10 top Milwaukee albums and songs to check out in February, from Skillet, Big Wan, Bad Boy, more
Times are tough again for live music because of the omicron variant. In recent weeks, Milwaukee has seen the most show cancellations and postponements it's had since the pandemic was declared back in March 2020.
So this month, streaming service Bandcamp is bringing back its popular Bandcamp Fridays to help the DIY artists on its site through the struggle. Again, Bandcamp is waiving its share of royalties on the first Friday of each month, starting Feb. 4. (The program will continue through at least May.)
So with many Milwaukee acts playing fewer gigs than usual, please consider supporting them by buying, not just streaming, their music.
And there's a whole lot of really good Milwaukee music to choose from for February. Here are my 10 favorite new and local albums and songs, listed in alphabetical order.
'Coming Home,' Oh Geeez
Singer-songwriter Sean McGibany found inspiration for this mixtape from an unusual source: the Disney Channel animated series "Amphibia," about a girl who is transported to a strange world, who in the latest season (spoiler alert) returns home with some of her new frog-creature friends. The show is often on in the Levy household, but you don't need to know a thing about the program to appreciate "Coming Home." While the production is a bit too smooth for my tastes — a rocker like "Fighter" could use more grit — the pop hooks are undeniably sweet and sticky.
'Dog Slayers, Vol. 3,' Big Wan
A promising Milwaukee street rapper, Big Wan (born Dawan Turner) was shot and killed last month. Before his death, Wan was planning to release his latest mixtape on Jan. 24, which would have been his 20th birthday. Now "Dog Slayers, Vol. 3" is a sobering tribute, but it's also a testament to Big Wan's singular talent, spotlighting his witty wordplay, cheeky punchlines and rapid flow (seasoned with syrupy slurs) that will continue to influence other local rappers.
'Dominion,' Skillet
The times are heavy, but even a grim and sappy ballad like "Valley of Death" from Skillet's latest is way too heavy-handed for 2022. Nevertheless, the Christian rock band with three members based in Kenosha — husband-and-wife John and Korey Cooper, and drummer and backing singer Jen Ledger — finds success sticking to a winning formula that merges spirituality-touched optimism with hard metal riffs and a touch of ultra-slick, hip-hop-inspired production. In other words, it's stuff that'll sound great in stadiums, as WWE and NFL bumper music, and at festivals the band is accustomed to dominating. Skillet will play a post-Milwaukee Admirals game concert at the UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena, 400 W. Kilbourn Ave., April 8. The show is free with a game ticket ($24 to $48).
'Here Waiting,' {Else}
Acoustic rock inherently has a softer touch, but {Else} does engrossing, expansive things within those parameters, from the baroque folk whimsy of "Sparrow" to "Here Waiting's" finale, "Terra," which merges pristine acoustic instrumentation (including cello and gaohu, a Chinese string instrument) with electronic production that recalls Trent Reznor's more pensive side.
'Kuchisabishii,' Nuisance
Burnhearts and Goodkind co-owner B.J. Seidel and Ryan Weber (both formerly of the band Decibully) have been getting back in touch with their musical side during the pandemic. Not only did their defunct band Camden reunite to release its first album in 21 years, but Seidel and Weber have started something decidedly different with the debut album for new experimental-pop outfit Nuisance, their songs awash in glowing '80s-inspired synthesizers and dreamy, ethereal vocals that, on "Usufruct," resemble Frankie Valli's piercing falsetto.
'Night Reminder,' B.J. Fisher
I'll be honest: I wasn't confident "Night Reminder" would hold up across its 68-minute running time, based on its slower, six-minute opening track "Where You're Coming From." But that introduction to singer-songwriter Fisher's debut album manages a nifty trick: Through its patience, and Fisher's songwriting strength, "Night Reminder" slows your pulse and draws you in.
'No Regrets,' Bad Boy
Fronted by original Cheap Trick frontman Xeno, Bad Boy has been playing gigs around the region since the '80s, but with no new music to show for it for more than a decade. That is, until "No Regrets," which proves the band hasn't been coasting. Bombastic new songs like "Rock That Fire" will go great with the standards, but there's an element of surprise here, too, like rockabilly swinger "I'm Not a Llama." Bad Boy's next show is 9 p.m. Feb. 26 at Da Bar, 1902 S. 60th St., West Allis.
'Raisin' Heaven,' Richie Allen
Allen had a hand in local reggaeton brother duo Gego y Nony's breakthrough hit "Frontea," but as his own artist, he's working in a drastically different spectrum, crafting a country tune ready for radio, flipping Nashville's familiar "raising hell" mentality for a more sensitive, empathetic attitude.
'Solo,' Shle Berry
Rapper Berry left one of her best tunes thus far for the last day of 2021, complementing her swagger-soaked flow by leaning in on her sweet singing R&B vocals over a juicy, bouncy beat by Yondo. But it's Berry's expression of her resilience that makes "Solo" soar most of all.
'Uplifted,' Running Rebels
The 22-year-old youth-mentoring nonprofit recruited local artists like producer and songwriter Traxx Sanders and Alex Tha Brownie Man to make a sharp and inspiring collection of R&B and hip-hop originals — plus a cool modern take on Sam Cooke's classic "A Change Is Gonna Come" — that nakedly explores the impact of trauma and offers listeners hope to rise above it.
"Must-Hear Milwaukee Music" runs on or around the first of every month in the Journal Sentinel and at jsonline.com. If you have a new album, EP or song coming out, contact Piet Levy at plevy@journalsentinel.com for review consideration. Follow him on Twitter at @pietlevy or Facebook at facebook.com/PietLevyMJS.
More: These are all the arena, amphitheater and stadium concerts happening in Milwaukee in 2022
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This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Skillet, Big Wan, more: 10 Milwaukee albums, songs to hear in February
