No one does lovelorn like Mike Fredrickson. And if the Milwaukee songwriter, guitarist and singer hasn’t just lost his girlfriend on Make It Stop, he’s surveying the impossibility of finding true love. Produced by John Sieger with a band featuring such ace players as drummer John Carr and guitarist Jason Klagstad, Make It Stop’s songs are usually melancholic yet lit by a ray of hope, as Fredrickson summons the courage to begin again. The sound is gritty and organic, Americana and ’60s pop infused by the Beatles and girded by a deep understanding of what makes a rock record work. Fredrickson’s greatest songs have often been influenced by Creedence Clearwater Revival, and Make It Stop’s greatest track, “City of Tears,” walks the line to a grave country rock beat as the guitars slide toward the dark twang of broken heartstrings.
