Reviews of Butterfly Radio (2006)

NOVEMBER 2006

From Sonic Curiosity:

This release from 2006 offers 31 minutes of hard rock.

Guitars war with each other. Screeching chords clash with feedback fingering in a rollicking miasma of raucous temperament. Growling riffs cascade with emphatic vigor. The end result is an exhausting sonic battery.

Fervent drums pound away, generating forceful rhythms that blend natural percussion with e-perc until the wall of beats is intense enough to explode the listeners' head.

Electronics are crammed into niches that you hardly noticed, lending the rock-out explosions a crispness that polishes each razor-sharp edge until they shine with dangerous glimmers. Every once in a while keyboards appear, strangely adopting a codified sound amid the raw brutality of the rest of the music.

While the music is furious, the sentiments conveyed by the vocals are hardly angry. The lyrics concern themselves with life's idiosyncrasies. Observations about people's routine normality while others strive to be heroes.

The compositions are vibrant, scalding, and frantic. Teeth gritting is regularly induced by the sheer urgency of these tunes.


From Plug In Music:

On their self-titled debut full-length release, Avenpitch banged out catchy tunes like "Housecat" and "Hacienda." The band did not blend, they smashed punk and electronic together in a way that new wave just never did. Now back with their sophomore release, "Butterfly Radio," the band continues where they left off.

The rap meets singing vocal style of Avenpitch lead Todd Millenacker could easily come off sounding monotonous. Instead, Millenacker's vocals end up being energetic while his annunciation and delivery add a certain character and put real emotions behind each song. The band's unique brand of electronic punk thumps on the catchy and familiar "Dusseldorf" although the party really starts with the speeding pulses and beats of "Jack the Idiot Dance." Avenpitch do not want you to get too comfortable or complacent just yet. The party is only just beginning. On "A Safer Car," Avenpitch offer chugging electro-rock. Buzzing instrumentation gets a little gritty on "Disposable Pop Song" and "Wouldn't It Be Nice" while "Smitten," a sweet synth ballad with some backbone, and "Messalina," which features a twinkling keyboard melody, balance the light with the dark.

Shying away from sounds too dark, "Butterfly Radio" is full of catchy tunes that immediately pull listeners in with their infectious rhythms and distinct vocal delivery. Avenpitch have a new outlook on life and so far, things are looking good. The band's "Butterfly Radio" is not ashamed to be driven by melodies and catchy riffs that keep things interesting throughout.
-Corinne


OCTOBER 2006

From DJ Phoney's Record Reviews:

"Fresh" is the first word coming to my mind while listening to "Butterfly Radio". Like-able, albeit slightly under-produced, this Avenpitch album comes with a lot of flavor. If there are still people out there trying to keep their musical styles separated – I'm guessing this won't be your cup of tea, mates!

Avenpitch are absolutely un-frightened about mixing electronics with a live band sound. The outcome is somewhere between Devo, Gary Numan, Human League, Ramones, They Might Be Giants and Desert Planet all wrapped into a home recorded feel (which is meant as a compliment in this case).

The 8-bit synth-melody line in the second track "Jack the Idiot Dance" is really cool and reminds of those old video/computer games which many of us can remember wasting our entire youths on. A fucking hit! Similar lead-synths appear more than once through-out the album.

A handclap-like snare sound here and there mixes well with the 60's pop meets punk rock melodies that Avenpitch are also no strangers to (check out "Smitten"). "Dusseldorf" (coincidentally just a few miles away from my home!) mixes an old wave-feel with newer rock along with what might even be a little industrial-influence. "Messalina" is the softest song on the album and gives the listener the impression of not being blasted away through the entire LP. As if all these styles were not enough, there are some riffs that sound a bit 'metal'. I warned you purists!

There are several great moments on "Butterfly Radio". The sometimes a-bit-off-tune-vocals are charming. All in all this is appreciated listening. "Butterfly Radio" is Avenpitch's second release and it really sounds like there will be much more to follow. Be sure to check them out!


