5 Charms 6.24

Dead, Dead Swans - Even Still, We Were Together (Milwaukee, WI; 2024)

I reckon that just about all of my plans
Are undone by the slight of my hand.

I bet there's a restaurant that sits empty somewhere in your town, closed at the start of COVID and never reopened. Bands did the same thing, pieces just barely holding together finally dropped to the ground and gave up the long drives and empty rooms. Then again, when things go away, other things come along to fill the spaces left behind. A whole new group of artists were just getting their start in pandemic, or just before. John Swan came out of Milwaukee with his ragged voice and gently picked guitar and banjo songs at about this time. Working under the name Dead, Dead Swans, John writes honest and sad folk music with timeless melodies pulled from the past yet somehow at home in the digital age. His newest release "Even Still, We Were Together," is full of these short, beautiful songs, unadorned with much but his vocals, guitar, and banjo. Just a touch of reverb so you feel like you're sitting in front of him in an empty hall somewhere as he reminds us about dying factories, the injustices of working class life, the comings and goings of friends and family. He's not trying to start a hootenanny, he's here to break your heart and hold your hand as the day grows dark.

Vocals, acoustic guitar, banjo : John Swan

The Cult of Lip - Marsha (Madison, WI; 2023)

[lyrics unintelligible]

In 1994, I picked up a cassette tape with a picture of an airplane on it that said "Starflyer 59." I had no idea what it was, but when I put on the earphones and pressed play, the noise that filled my ears was unlike anything I had ever heard. I was instantly in love with the sound. Waves of distortion, bent notes, tremelo, feedback, chorus-soaked chords, whispered vocals. You always remember your first shoegaze! The Cult of Lip unapologetically plays classic shoegaze. They stack chords on top of barely-heard vocal melodies, add a bunch of distortion, float some riffs over everything. Songs like "Surrender" and "Waste" are sweetly dark, "Kissing the Ember" and closer "Cruise the Spiral" lean into the noise a bit more, but they never lose sight of the hooks. Beyond all of the weird sounds that guitars and synths and a bunch of pedals can make, shoegaze is inherently a pop genre with vocal and guitar hooks galore. Cult of Lip does this perfectly, burying and cultivating riffs among the dirt, gardening the hell out of each song to produce ripe tomatoes of sound. That's it. That's the metaphor I chose to end the review with.

Cult of Lip (live) is:

Ronnie Lee: guitar, vox
Hannah Porter: bass, vox
Terran: drums
Emili Earhart: synth

LINE - Choosing Sides (Madison, WI; 2020)

You move like headlights in early morning

I made a playlist last year with a bunch of indie bands from Wisconsin (here it is if you use Spotify). I'd be listening to the psych/grunge/emo/post-punk parade and then a clear, beautiful voice would ring out. Alternative pop songs that stood out from the rest, not only because of the music, but because of the strength and conviction of the lyrics. This is Maddie Batzli's "collaborative music project" LINE. "Choosing Sides" is a 6-song album (released in doomed 2020) where each track feels like a lost jangle-pop single from the early 90s. A little synth, a little acoustic guitar, bright and crisp drums, and above it all is Batzli's voice, perfectly balanced against the songs. They write about hopes and dreams, love and loss, with a singular, poetic voice. Check out non-album track "Doves on the Wings," which is just Batzli's multi-tracked voice and acoustic guitar to get a feel for their mastery of lyric and melody. I look forward to hearing where LINE goes next, nearly 5 years after this initial offering. This iteration of LINE is:

Maddie Batzli: lead vocals, keys, rhythm guitar
Austin Lynch: bass, vocals, lead guitar
Esther Chun: vocals
Will Ault: drums

Social Caterpillar - Alphabet Crown (Milwaukee, WI; 2023)

the scene was a hellhole / pristine yet not practical

When Buffalo Nichols returned to Milwaukee this year, touring on the strength of his 2023 release "The Fatalist," he had Social Caterpillar open. That's a strange bill, for sure--a real "no genres" moment. Trusted local internet magazine Milwaukee Record ran a story about the show, which highlighted how shitty the audience was, and how Social Caterpillar could, at times, barely be heard above the audience. Listening to their [final] album "Alphabet Crown," it's easy to hear that Social Caterpillar deserves an engaged, thoughtful audience--a willing participant to the roller coaster dynamism of their experimental post-hardcore indie rock. Their music requires care and close listening, but each song is a rewarding experience. Like fellow MKE band Gauss, Social Caterpillar trades in a very particular post-rock vibe of the early 00s. Listen to the trumpets and strings on "When It Happens," the tortured vocals on "The River," the wandering, distorted guitars of "Smells Like Middle-Aged Apathy," and you'll hear reflections of lo-fi post-rock acts like The Shipping News, Silver Mt. Zion, Early Day Miners, and Desert City Soundtrack. On the other hand, maybe you just like "good music"? If so, you'll love Social Caterpillar:

kyle - voice, guitar
derek - drums, voice, synth
eric - violin, guitar, voice
eli - bass, voice, samples, piano

Dig Deep - Lair of the Hodag (Stevens Point, WI; 2024)

I’m proud of what I've done / And who I've become

Maybe you like to jam and dance and headbang a little? Maybe you've got tattoos and piercings, but you appreciate the work of Alan Lomax? Or you like mud AND write poetry? Dig Deep is for you! The Stevens Point band has been practicing their punk/roots music for nearly a decade, shouting and stomping across the Midwest, representing the best thrashgrass in the state. Lair of the Hodag is a little quieter than their earlier records, with/ slightly less yelling and lots of mid-tempo jams. Highlights include the consistently sweet mandolin playing of Bob Weigandt, the pro-weed swing tune "710 vs 420," a kick ass harmonica solo by Art Stevenson on traditional "Old Joe Clark," and the album-closer instrumental "Lair of the Hodag." Dig Deep is a special band and experiencing them live is necessary to really feel their vibe. Check 'em out if you can!

Dig Deep is:

Alex Dalnodar: Vocals & Guitar
Arron Von Barron: Bass & Vocals
Oscar Noetzel: Banjo & Vocals
Bob Weigandt: Mandolin & Vocals