The pride of Cream City

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Beer, The Fonz, and a history of Socialist activity should really be a signifier that Brew City is a town the produces great things, and one that should finally be given the proper respect it deserves in terms of its music output. Let's start with this band that sounds like the Midwestern stepson of the Meat Puppets, Head on Electric. Their debut, Sleep Slaughter Sheep (out now on Dusty Medical), is thirteen songs that borrow from so many different sources (Replacements, various In the Red bands, and even bits of Milwaukee's own Violent Femmes), and sounds like it's fueled by cases of some brand of cheap beer that has the word “Old” in it.

The track “More Sheep Than Yellow” is probably the best snapshot of the entire package in terms of all the influences coming together in one Enrico Morricone influenced foot-stomper, but the whole album is worth a few spins.

Head on Electric, “More Sheep Than Yellow”