"Traps," Jaill's second disc for Seattle's Sub Pop Records is due out June 12.
The early buzz on it from the label is that it, "is pretty, it's moody, it pops. It has the scrappy, vengeful enthusiasm of a puppy stuck under a blanket. It's an adorably grumpy bear just awoken from his long winter's slumber, with a mangy heart rarely found outside of the stuffed animal bin of a Salvation Army. It's an album that expects to be taken seriously goddammit, even though it just puked on the bar."
The Milwaukee band tracked "Traps" from January to October in Vinnie Kircher's basement and then headed out to Brooklyn, where Nicolas Vernhes of Rare Book Room, mixed it.
I'm listening to it here in the office this morning and am immediately struck by its simple beauty. Like its predecessors, "Traps" is full of roughly three-minute retro pop gems fueled by catchy guitar riffs.
The direct, unadorned arrangements might leave you wondering what Jaill could have whipped up with an ace producer at the helm, but only for a second. That's when you realize that letting the songs shine through is a much better approach than layering on the kitchen sink.
"Waste A Lot of Things" opens the 11-song disc with a basic riff worthy of the Pixies, and "Horrible Things (Make Pretty Songs)" has an almost "A Hard's Days Night"-era Beatles quality. The buzzy dance-pop of "Stone Froze Mascot" closes out "Traps."
If, on initial listen, "Traps" isn't as immediately grabbing as its predecessor, "That's How We Burn," it's surely got enough meat on its bones that further spins will certainly continue to satisfy. I'm looking forward to spending a nice, long spring with "Traps."
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
