Bands like Wisconsin Anger Team are the reason why I never lose the fire for writing about music. In a world where (perhaps by necessity) many bands have to put as much effort into self-promotion and a social media presence as they put into their music, Wisconsin Anger Team lets its music speak for itself. It doesn't do social media. It's not all over the streaming sites. In very old school fashion, the band communicates with fans and friends via email. The focus is on making really great albums and releasing them without fanfare via Bandcamp.
True Spleen is the band's sixth full-length album in six years. Like the previous five, it's extraordinary. It contains 14 powerful tracks in a style reminiscent of the melodic punk, pop-punk, and louder indie rock of the '80s and '90s. Yet this is not just punk rock — this is art. Every song is essentially a poem, short story, or the first page of a novel you'd never want to put down. I'm blown away by the amount of time and effort that must have been invested into bringing every one of these songs to life. And the fact that the band includes the lyrics on Bandcamp tells you how much they mean. Every word was carefully considered. Every song title was an artistic decision. But those lyrics aren't there to overshadow the music. They're part of the music. You push play, and you can feel the energy, heart, and guts of what Wisconsin Anger Team has captured on tape. And then you start reading the lyrics and get the deeper meaning of each song. At a time in which so much music being released into the ether is just "content" meant to go in one ear and out the other, this band is making records that demand your time and attention. This is music, visual art, and literature all in one package. This is an album that you ought to experience the way you'd experience a movie or a book. How can you not appreciate a band that oil-paints a digital album cover on a canvas board? Yet there's nothing even slightly pretentious about this album. As smart and literate as it is, above all else, this is music full of feeling and life.
In some better, alternate version of the universe, True Spleen would be a vinyl release and be selling like hotcakes. It almost seems too good to be true: How is music this good available for a free download? But if you feel that guilty about getting it for free, you can pay whatever you like. Most importantly, Wisconsin Anger Team has puts its heart and soul into making a record, and it deserves to be heard. We live in an odd time where the "cost" of listening to new music is often just the opportunity cost of not doing something else. You have podcasts to listen to and Reels to watch and reality shows to stream. I get it. So here I am, week after week, year after year, pounding the table for bands I think are more than worth your time. If you are a regular viewer of this blog, you most likely gravitate to a certain type of music. Wisconsin Anger Team plays that certain type of music at an exceptionally high level of quality. Again I pound the table. One of these days I might make my knuckles bleed. It will be a reasonable sacrifice for the cause.
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