From The Odyssey:

Avenpitch is a stupid-yet-sorta-catchy disco metal group – a weird mix of The Cars, Heart and strangely enough, J Church, if you’re looking for a reference. It's a good, insignificant listening experience... but it's not necessarily my cup of tea.

Listen while you play: Bejeweled


From Semtex Magazine:

People always tend to say that the eighties sucked musically, and I'm one of those stubborn guys who always has to point out that there were some beautiful and ground-breaking albums made in the eighties, next to the load of disposable pop songs that flooded the charts. To give you some examples, I'm talking about bands such as Bastro, Big Black, The Birthday Party, and Bitch Magnet (and then I'm only mentioning the 4 big B's from the eighties), and also the new wave/post punk oriented bands as The Cure, Echo & The Bunnymen and The Jesus & Mary Chain. Unfortunately, Avenpitch has listened too much to the wrong side of the eighties and has made a disposable pop album.

Yes, there's the fuzzy guitars and the silly keyboard melodies, often sounding like a hair metal band meets up with the electro poppers of the Human League or Devo, but Avenpitch simply sounds irritating to me. The combination of some heavy metal riffs with those electro pop tunes and sometimes a hair-raising guitar solo, along with the boring whine of singer Todd Millenacker do not appeal to me at all. Hell, the horrible Bloodhound Gang sprung to my mind when I first listened to this album, although musically there's not a lot of similarity between the two. I guess it's the overall stupidity of this album that made me think of them. And maybe the vocals, not to mention the lyrics. In the song Smitten it goes something like this: "When I met her she was falling apart / I collected all her pieces and sent for her heart / And I put her back together piece by piece". Hmm.

I'm not against pop songs at all, hey, some of my best friends are pop songs, and I'm sure lots of you will find some of their songs quite catchy. You can try and listen to the mp3 of Jack The Idiot Dance, but it doesn't make me want to jump on the dance floor at all, and I guess that is the whole intention of Avenpitch. It is just that the songs are simply not good enough. To be honest, they simply suck.

Oh, and one of their songs is called Disposable Pop Song. At least they know what they're talking about.


SEPTEMBER 2006

From Socket Shocker Magazine:

Left-of-center blend of 80's hair metal and stateside new wave melodies, shaked and baked in the rock oven at Danny Elfman's summer home. The band hails from the far northern climes of Minnesota, the same great state that brought us The Replacements, Husker Du and Prince. Upon listening to the record you would imagine that they had emerged from the deserts of Nevada rather than the land of lakes. They sound as if they had been biologically assembled at a secret government laboratory. Sexual references abound, thinly veiled beneath a sleek b-movie, sci-fi veneer. The album's title cut sounds like it would have fit nicely on the Karate Kid soundtrack. Maybe it's just me, some kind of generational thing, or maybe it's the slight similarity the song bears to Bananarama's "Cruel Summer." Equal parts electro-cool and guitar geek, occasionally it feels like there's almost too much going on, but for the most part things stay fresh. By the time you get to "Smitten" another possible link to Nevada appears, this time closer to Las Vegas and the new wave stylings of The Killers. The track sounds like it could be one of their b-sides, but with a twist, grittier and not as polished. The whole record is a bundle of energy that just won't quit. It brushes with greatness here and there. They get caught with their trousers down, wearing their influences on their sleeves at times, but never in a dull way. - Jason Manriquez


From RegynYouth:

Avenpitch is what happens when a garage band drops a battered, old PC on the workbench and starts digitally hacking their punk-rock riffs. Exploding from the speakers as a squall of steel-toed drum loops and genetically mutated guitar solos, Minneapolis-based Avenpitch gives rigid electro-pop a kick of DIY, jam session spontaneity. And it doesn't hurt that, beneath all the noise, singer/guitarist Todd Millenacker has definite knack for pop songwriting (coupled with a demented Pere Ubu rasp that keeps things edgy no matter how bubblegum the melody). Where Avenpitch's self-titled debut stabbed a rhrash-metal knife through the heart of new wave, the band's follow-up LP, "Butterfly Radio", breaks out the chainsaw. Anchored by its incredible title track, "Butterfly Radio" finds Avenpitch moving even farther towards both extremes. Guitars and synthesizers push recklessly into the red, as if the band were trying to blow a fuse or crash their hard drive, yet the songwriting remains laser-focused, with every hook and shout-along chorus precisely arranged for maximum pop effect. Had the Sex Pistols grown up listening to the Happy Mondays and New Order, instead of the other way around, "Butterfly Radio" could very well be the result.


