The upstart Milwaukee pop-punk/bubblegum hardcore group Monday Revival have posted their first demo release to their Bandcamp page, Pop Punk Takeover, nine minutes of happy punk that sounds like it was recorded on a cell phone but should nonetheless delight that small part of you that will always be a Screeching Weasel fan. They'll play a demo release show on Feb. 6 at the Borg Ward.
Over at the A.V. Club, Steven Hyden reviews the latest, typically lovely new album from the local alt-pop band Testa Rosa, II. You can hear it for yourself at the band's website, where it's posted for free streaming and on sale digitally for $7, and see them when they headline a show at Linneman's Riverwest Inn on Saturday night.
Lots of activity in the local hip-hop scene lately. The love-them-or-hate-them group B*Right have released their debut mixtape, while the Umbrella Music Group dropped a new mixtape that's one of their finest, and also a perfect introduction to the crew for those who haven't been paying attention. And this Christmas local horndogs The Cranberry Show dropped a new mixtape that's easily the best I've heard from the group yet (here's the direct download link). On past mixes, the group's free-form zaniness wore thin quickly, but here their playful humor is bundled into tight, structured songs, while the group cleverly updates the jocular spirit of golden-age rap records with some smart, modern sounds. Lupe Fiasco and Pharcyde fans will get a kick out of this one.
Meanwhile, Bob Purvis checks in with local rapper Juiceboxxx, who is readying his first full-length album, and JC Poppe weighs in on state of the Milwaukee rap scene and determines that it's pretty stable.
