What Made
Milwaukee Famous
What Doesn't Kill Us
Barsuk Records
By Kevin Hakansson
When you’re a rock band looking to make your mark, there are few better places to hail from than Austin, Texas, the burgeoning indie capital of the world that has produced yet another winner. What Made Milwaukee Famous got their big break in their hometown with a 2005 performance on PBS’s Austin City Limits, and has continued to do Austin proud. Their latest triumph, What Doesn’t Kill Us, showcases a band that really has their act together.
The musical element that What Made Milwaukee Famous shows a penchant for on their sophomore record is harmony. While vocalist Michael Kincaid carries the entirety of the melody throughout the record, he’s regularly joined on the microphone by his four bandmates, all of whom are listed on the band’s MySpace page as contributing vocals in one way or another. Kincaid’s vocals on the opening “Blood, Sweat & Fears” are generally ho-hum, but when he’s harmonized toward the end of each verse, the song gains a new life.
After this low energy opener, the record really picks up with the album’s two finest songs. “Sultan” is a rambunctious celebration; its appropriately goofy music video features the entire band fencing (you know, sword fighting). The uplifting chorus shows the band at its finest, with Kincaid starting off the refrain by belting out ‘Make up your mind! Are you in, are you out?’ “Cheap Wine” seems like a laid back ode to living life, with the entire band beautifully harmonizing “Que Sera Sera.”
These tunes set the bar high, and while What Doesn’t Kill Us doesn’t get much better, the band does show the type of versatility you’d expect from a band that’s equal parts rock and pop. “The Right Place” is an up-tempo, straight to the point ditty, reminiscent of “Leaving on a Jet Plane.” “Self-Destruct” is a slow dance-able ballad with Kincaid’s voice at its most beautiful, while the closing “The Other Side” is of the same ilk. The band doesn’t let us forget how much they all love to sing, either, as proven on “The Middle of the Night,” where each band member sings a constantly repeated melody accompanied only by Kincaid’s acoustic guitar and some sparse percussion.
There’s nothing bombastic about What Made Milwaukee Famous’ brand of pop-rock. What Doesn’t Kill Us is generally a fairly unassuming record in that it’s never over the top, where the arrangement and instrumentation are rather commonplace. But contained within your standard guitar-drums-bass setup is something that most bands would kill for: charming melodies, perfect harmonies, and spot-on songwriting.
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