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What Made Milwaukee Famous

I've never had a chance to ask the members of What Made Milwaukee Famous if they're named after that Jerry Lee Lewis song ("What's Made Milwaukee Famous (Has Made a Loser Out of Me)"), or the just the old Schlitz slogan. Or both.

But don't let that initial impression give you the wrong idea -- WMMF are not a beer-soaked frat party band, but purveyors of very fine dark-edged power pop -- a sort of California-meets-New-York sound that could only come out of a band based in Austin.

Big swinging pop hooks, singalong choruses and melodic basslines collide with New Wave-y snare and synths, all tied together with lead singer Michael Kingkaid's sweet, strong, melancholy voice -- and the effect is pretty impressive. Instead of sounding like every power pop band since the dawn of time or yet another Joy Division ripoff or Interpol Jr., WMMF are on a path to carve out a sound that's uniquely their own. And I think they're doing a damn fine job of it -- plus, they put on one heck of a live show. I expect big things from these fellows.

What Made Milwaukee Famous - Hellodrama
What Made Milwaukee Famous - Almost Always Never
What Made Milwaukee Famous - Mercy, Me (live on KVRX)

What Made Milwaukee Famous' website. Buy their self-released debut CD, Trying To Never Catch Up, from cdbaby.com and iTunes.

Posted by Little Miss Rock'n'Roll at 02.24.05 at 1:45 AM

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