If you’re looking for a snapshot of the Milwaukee music scene circa the 2020s, well, you’ve come to the right place. But what if you want to listen to a snapshot of the Milwaukee music scene circa the 2020s, preferably on vinyl or CD? In that case, Irving Place Records has you covered.
On Friday, the East Side record store (a.k.a. the former Bullseye) unveiled an indie-rock-focused Milwaukee music comp called Notes From The Underground Vol. 1: Milwaukee. The 12-song record was created by Irving Place Records and Label 51 Recordings, and features songs from the likes of Diet Lite, Immortal Girlfriend, Lauryl Sulfate & Her Ladies Of Leisure, Trolley, Operations, and more. (As the title suggests, the Milwaukee comp is the first in a series of “city” comps from Label 51.)
Here’s the full tracklist:
Side A
Trolley – “Record Store”
Diet Lite – “Stuck Again”
Certain Stars – I Don’t Drink Much (About That)
Operations – “Fog Museum”
The Quiet Canon – “My Love Will Shine on You (Radio Edit)”
Apollo Vermouth – “After School”
Side B
Testa Rosa – “Alice Anything”
Elephonic – “Wonderin’”
Immortal Girlfriend – “Hourglass”
Lauryl Sulfate & Her Ladies of Leisure – “Laguna”
Nick Maas – “House For Two”
Dead Horses – “Brady Street”
Notes From The Underground Vol. 1: Milwaukee will be available on green vinyl and CD exclusively at Irving Place Records beginning December 13. You can pre-order a copy HERE.
Oh, and shout-out to the opening of the linear notes from Eric White:
Dawn breaks on another gray Milwaukee day. Gull song mocks the unremarkable skyline of this frequently frozen city. The second greatest lake stretches on for what seems like forever and the smell of last night’s bar towel floats through Eastside streets.
Looking for obvious beauty? You came to the wrong place.
Yet, despite the moribund majesty of this subarctic breakwater (or, more accurately, because of it), Milwaukee is a city that punches well above its middle-western weight class. You don’t need the Greek Freak or Harley Davidson to tell you that, though. You just need a chorus of Milwaukee’s finest flame-touched storytellers, like this underground collection’s cast, to make a strong case.
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