CONCERT REVIEW: Weather Warlock & Fire Heads (High Dive, Milwaukee)

Guided by local meteorological conditions, the mechanical Weather Warlock leads an all-star band, including his creator Quintron, through an expansive, psychedelic set.

Read my full review here.

FEATURE: Ear Records Pairs Real Designs With (Mostly) Real Albums

The brainchild of Milwaukee graphic designer Shaun Miller, Ear Records masterfully skirts the line between conceptual art project and actual, functioning record label.

Read the full piece here.

ALBUM REVIEW: Daycones - The Cruel Echo

Timescape Psalm, the 2013 debut album from Daycones, was a decidedly strong first effort in its own right, the release's heady concoction of stoned surf guitar lines, leaden vocals and loopy atmospherics offering up a relatively unique take on well-trod psychedelic ground, but, just as importantly, it also showed potential for the future, leaving its many offbeat ideas, as impressive as they were, a lot of room to grow. Of course, potential isn't always fulfilled, but Daycones' new The Cruel Echo easily improves on its predecessor, mostly by allowing those earlier flights of fancy to coalesce into something more solid.

Now, that's not to say that fans of the first album's disjointed spaciness will be let down, after all the Arizona-by-way-of-Wisconsin solo artist also known as Ryan Janke did manage to establish an agreeably warm, spacious aesthetic right out of the gate, and was smart enough not to throw out the baby with the bath water, but here all the ethereal meanderings are bolstered with a newfound rhythmic backbone. Increased structure may seem like the antithesis of Daycones' dreamy, freewheeling approach, yet standout tracks such as "Millenials" and the lovelorn "Cult" actually benefit greatly from being a bit more grounded.

However, while The Cruel Echo transitions towards a slightly more accessible, even conventional, psych rock sound, its sonic shifts are ultimately rather subtle, leaving Daycones, thankfully, still planted firmly in left field. The various quirks that made Janke's music so original and arresting in the first place remain intact, as evidenced by viscous, lysergic entries like "Memory Party" and "Illuminated", only now they have something substantial to play against, making their eccentricities even more enjoyable by contrast. In the end, the album is a worthy follow-up to Timescape Psalm, and an enticing look at what Daycones may evolve into next.

ALBUM REVIEW: Radio Ready: Wisconsin - Lost Power Pop Hits 1979-1982

Power pop, with its infectious blend of catchy British Invasion hooks and stateside attitude, all boiled down into economically concentrated blasts of teenage drama, has developed an impressively international fan base, but one place it's popularity has proved particularly long lasting is the American Midwest, where it's simple pleasures have never fully gone out of style. It makes sense then that the Austin-based reissue label Cheap Rewards Records, after getting their native Texas out of the way, would turn their attention to the area for the second installment of their Radio Ready series of state-based compilations, and Wisconsin ably lives up to the challenge of representing the region.

Collecting rambunctious sides from 14 Badger State bands, mostly hailing from Milwaukee, Radio Ready: Wisconsin - Lost Power Pop Hits 1979-1982 zeroes in on an especially fruitful time and place, in all its Cheap Trick-inspired glory. Considered as a whole, the selections do an admirable job of seamlessly representing both the "power" and the "pop" sides of the equation, from Muscle Beach's lovably-boneheaded party anthem "Let's Get Dumb" to the almost self-consciously Beatle-esque "Wait a Minute" by the Pops (yes, "the Pops"), but each two-and-a-half minute tale of teen angst and/or ecstasy also stands alone as an earworm worth having stuck in your head for a little while.

With some songs available on other comps, a few of them free, and considering that an essential entry from the Shivvers is missing from the digital version due to licensing conflicts, it's probably best to hold out for the upcoming vinyl release, despite the unappealing cover art, particularly since it's the first time a handful of previously-unreleased tracks have found their way onto wax. That wax even comes in the signature green and gold of the state's beloved Packers in addition to your classic black, although given number of power pop fans in Wisconsin, and the high quality of these cuts, the limited run will likely go fast.