Back in 1982, Xposed 4Heads began as a theoretical band, a series of musical jokes that gained airplay in Milwaukee before quickly dissolving into oblivion. Decades later, the 4Heads made an unanticipated comeback after 2012’s Lest We Forget, memories of punk night at Turner Hall. The favorable reception inspired its founder and only original member to finally get serious.
Vocalist Mark G.E. recalls the inception of the 4Heads back in the day. “I heard stuff on WMSE and wanted to be part of it,” he says of the heady sonic exploration of early ’80s college radio. Recording as Xposed 4Heads, G.E. crashed the party with wacky synth pop tunes such as “Nice Guy” and “Rastaman” that became hits on WMSE. However, the make-believe band never played out. “I used to poster the East Side with flyers that had either a venue or a date—but never both!” G.E. continues. “People had the impression we were playing in clubs.”
That prankish spirit continues to animate Xposed 4Heads, now that G.E. decided to form a lineup around veteran local players. Bob Jorin plays guitar and Andy Stilin mans the drum kit while Kelp Chofs and Carter Hunnicutt flank the stage with their electronic keyboards at live performances. G.E. holds the middle ground as lead vocalist. The music on their new album, Choose to be Human, sometimes sounds like a self-consciously ironic take on the synthesized new wave of the early ’80s. Those Devo hazmat suits are back from the dry cleaner and ready to be donned! At the same time, the 4Heads obviously love the fleeting sounds of that era.
Where G.E.’s lyrics once traded in mockery, he engages now in softer but no less pointed humor. “My 100-year-old grandmother told me, ‘There’s a kinder way to put that,’” he says. “The new material has a more positive edge. The satire on society is done less bluntly.”
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And yet, G.E. can’t help but satirize the foolishness he sees at every turn. The Thomas Dolby-like “I’m Not Social” is an anthem for opting out of contemporary society. “Don’t friend me,” the lyric insists. “Don’t want to see your selfie … I have no interest in your Pinterest. I don’t give a damn about your Instagram.” While G.E. remains the primary lyricist, all of the band members pitch in with music. “Mark might put out the skeleton of a song—it bounces between all of us and comes back as something no one person could have imagined,” Chofs says.
Choose to be Human has some notable names from the early ’80s as guest stars. Milwaukee expatriate James Chance, one of the founders of new wave’s edgier generational peer, no wave, adds some shrill saxophone to “Disconnected.” Tuxedomoon’s Blaine Reininger plays violin on “Tell Me What to Do.” Both songs humorously castigate the willingness to fall in line behind bad examples.
Despite “I’m Not Social’s” closing refrain, “I’m not online, I don’t have time,” G.E. introduced himself to Chance and Reininger by email. “‘Wouldn’t it be nice to have guests on the album?’ I said to myself,” he explains. “And then, ‘Who do I like? Who would add an extra angle?’”
Jorin adds, “It was amazing to us that they [Chance and Reininger] responded. We asked Mark, ‘How did you get these guys to play on our record?’ Mark just answered, ‘I asked.’”
Xposed 4Heads play an album release show at 9 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 19 at Linneman’s Riverwest Inn with Tales from The Who as the opening act. Admission is $7 and includes a copy of Choose to be Human.