AUGUST 2006

From Culture Bully:

From Minneapolis, the industrial tease band hesitates to delve too deep into any given sound, striking out at electropunk, flirting with a synth-based avant ambient and lacing a rampage aimed directly at the heart of noise rockers. The physical make-up of the band might draw resemblance to a certain group industrial Kraut-rockers, but when thinking Avenpitch, think a wholesome KMFDM or even a lighthearted New Order. Not to be confused with the industrial equivalent of easy listening, the group's vocalist Todd Millenacker delivers silenced shouts through the upbeat keyboards, guitars and drums. One of my favorite tracks, "Jack the Idiot Dance," is, as Emil Hyde romantically explains, a track "originally composed for a compilation of children's music released in Germany (perhaps the only country where parents would pummel their toddlers with warp-speed disco-metal), the track starts off with some deceptively innocuous toy sounds before the melody stomps in like a Godzilla-sized jack-in-the-box."


JULY 2006

From Brainerd Dispatch:

Minneapolis electropunk band Avenpitch launches into their sophomore effort "Butterfly Radio" with the addictive "chugga-chugga" instruments of "A Safer Car." What instruments are providing that sound, I'm not sure - I'm going to guess a guitar run through a computer - but it's catchy as heck. Generic crowd noise backs the proceedings.

"Jack the Idiot Dance" is like the soundtrack to a video tour of a theme park on fast-forward. Don't try to keep up with this dance beat unless you exercise regularly. A laughing child makes a cameo.

"Like Rain" takes a little longer to get under your skin, but once it does, it goes straight to your brain and takes up residence for a few days. Sheets of rain, needless to say, make an appearance here.

"Disposable Pop Song" is what it claims to be, but not in a bad way. I think I heard a guy burping somewhere in the mix, but I might have imagined it.

"Smitten" - Exhibit A in the case against throwing out your old Casio keyboard - and "Messalina" qualify as ballads in the unique sonic world of Avenpitch. The latter, wherein lead singer (actually, more like "speaker") Todd Millenacker references to "towers of Babel" and "cities of Carthage," actually features a straightforward guitar break.

It provides assurance that this band will do just fine on stage. Avenpitch has fun with technology while staying mindful of what sounds good.


From KnifeParty.com:

Having begun as a small project, brainchild of frontman/producer Todd Millenacker, Avenpitch has certainly come a long way since their self-titled debut in 2003. Since then, the band has evolved musically, incorporating driving guitar riffs, dancy electronic beats, and occasionally, weird videogame noises, for their anticipated sophomore release, Butterfly Radio. Advertised as a new wave/punk combo with heavy metal riffs and techno beats, Butterfly Radio seems like it would be a cacophony of sounds that don't quite mix. To my surprise, Avenpitch makes it work; the band has successfully crafted a listenable, even enjoyable record that even the most skeptical couldn't help but tap their feet and bob their little heads to.

"A Safer Car" kicks off the album with a driving force; the heavy yet radio-friendly guitar riffs accompanied by monotone, rap-like shouting reminiscent of the Beastie Boys. However, the opening track is quite deceiving. The second track abruptly launches into a techno beat, and the vocals become more melodic. Now, when I read on the promo "RIYD Mindless Self Indulgence" I thought to myself, "Probably not." However, there are definite MSI influences in this track, albeit much less obscene. Track 5, "Smitten," is quite a nice break from the frenzy of chaotic drum beats, wild synths and heavy distortion with something that is light, bouncy and demonstrates that Todd Millenacker's vocals are, in fact, capable of melody. The following track, "Disposable Pop Song" takes a drastic turn into a bittersweet tirade against modern pop. With a chorus that is simply (and addictingly) "Disposable Pop Song, sing along!" it could be a worthy candidate for an anthem of teen angst. The album concludes on a powerful note with "Tumbleweeds," a slower emotional number with plenty of yearning regret, etc. over a lost love, etc.

