In MKE Music Rewind we revisit notable Milwaukee music that was released before Milwaukee Record became a thing in April 2014. In this installment: Maritime’s 2011 album Human Hearts.
According to my handy WMSE 2026 Calendar, last week—Thursday, September 24, to be exact—was World Maritime Day. To be honest, I was previously unaware of this annual excuse to recognize maritime history and to honor the seafarers all around the world who enable global shipping and protect our water bodies. I’m also embarrassed to admit the international holiday instantly made me think about the Milwaukee band called Maritime, how good Maritime was, and how much I currently miss Maritime.
So today, less than a week after World Maritime Day, I hereby declare Wednesday, September 30 to be Milwaukee Maritime Day. However, I don’t think I have the necessary authority to do that in any official capacity, so I’ll also devote a standalone article to my favorite Maritime album just in case the whole holiday thing doesn’t stick. The record I’m referring to is none other than Human Hearts, the third album and fourth overall release from the indie-pop endeavor born from the ashes of The Promise Ring and The Dismemberment Plan.
While each and every recorded stop on the project’s lengthy and accomplished arc features exceptional aural offerings, this 2011 effort finds Maritime truly hitting its stride. This marks the second album with Justin Klug (formerly of Decibully) on bass in place of founding four-stringer Eric Axelson, who himself is best-known for his work in the aforementioned Dismemberment Plan. It’s also the second appearance by former Benjamins lead guitarist Dan Hinz. With the now-broken-in newcomers making their presence known, and Promise Ring vets Davey von Bohlen and Dan Didier continuing put more sonic strides between Maritime and their earlier work, Human Hearts really stands out.
Over a period of 10 songs that collectively span approximately 35 minutes, Human Hearts—true to the record’s name—beats steadily, propulsively, purposely, and incessantly. From the distorted opening guitar licks of vibrant, electro-tinged album-opener “It’s Casual” (a song immortalized as the original theme for A.V. Club‘s wonderful “A.V. Undercover” series) through the boisterous and harmonic closing track “Apple Of My Irony,” Maritime doesn’t let up. Hinz’s prolific guitar work adds flashy accents (perhaps most notably on decided lead single “Paraphernalia” and “Air Arizona”) to the solid foundation laid by the rhythm section consisting of Didier and Klug.
Meanwhile, von Bohlen further evades comparisons to The Promise Ring and his other beloved emo predecessor Cap’n Jazz with smooth, self-assured, and technically sound vocals conveying sage lyrics with considerable depth. He’s decidedly in the driver’s seat for much of the album, especially in emotive entrants like “Peopling Of London” and quasi-title track “Faint Of Hearts.” Now eight years in and showcasing an all-star lineup crystalized in its final form, Human Hearts wasn’t just an emphatic statement that Maritime was nothing like any of its members’ past projects, but also a convincing reminder that change, growth, evolution, and reinvention can all be good things.
After the release of Human Hearts in April 2011, Maritime would continue to play out locally on a semi-regular basis, perform at the occasional festival or benefit show (including our first two Local Coverage concerts), embark on a few short weekend jaunts, and sometimes land a nice support slot ahead of touring indie talent. The band made an ambitious, cameo-laden music video for their most popular (and yes, also most polarizing) song—a local love letter entitled “Milwaukee”—in 2015. A year later, they’d release Magnetic Bodies/Maps Of Bones, the band’s fifth and final album to this point.
Shortly before the pandemic, live outings slowed to a crawl and eventually stopped altogether. Meanwhile, members shifted their creative focus to other projects, including vehicles like Dramatic Lovers, Fight Dice, Lessons, Seances, The Hallelujah Ward, and Hello, Face. The only Maritime member who hasn’t joined a new band yet is von Bohlen, but he finally resurfaced in late August to play a free show outside of Burnhearts in Bay View. He was joined on stage, er, on pavement by Hinz, who accompanied the bandleader and co-founding member on some Maritime songs. Klug also played some songs to open.
Was that just a rare one-off performance, or could that recent appearance potentially be the catalyst for more Maritime shows, new Maritime music, and the revival of an underappreciated Milwaukee band who never really let us say goodbye? Only time will tell. No matter what happens, we’ll always have Maritime’s back catalog, including the timeless and downright tremendous Human Hearts. Happy (unofficial) Milwaukee Maritime Day to one and all.