out a lot, go and catch them live sometime to see the power they hold over their audience and the energy they put into their songs. Diet Lite is:

Max Niemann: guitar, bass, vocals
Kelson Kuzdas: guitar, bass, vocals
Evan Marsalli: drums