What Made Milwaukee Famous

As the old Jerry Lee Lewis song about beer goes, "What's made Milwaukee famous has made a loser out of me. . . . " Regardless of how much PBR they may chug, the Austin, Texas, quintet What Made Milwaukee Famous, however, are winners! Winners in the indie-rock sweepstakes, that is, having risen up from the unwashed masses to sign with Barsuk Records and become one of the current crop of online buzz bands alongside Vampire Weekend and MGMT. WMMF sound like a Midwestern FM radio station feeding its listeners a steady diet of Elvis Costello and the Attractions, Jeff Buckley, Monkees, and Coldplay tunes. In other words, power-pop that sometimes soars, or soaring pop that's sometimes powerful, or something to that effect. Or, if you like "brightly anthemic guitar" and a "mellifluous croon," as Spin put it, you'll probably dig these guys. With Louis XIV and Carolina Liar. MICHAEL ALAN GOLDBERG

Listen to a sample of What Made Milwaukee Famous 's "Sultan."