Madison musicians embrace their collaborative connections on a slate of new recordings

A selection of memorable local music releases from May and June.

Another two months has gone by, spring has turned to summer, and Madison musicians have released another batch of excellent titles. Jazz, pop, rap, post-hardcore, electronic, and various strains of indie-rock all make an impact across the releases included in this roundup. Sometimes those genres intersect within the same track, and at least two of the featured releases here incorporate cross-genre collaborators. A sense of urgency is embedded into most of the work contained on this list, which is also heavily dominated by collaborative efforts. 

Whether viciously abrasive or joyously accessible, local artists have been finding ways to uplift each other’s creative visions. It’s always heartening to see communities come together, and music is no exception. It’s no wonder that some of the year’s most exhilarating local music has been released over the past two months. 

Bandcamp Friday is on a temporary pause this summer, but is set to resume in September. Even when considering Bandcamp’s tenuous position within the streaming landscape, the platform remains one of the most effective ways to support local artists, outside of going to shows and buying direct. If any of these releases find your favor, consider doing what you can to make sure that impact doesn’t go unrecognized. 

Dro Cup, Tha Fas Xilo !

Supa Friends‘ Alex Driver—aka Dro Cup—has been steadily producing memorable instrumental records under various monikers for the past few years. His latest as Dro Cup, Tha Fas Xilo !, incorporates a heavy dosage of Greek media samples, original beats and instrumentation, and plenty of sly irreverence. The rough translation of the album’s title is “you will eat wood,” which is commonly delivered as a parental warning to children to let them know they’re teetering on the edge of some form of punishment. In Dro Cup’s world, the phrase seems to act as a fitting analog for an album of playfully aggressive instrumental work that offers enough surprising moments to keep anyone’s attention. “Vertical Horizon” is a great example, blending a quick Jay-Z sample, string arrangements, ambient choral work, and a Greek-language audio excerpt into a hypnotic toe-tapper. Like the rest of the tracks on Tha Fas Xilo !, it’s a quick track that makes a big impact.    

Excuse Me, Who Are You?, Double Bind

One of the great joys for attentive music listeners is hearing a band take a sizable artistic leap forward. It doesn’t happen especially often, so when it happens locally, there’s a genuine feeling of exhilaration to be gleaned from watching and hearing it play out in real time. Excuse Me, Who Are You? are the latest band to achieve the feat, with Double Bind registering as one of the strongest albums to come from Madison’s emo/post-hardcore community in years. Slashing opener “EMWAY?” sets a surprisingly high bar that the rest of Double Bind has no problem clearing.

Vocalist Kyle Kinney delivers a slew of committed performances across the record, and Stuart Benjamin’s exacting guitar work heightens Double Bind‘s atmosphere. The rhythm work from bassist Jackson Pertzborn and drummer Hayden Johnson grounds the album in a menacing tenacity. On the band’s promising 2022 EP, About That Beer I Owed Ya, the quartet launches the record with an audio excerpt from the video game Half-Life. The quartet once again turns to narrative media on Double Bind for a framework, using Satoshi Kon’s seminal 1997 animated film Perfect Blue as a consistent source of inspiration (the album title itself is a direct reference to the film). Various members of contemporary acts like Endswell, Tiny Voices, Hey, Ily, and Stars Hollow make guest appearances across Double Bind, which goes a long way in establishing the album as a notable regional moment for the genre.

John Christensen, “The Loudest Whisper“

Very few bassists within Madison are as consistently visible as John Christensen. Listing all of his associated acts (KASE, Johannes Wallman, and Tony Barba are just the tip of the iceberg) would be an exercise in futility. But for all of his efforts as a steadfast member of various outfits, Christensen also occasionally takes on a lead role. Soft Rock—set to be released in early August—is the first album Christensen’s releasing under his own name since 2018’s excellent Dear Friend. Minneapolis-based jazz label Shifting Paradigm announced Soft Rock in early June, and uploaded a trio of tracks to their Bandcamp page as an extended album preview. All three tracks are exceptional works that showcase Christensen’s flair for dynamic composition. Former Madisonian Barba (tenor sax)—who now lives in the greater Los Angeles area—is part of Christensen’s assembled band for Soft Rock. Barba is joined by Chicago-based guitarist Matt Gold (who also tackles organ and mellotron across the album), Milwaukee-based keys player Joshua Catania, and Chicago-based drummer Neil Hemphill.

“The Loudest Whisper,” Soft Rock‘s opening track, creates a striking first impression. The briefest of the three tracks released so far, it’s an intoxicating piece of jazz-fusion that sprinkles in dashes of rock n’ roll, trip-hop, and ambient music. Not a lot of jazz or jazz-adjacent music in recent memory has been as immediately gripping as “The Loudest Whisper,” which makes excellent use of instrumental tonality, a propulsive, fairly straight backbeat, and some pop-leaning motifs. It’s a charming work that doesn’t overstay its welcome and offers plenty for listeners to appreciate. “I Am Free” and “Pulsar” are more meditative but go a long way in establishing Soft Rock‘s position as one of Madison’s more anticipated albums of the year’s back half. 

