The Midwestern Charm

Growing Pains

Written by: TL on 27/04/2015 22:40:42

The Milwaukee band The Midwestern Charm have chosen an accurate name for themselves, not simply because they are from the midwest, but also because they sound very distinctly American and because they clearly want their music to have an easy charm. "Growing Pains" is their second album, yet the first to be written about in these pages. On it the band trades in an easy-going, organic sounding, poppy rock - powerpop if you will - which pitches bright guitar chords on top of mid-tempo drumming and splices in the occasional bit of organs. Instrumentally it sounds a bit like something you'd expect from a Counting Crows record, but the vocals are more lyrically focused and less melodious, like a mix of The Weakerthans' John K. Sampson or The Front Bottoms' Brian Sella.

The album opens up well, with both the rollicking "Bloodbath" and the driving "Can't Stand It" jumping at your ears from the very beginning. Particularly the former is deceptively catchy, almost like a You Me And Everyone We Know song in how you recognise lyrics you thought you couldn't remember each time you hear it. Already here, however, you can start noticing an elusive limitation that eventually proves to be symptomatic of the album overall. Namely that the band does not do as well as you expect, at topping their promising foundations off with particularly striking choruses or dynamic bridges. It often feels like they get going with an encouraging movement, only to then stay hung up on it, missing out on the potential for contrast.

The record otherwise has nice variety as an overall album, sampling various shades of conventional American pop and rock sounds. "Can't Stand It" sounds like Goo Goo Dolls could've been behind it and "Insignificant" gets rolling like a Ryan Adams jam, with the guitar and organ initially lifting it up together. Together then, the songs get around the landscape. But as separate pieces you wish for the band had been more inventive putting things together, coming up with some better hooks to hang their narratives on, and in neglecting that, the impression eventually becomes that the group's talent is simply rather ordinary. Also because it puts the focus on the singing, which is similarly alright, yet without sounding striking in either the melodies or the lyrics. The verdict then, is that "Growing Pains" is a pleasant and solidly crafted listen, but one that struggles to hold the listener's full attention for long, as a consequence of the lack of charismatic ideas both in the style and in the songwriting.

6

Download: Bloodbath, Can't Stand It
For The Fans Of: The Weakerthans, Counting Crows, The Wallflowers
Listen: facebook.com/themidwesterncharmwi

Release date 21.04.2015
Texas Is Funny Records

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