The techno trend infuses the record, save the opening track, but thankfully, the electronic beats vary enough as to avoid repetition. A highlight of the album, "Messalina," demonstrates this beautifully. It opens like a typical trance song, with a pretty electronic melody that interweaves subtly with the song's rock n' roll chorus. In other tracks, like "Butterfly Radio," the beats are accompanied by heavily distorted guitar riffs and solos, but it works! A few gripes though: the sporadic squeaks, whirrs, and video game noises throughout the album keep things interesting, but at times can get rather grating; the tracks could've been arranged to flow more smoothly from song to song. It almost feels like that particular process was slapped together last minute, but with songs that differ so much from one another, perhaps it could not have been avoided.

Though lyrically a bit immature, Butterfly Radio redeems itself by being musically innovative. Now, for a band to draw influences from both The Killers and Mindless Self Indulgence without sounding quite like either of them, I consider quite a feat. To craft a dancy, edgy, and undeniably catchy album that sets itself apart from the modern pop/rock scene is even more admirable. Conclusion? Despite its occasional sloppiness, Butterfly Radio is an impressive release that will surely appeal to a wide variety of music aficionados, so get into it and dance!


From RockWatch:

Avenpitch comes out swinging with their electro pop beat scene swirl of rather catchy songs with their album 'Butterfly Radio'. With the opening song they draw the listener into their up beat snappy electronic, guitar and vocal mix. One can't help but have a child like bounce with the wacky quick paced song 'Jack the Idiot Dance'. The song ' Dussefdorf ' has a bit more of a heavy side crunch for the dancing feet. The title song ' Butterfly Radio ' gives you a signature mix of what Avenpitch is all about with this album as the playful guitar riffs, electro beat and pop lyrics strikes up a rally for a good time. The entire album follows suit from song to song for a full house of Avenptich. With this ten song album they will surely put forth some lively good time shows where listeners may wish there were 12 or 14 songs on the album. A crisp circle of songs for the happy feet crowd. - By P~Kramer at RockWatch


JUNE 2006

From Aiding & Abetting:

Avenpitch's blend of new wave derring-do and modern guitar crunch makes the band one of Omega Point's most accessible acts. Indeed, I don't know anyone who wouldn't succumb to the pleasures of this album.

I suppose it does help to have come of age in the 1980s, but remember: the 80s were the last time the "Top 40" mattered. Radio splintered, audiences splintered and music went to hide in all sorts of segregated corners.

Yes, yes, the 80s were hardly a time of purity and light. But shit, when you distill pop music down to catchy guitar riffs and sprightly keyboard bits, well, I think you're on to something. Avenpitch is more than that. These folks are absofreakinbrilliant.

Shiny, thrashing, gorgeous and loud. Imagine a combination of Judas Priest (the keyboard albums), Devo, Kraftwerk, the Human League and Buzzcocks. And then distill those ideas to their pure pop essences. Ahh, Avenpitch. Nectar of the gods. I've loved these folks for a while, and this album utterly sears my soul. I'd sell it to Avenpitch in a second.


From Godsend Online:

Minnesota's veteran electro-rock act here produces their most pop-worthy release to date. Cuts like 'Smitten' or 'Messalina' are the highlights far and away, dancing alongside 80s-style synthpop, while other cuts are heavier, with thick guitars. Their sound seems to be mostly programmed to emulate a live rock band feel, which works alright, but can overly 'canned' in spots, too. Some good stuff here, AVENPITCH is still progressing with each release.


