Wizard of Cause

With the hip-hop group Def Harmonic, beat-maker J Todd deftly created some of Milwaukee’s spaciest, futro-funk beats before throwing listeners a 100-mph curveball with his electro-rock project, Leo Minor. Todd’s latest band, Wizard of Cause, is essentially a continuation of Leo Minor, but one that moves him deeper into the world of underground rock. The frilly ’80s synth-pop flourishes are still there, but this time they’re counterbalanced by dissonant fuzz and shoegazey minimalism. The group’s excellent self-titled debut is so lo-fi it could have been recorded on Lou Barlow’s borrowed tape recorder. With Lookbook, Daylight Robbery and Johnny Prophylactic.