Jane Hobson, Attic Days

Singer-songwriter Jane Hobson has a strong track record of recent releases and Attic Days is another tally for the count. “Chelsea doesn’t mean anything to me / Chelsea don’t tell them what you see,” Hobson sings in the opening seconds of Attic Days‘ first track, “Chelsea.” In those first few measures, she’s joined in gorgeous harmony by her band members, setting the stage for something delicate and beautiful. The serene nature doesn’t last long, as “Chelsea” abruptly explodes into a huge-sounding mid-tempo rocker just 20 seconds into the track. By drawing listeners’ attention further in at the outset of the album, Hobson nets a level of rapt investment. Attic Days spends its duration rewarding those who stick with the album through fine-tuned songwriting, scintillating guitar figures, and potent rhythm work. Recorded in band member Bronson Taalbi’s home studio, the album has an exceptionally high-quality sheen to it, likely thanks in parts to both Taalbi’s production efforts and Justin Perkins’ characteristically adept mastering work.

“I’m wasting away today / I don’t want to leave / What happened yesterday / Doesn’t belong to me,” sings Hobson towards the end of the stormy, brooding “Know Thyself,” underscoring the haunted introspection that tugs away at Attic Days‘ narrative tendencies. Eddie Campbell’s drumming, Ivan Skryangin’s bass work, and Taalbi and James Strelow’s guitar playing all heighten Hobson’s swing-for-the-fences emotive impulses with subtle nuances. Hobson tells a lot of stories across Attic Days‘ runtime, but the album never feels overwrought or hamfisted, thanks in large part to a palpable sense of conviction. “I never wanted to sleep so bad / I have dreams of long ago / And if I can’t get out of bed / What have I got to show?” sings Hobson in the acoustic reverie “The Cold Song.” When the track ends with the simple admission of “I’m so sorry,” the sincerity is heartbreaking.

Kat And The Hurricane, “Costume (feat. K.I.L.O. aka SkitL’z)“

“Costume (feat. K.I.L.O. aka SkitL’z)” is the second attention-demanding single that Kat And The Hurricane have released in the past two months, following “Caffeine & Alcohol.” While the latter of those tracks was buoyed by bright synth work, soaring vocal melodies, and an overall stadium-pop sound (albeit one greatly informed by indie-pop), “Costume” goes a different direction. The band’s latest single is steeped in darker, bluesier tones, making excellent use of a repeated piano figure, courtesy of keys player Benjamin Rose. Guitarist/vocalist Kat Rhapsody’s rapid-fire staccato delivery in the verse creates an explicit cadence that’s as catchy as it is immediate, and it’s well-accentuated by Alex Nelson’s drumming. 

The classic old-school rap aesthetics are paid off throughout the track—and sound especially fleshed-out thanks to some guest assistive production work from Matt LaPlant. A memorable guest verse from K.I.L.O. aka SkitL’z, who has long been one of Madison’s more prominent rappers, gives the track an extra jolt of impact. The combination of Kat And The Hurricane and K.I.L.O. aka SkitL’z likely wasn’t one a lot of people would have expected, but it works beautifully, and serves as concrete evidence of the poignancy that Madison artists can achieve by reaching across genre barriers for collaborators. Like many Kat And The Hurricane tracks, the lyrics of “Costume” deal directly with issues of gender and sexual identity. “Undress myself / As someone else / To make you more comfortable,” belts Rhapsody in the song’s chorus, their delivery laced with a searingly pointed honesty. Kat And The Hurricane have every reason to raise their collective voice and make a ruckus. The clarion call for unconditional acceptance at the heart of “Costume” is as good a reminder as any that speaking—or singing—out is vital.

Rockstar & Elise, “Makeup“

Emily AF’s journey as a musician has been a long, winding one that has taken her from various positions as an audio engineer—including a stint as a live audio engineer for an early iteration of the Zac Brown Band—to emergent solo artist. “Makeup” is the latest single from the musician’s solo project, Rockstar & Elise, and the track boasts a more pointed title than one might expect at first blush. “I always thought of my clothes and makeup as my armor, which I think is kind of universal and something I still do,” the musician says in an email to Tone Madison. It’s a concept that’s bound to find resonance with many listeners. The implicit, battle-tested, war-ready aspect inherent to the title is reflected nicely by the music, which registers as defiantly celebratory synth-pop. Cribshitter virtuoso Karl Christensen guests as a guitarist on the track, delivering some slinky, disco-adjacent playing.

“It’s whatever makes you feel invincible,” sings AF in a moment of quiet contemplation during the song’s chorus, before “Makeup” conjures up a feeling of spiritual ascension with a declarative, “Let’s get made up.” “Makeup” is a thrilling song that feels warm and welcoming; a balm in the face of harsh climates, whether personal or broad. All of AF’s experiences as a musician and audio engineer pay off on “Makeup,” which seems set to kick off an exciting new chapter of the musician’s career.