From The ChickenFish Speaks:

I really want to hate this electro pop/punk band, with the annoying whining vocals and horrible rhyming/rap skills. Unfortunately, I can't, they have really catchy hooks that I kind of like. This only happens in a few songs, however, "A Safer Car," "Jack the Idiot Dance," "Dusseldorf," and "Smitten." The other six songs on the album really suck. The "catchy hooks" lose their appeal and meet the obnoxious repetitious point, as do his vocals. - Lola (2006)


From Disco:Very:

It's no secret that I loves me some youthful retro New Wave dance rock. When I hear bands like Avenpitch--on tracks such as Butterfly Radio, Dusseldorf and Jack The Idiot Dance--they get me moving and grooving, instantly pushing all the right Electroclash buttons. Do you like my Electroclash buttons? I bet you do. Go ahead, you can push them. Yeah, right there, push them softly. Softer. No, a little softer. Yeah, that's it. Ooooh, yes, tell me you like those buttons. Tell me your friends like my buttons. Tell me your friends are jealous that you're pushing my buttons. Aren't these the nicest buttons you've ever pushed? Treat those naughty buttons a little rough if you want. Go ahead--teach those Electroclash buttons who's boss. Ouch! Ow! Hey, not that rough. Jeez, what do I look like, Pamela Anderson?


MAY 2006

From Grave Concerns:

Avenpitch open their second album with "A Safer Car", an altogether unexceptional rock song with vaguely punkish undertones and a few keyboard beeps for color. Just when you're settling in for a long boring ride, however, they kick in with the second track, the intriguingly titled "Jack the Idiot Dance," an appealingly frantic blur of drum machines, random sound effects, and energetic but disaffected vocals. This is a much better example of the Minnesota band's sound, a fun blend of punk, early New Wave, and straight-up old-fashioned American rock 'n' roll that's at once reminiscent of both the Talking Heads and Mindless Self Indulgence. While they don't always quite live up to the cleverness of their concepts -- "Disposable Pop Song" is as repetitious as the Top 20 music it mocks -- there's plenty of fun to be had here. While the basic arrangements are all fairly similar, with '70s garage and punk guitars colored by an array of electronic effects, the individual adornments for each song vary from the modern synthpop pianos of "Messalina" to the old-school hip-hop hi-hat running through "Like Rain." Then of course there's "Düsseldorf," which apes the modern electroclash scene's obsession with retro dance music and sounds dated and fresh all at the same time. Definitely more rock than pop, Avenpitch's sound is a welcome relief to alternative music fans who are burnt out on both the bloated aggression of modern metal and the twee melodrama of today's underground pop scene. Like the genre-blurring early days of New Wave, Avenpitch effortlessly combine raw guitar energy with enough electronics to keep you dancing.


From ADD Reviews:

If pop sounded more like Avenpitch, I wouldn't hate the radio so much. 3.5 out of 5


APRIL 2006

From Reader Weekly:

Like a dripper of hard rock being electronically intervened into music, Avenpitch have a synthesized new sound. Swirling effects and spacey synths take metallic tones and mosh them into your senses. Techno rockers with European discotheque influences and side dishes of craziness abound.

Released on Omega Point records, Avenpitch's Butterfly Radio is in tune with the future of music and yet steeped in the past. Take the sounds from the new wave age and combine them with modern indie rock or maybe even new Trent Reznor. Then pound them into your stereo and that is the recipe for Avenpitch.

Avenpitch is singer/guitarist/producer Todd Millenacker, guitarist Darren Siaw, drummer Paul Hudalla and keyboardist Sarah France. The title track "Butterfly Radio" is retro eighties from the organ laid over almost a Beastie Boys rap. There is also fuzzy guitar and electronic enthusiasm spilling from the chorus before being wiped up by a steady beat. Their song "Jack the Idiot Dance", release on a children's music compilation in Germany, is like a crazy crib dance of fast pacing and spinning techno. A sillier song, the music moves to the beat telling a story. There also is a laughing track and whirling sirens that blare and emphasize the lyrics, "Jack the idiot, dance, dance, the idiot!"

