If many of Wisconsin's alt country/Americana practitioners skew toward honky-tonk good times and general hilarity, Green Bay's Midwestern Charm brings grim equilibrium on the band’s self-titled debut. Loneliness, regret, angst and romantic and existential longing in varying degrees of consummation populate songs that spin the instrumentation of today's folk rock into a kind of rustic emo music. Bonus appeal comes from wonderfully monikered lead singer Connor Sands La Mue sharing a first name with the Bright Eyes leader and self-professed band influence, but sounding more, ah, singerly than the Nebraska indie kingpin. That quality sells the self-pity, ire and reflection in such a way as to make it an acceptable sound for fans of Death Cab for Cutie and Wilco to drop tears in their beers.
