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Creating catchy pop no battle for Wars of 1812

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Creating catchy pop no battle for Wars of 1812 (March 26, 2008)

by Bassey Etim

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

All right, so the world isn’t exactly craving more Midwestern pop-rock, but The Wars of 1812’s Status Quo Ante Bellum is a welcome addition to the crowded field.

The title loosely translates to “as it was before the war,” perhaps a tribute to the birth of these nine tracks, which were recorded in 2006 by a group of friends living and working in De Pere, Wis. A year later, they finally packed up and headed to Minneapolis to become full-time, door-to-door music salespeople.

Recorded in a basement studio, Status Quo Ante Bellum is an honest assortment of tracks that captures the wistful dreams of artists honing their craft north of fly-over country. These four musicians have crafted an effortlessly melodic rock album anchored in Peter Rosewall’s keyboards, which warmly fill the sonic space that similarly inclined indie bands usually neglect. Each tone is carefully placed among the purposefully sparse instrumentation.

Sticking with their 19th century theme, the jewel case of Status Quo Ante Bellum features an inside cover with a flag emblazed with the words “Don’t give up the ship,” while the front and back covers depict era-appropriate sketches of battleships firing a full bore. Everyone loves a concept album, but most people won’t be able to figure out whether this is one, or what the heck it might be about. But I think I’ve got it: The war (leaving De Pere) might not have been worth fighting, and we even lost our home in the process (the White House), but we did get a pretty kick-ass song out of it.

The album’s strength, though, is the loving attention to detail of its production, with nearly every element of sound purposefully understated. Still, the filters used on singer and guitarist Peter Pisano’s voice hint at the masking of thin and crackly singing. It takes until the third track, “Nothing to Do,” for the listener to suspect he has more to offer and until the memorable fifth song, “New York City,” for those suspicions to be confirmed. In fact, the failure to consistently showcase Pisano’s smoky, earnest voice is Status Quo Ante Bellum’s greatest flaw.

With the exception of coffee shop-caliber track “Forget You Madly,” The Wars of 1812 rise above typical pop-rock fare with smart, simple songwriting. If anything, Status Quo Ante Bellum proves it’s impossible to understate the importance of a good melody. They’ve constructed the kinds of tracks you hum all day under your breath.

The opening song, “Homestay,” begins swimming laps in your head from the first infectious verse: “I was walking home alone/ I called your name but I did not get your voice.” Later on, when the song reaches its chorus, Pisano deftly flashes the honest poetic melodies and rhymes that make folk-pop rock worthwhile, singing “Commit sins/ Speak in tongues/ And raise a toast to all that’s wrong with the beauty of… the beauty of our love/ We are filthy/ On the sidestreet/ And on the shortcut/ That’s sure to take you home.”

The Wars of 1812 face a problem most any upstart band can identify with — the recorded instrumentation often lacks depth, making what should be disparate elements of music seem so similar that the tracks sound flat. More definition for the drums — and especially for Mei-Ling Anderson’s perfectly appropriate bass — would make this album much more palatable to popular tastes and easier to listen to. Tracks like “Driftin’” tout catchy melodies, but the experience just doesn’t seem real; listeners are constantly reminded they’re listening to a recording with this album. Sometimes the lead guitar is too far off in the background, the vocals are excessively filtered, and the drums always seem that way.

But it’s hard to imagine anyone who buys an album from Afternoon Records by an unknown band called The Wars of 1812 wouldn’t forgive these follies, especially on a nine-track debut. But if they tidy up the little things, there’s no reason to think The Wars of 1812 can’t become a sensation on the Midwest circuit. Minneapolis — and Wisconsin, for that matter — should eagerly await their next effort.

3 1/2 stars out of 5

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Anonymous (March 26, 2008 @ 11:28am):

Thank you so much for reviewing the Wars of 1812. Not only are they talented but they are some of the greatest people I know! thanks again!

Anonymous (March 26, 2008 @ 1:34pm):

Did you know that bassist, Mei-Ling Anderson is a UW-Madison alum?

Anonymous (March 26, 2008 @ 2:43pm):

great band, great album, cant wait until they blow up in the music scene they deserve it

Anonymous (March 27, 2008 @ 12:04am):

I absolutely love The Wars. This article was a great critique, though 4 stars is my opinion. Are they coming though campus?

Anonymous (March 31, 2008 @ 5:05pm):

Some of the most inventive and original music to hit the scene.

Anonymous (April 7, 2008 @ 9:34am):

I haven't been this excited over a band I had never heard of in a long time. Pick up their album cuz it's hard not to fall in love with.

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