"Dusseldorf" follows the "Idiot Dance" and keeps us planted in Germany. The song is very Gorillaz, and very catchy. It is a bit harder than Gorillaz, but also adds some teeth to Avenpitchs sound. The beat is infectious and chases the song around and around. This is similar throughout the disc and gives a firm feeling to what the band is trying to achieve. If electronic synthesizers and German discotheque is what you are looking for this weekend, stop by Beaner's Central on Friday, April 28. (Andrew Olson)


From Lunch of Champions:

Dr. Mario’s Diagnosis: An acute case of the bleeps and bloops
Filed under: Toby's Posts, Rock Music

I play a lot of Dr. Mario on the old 8-bit Nintendo gaming console (NES). I’m getting so good at that game that I can now get up to level 18 without batting an eye. If you were to watch me in my nerdy solitude, you’d probably make a note of how I regularly can be seen beating level 20, which is a significant accomplishment even for established Dr. Mario’ers.

As anyone who plays the game will tell you, Dr. Mario has some great music! Certainly better than that found on lesser games such as Tetris and Bubble Bobble. But even with that being the case, "the Doctor" offers me only two musical choices - "Music A" and "Music B", respectively. I am extremely pleased to announce that I have found a third choice!!!

Avenpitch’s sophomore release, an LP entitled "Butterfly Radio" brings Dr. Mario to new heights with it’s solid hooks and jiving keyboard parts. Plus, the Avenpitch option gives me a solid 10 songs to choose from as opposed to just two. I might even go as far as to say that Butterfly Radio’s jams rival those found on the game. To illustrate this grand achievement, I have created the following chart:
Dr. Mario vs. Butterfly Radio

Musical hooks:
-Dr. Mario introduced some catchy melodies of a calibre not heard of since The Legend of Zelda and Super Mario Brothers.
-Avenpitch has some catchy melodies and great hooks to enjoy on Butterfly Radio.
Winner: Dr. Mario

Beats:
-While the Good Doctor has some sweet rhythms that repeat over and over and over again, there isn’t quite enough midi drum sounds to satisfy me.
-Butterfly Radio sports some pretty awesome beats behind it’s catchy melodies.
Winner: Avenpitch

Lyrics:
-I wrote and regularly perform lyrics over the Dr. Mario music. These lyrics include such gems as:"You’ve got to pray just to make it today," and "You can lick, you can lick on my nads."
-Avenpitch’s lyrics are astounding given the relative youthfulness of this group.
Winner: Avenpitch

"Bleeps" and "Bloops"
-Composed almost completely of "bloops" and "bleeps", Dr. Mario’s soundtrack pretty much corners the market on these great sounds.
-While Butterfly Radio certainly has it’s fair share of "bloops" and "bleeps", it lacks sheer volume to compete in this market.
Winner: Dr. Mario

Overall:
-Dr. Mario’s music is undeniably catchy and great to sing and play along to for hours on end, particularly if you are rubbing a victory in your friend’s face.
-Butterfly Radio is solid through and through.
Winner: Tossup

The album begins with A Safer Car, an interesting song about how difficult it is to communicate with those we care most about. Frontman, Todd Millenacker, belts out:

Express yourself if you’ve got something to prove
I won’t be the one to stop you
And that’s the problem with this world we live in
Everyone’s got advice but no one wants to listen

After that first track, the band begins to build up momentum, rolling into the album’s title track, a song sporting brilliantly written lyrics that contort the song’s rhyming scheme while speaking of what I assume to be a confused mass of American citizens:

And the rumor on the left is that they’re dancing on the right
And when they’re told to turn it down they don’t give a frightful
Fear or second glance
Reliving their last chance

The album gets stronger as it goes along, finishing up with Tumbleweeds, a song that I believe is about regret over having said something to someone, most likely a lady.

Summary: Butterfly Radio is a magical album, especially when played as background music to Dr. Mario.


From Space Junkies:

AVENPITCH an electro-rock band from the "Twin Cities" (Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota) area of the world has out done themselves with their latest release "Butterfly Radio". There are moments of softness as heard in catchy tracks like "Messalina" but for the most part you'll be rocking out to tracks like "Jack The Idiot Dance" (one of my favorites) and the title track "Butterfly Radio". For those that enjoy rock music (with lots of guitars, bass riffs and drums) mixed with up-beat electronic synth sounds then you'll really love AVENPITCH. They have music that metalheads will think is too soft, while new-agers will think its too heavy, so AVENPITCH will meet you somewhere in-between. (Wednesday Elektra)


From Inside Pulse:

Electropunk, at your service.

