5 Charms 9.24

Maximiano - The Real Truth (Milwaukee, WI; 2024)

I'm not looking for forgiveness
I gave that up long ago

Maximiano Jainaro, known by the solo artist name Maximiano, writes ornate indie folk songs that shimmer and echo and glide through tales of memory and identity. They represent the next generation of songwriters with peers like Old Pup, Laura Bomber, and Caley Conway, artists carrying on the Milwaukee sound: smart lyrics, droning guitars, and a recording style that emphasizes clear vocals and layered harmonies. Maximiano's early singles "You Have a Heart in Me," "Simple," and "The Moment's Gone" take gentle melodies, then build with a full band of electric guitar, pedal steel, and percussion. Although based around acoustic guitar, the songs are adorned with all sorts of sounds: piano, violin, flute, clarinet, and more. Lyrics are always up front, with Maximiano singing tenderly but urgently about taking chances, missed opportunities, and reevaluating memories in the wake of new discoveries. In subtle standout "(re)Introduction," they sing "We played pretend / and planted seeds / of better lives," but in between each line, they ask "What that all it was? Oh was that enough?"--statements interrupted by questions. That is the profound wisdom of this record, we live more often in the questions than the answers.

Maximiano Janairo: Songwriter, Producer, Engineer, Vocals, Electric and Acoustic Guitars, Tsouras, Piano, Organ, Bass (5), Drums (5), Harmony Vocals (1, 5, 6, 11)
Other instruments and vocals by the community.

Cloud Cult - Alchemy Creek (Viroqua, WI; 2024)

I'm feeling like a singer without words
and my chest is full of birds

It's hard to believe that Craig Minowa's Cloud Cult project has been in existence since the mid-90s. Though it has gone through many iterations, the band is known for three things: confessional indie rock, performance-art based concerts, which feature live painting, and Minowa's DIY, eco-friendly recording practices. This is the 12th Cloud Cult album, but I come to it as a guy who loves music and just happened to click on their single "I Am A Force Field." I've never listened to any of their music before and this record appealed to me immediately. The music is anthemic, featuring soaring strings, a horn section, and lots of ambient guitar. Lyrically, Minowa's song titles are declarations of a philosophy of spirituality tied to community "I Am A Force Field," "Vision in a Field," "Something In Me is Changing," "The Universe Woke Up as You." He sings about epiphanies grand and quiet, and the eleven-song album moves along like a car speeding down a rural county highway. It's a beautiful record, easily belonging in a list of the best lo-fi orchestral indie rock: Arcade Fire, Beirut, Sufjan Stevens, Typhoon, The Low Anthem, Silver Mt. Zion. After nearly 30 years of writing and performing, for Minowa and friends to still be creating music this massive and vital is astonishing. Cloud Cult is:

Shannon Frid-Rubin: Violin
Jeremy Harvey: Drums
Craig Minowa: Singer/songwriter, guitar
Shawn Neary: Bass, Banjo, Trombone
Sarah Perbix: Keyboard, French horn, Trumpet
Scott West: Live Painter
Daniel Zamzow: Cello, Mandola

Ladybird - Amy Come on Home (Milwaukee, WI; 2024)

Too old to play the young man's game
scared that I won't feel the same

Ladybird is big-voiced country rock, songs about drinking and falling in love, sometimes at the same bar. Powered by acoustic guitar, Telecaster solos, pedal steel, and crisp snare drums, Ladybird songs are not subtle. Does Milwaukee need more outlaw country acts? Does Wisconsin? Why the hell not? It's a time-honored way of partying with your friends, stomping on a stage, and slamming beers while still singing about your greatest hopes and deepest fears. Songwriter Pete McDermott has a palette of country-fried observations that perfectly fit the polished grime of Ladybird's music. "Kemp Lane" is a standout if only because it is darker by far than the other tunes here, a distortion-drenched tune about lost love and taking chances. "Rollin' and Ramblin'," another great song, showcases the band's tight rhythm section and instrumental prowess, while also delivering this glorious line, "there's nothing I'd rather do than die slow with you," the sort of triumphant/defeated declaration that this kind of music is built around. For a good time, Ladybird is:

Pete McDermott: guitars and singing
Sam Szymborski: lead guitar
Josh Rardin: Bass guitar
Aidan Gouran: Drums
Will Hansen: Pedal steel

Fangerlis - Backwoods Fool (Madison, WI; 2023)

Can't get mercy for money
Can't buy your way out of sin
You cannot trade your worthless tooth and bone!

Fangerlis is a music project by Cat Grayskull, a singer/banjolele player/songwriter from the Madison area. They take a simple premise--what if you wanted to play country music, but you also wanted to smash capitalism?--and turn it all the way up to "very loud." Friends, this is punk rock. It's no wonder that half of Fangerlis shows are with metal bands. They just rock. Cat's songs rage against many types of machines: small-minded rural bullies ("Backwoods Fool"), misogynistic politicians ("No Country for Old Men"), complicit millionaires ("Tooth and Bone"). While Cat's songwriting is powerful on its own, the band truly shines with rhythm assistance from kick stomper/baritone guitarist John Illgen and a revolving door of fiddle players, each with their own unique styles (Sheilagh Dandy Lyon of Hemlock Chaser is immediately recognizable on "Tooth and Bone"). Stand out tracks include album closer "HACK," with its ear-worm chorus, and live show shout-along "Tooth and Bone," but every song on this short record is great. Catch them when you can. Fangerlis is

Cat Grayskull: banjolele/vocals
John Illgen: baritone guitar/kick/vocals

miscellaneous owl - you are the light that casts a shadow (Madison, WI; 2024)

I still see your ghost appear in mailing lists and aliases
Streaks upon the window glass that don't get cleaned away

Lo-fi but danceable. Lyrics like punchlines that are smart enough to make you weep. Songs that tell stories, relatable but distant. A shitty microphone. Basement reverb. The bedroom pop of miscellaneous owl (aka Madison songwriter Huan-Hua Chye, also lead singer of indie pop band Gentle Brontosaurus) is all of these things, but it's also the mathematical proof of the genius of Chye, who writes, plays, and records everything. With over 70 tracks, eps, and albums available on Bandcamp, it's hard to know where to start. Many of these songs are the result of FAWM (February Album Writing Month, where you write an album during the month of February) song challenges. "you are the light" doesn't feel like an album that was written and recorded in a month. In fact, regardless of how or why they were written, all of the songs are just great indie pop songs. They are rough and a little tentative, but that's because they are brand new and we get to listen as they are born and find their way into the world. It's an honor, really. The album-opening one/two punch of "Streaks" and "Scallops" will turn you into a true believer. The title track is another standout, with a cool synth solo and sweetly sad chorus. Even the closer "Honey-Eater," a rambling, spoken-word psych jam is pretty fun. Listen to the record, then go back and revel in "Little Fires," "Engine of More," or any of the other albums and songs that miscellaneous owl has created.

Huan-Hua Chye is miscellaneous owl. She plays everything.