The Inside Pulse:
Hailing from the Twin Cities, one of the strongest music scenes in the United States, Avenpitch brings the local sounds of electropunk to the masses. Or, at the very least, super-indie distribution. Either way, the band has been touring vigilantly before the recording of and now in support of their second effort, Butterfly Radio. The resulting changes in their sound since their debut eponymous recording certainly reflect that experience.

As a sound, Butterfly Radio is a mix of approaches. Take it too seriously and you'll miss the point of its bouncy simplicities; take it too lightly and you'll miss some well-composed pop. The biggest challenge as a listener is cutting through some very tedious filler to find these gems.

Positives: Avenpitch creates a sound that you won't hear every day, and that's refreshing. "Jack the Idiot Dance" is clearly their strongest song to date, full of layered samples and an infectious synth line that's irresistable. "Disposable Pop Song" is a hilarious tribute to garbage mainstream radio and addictively replayable.

Negatives: Halfway through the disc, patterns emerge: same synth patches, same tempos, and singer Todd Millenacker delivering his vocals in one monotonous pitch. With punk roots, there's no need for Berklee-level musicianship -- although there's definitely talent here -- but the band seems to have found a "sound" and steadfastly sticks to it regardless of the content and tone of the lyrics.

Crossbreed:
Good Charlotte stops whining and gets devoured by Atari Teenage Riot.

Reason to Buy:
You're a modern-day punk/hardcore/emo fan whose curiosity is piqued.


MARCH 2006

From Teilzeitgigant:

Synths + guitars used in unison, wielded with taste and skill make me happy; Avenpitch make me happy.

It's the Men Without Hats and Motörhead deciding to form a band, taking all the non-embarrassing parts of the Offspring and playing em for your kid´s fifth birthday party at the southpole. All the while sporting that snarky smile, all the while knowing that, yes, they are down here with us in the mosh-pit but not because they have to (like us, poor souls) but because the chose to.

Sweaty like the best of us the difference is being on a mission as opposed to being weak and pathetic.

The difference is wreaking havoc. Evidence: Butterfly Radio

Album No. 2; and the strong to weak song ratio, finally, has gone off the meter; clocking in at 9 to 1; but one weak song is mandatory, always; to function; as a point of reference.

The big step from "Oh, those guys that sound like Atom And His Package" to "Oh, those guys that fucking rock!"


FEBRUARY 2006

From Distortion Music Magazine:

Avenpitch are a fun band, the “brainchild of singer/guitarist/producer Todd Millenacker.” Millenacker’s voice is snidely derisive and at once inviting. He sneers at somebody on the opening track of their sophomore release Butterfly Radio, “A Safer Car.” And as he sneers he somehow keeps us from feeling like a target, so it’s a satisfying kind of derision... the kind of nasally school-ground fantasy/shout therapy it’s easy to get behind because you know nobody’s really getting hurt and it’s just a kind of pleasant catharsis (unless you know without a doubt you’re the person Todd’s sneering at, in which case... well... I’d quit listening or hire a counselor or make an album and sneer back... electropunk battle). But Avenpitch does not consist solely of Todd Millenacker and Butterfly Radio isn’t entirely his monster, as the Avenpitch website (www.avenpitch.com) indicates:

“Having survived a tour of some of the country's rougher dive bars and dirtier punk rock hangouts in support of the first album, Millenacker, guitarist Darren Siaw and drummer Paul Hudalla returned to the studio a tight, battle-tested rock n' roll machine. With the addition of keyboardist Sarah France, they have infused their new material with the manic energy and bruising volume of their stage shows.”

Avenpitch’s bruising volume falls into this musical category I find myself covering with some regularity for Distortion.us: electropunk. They are on an electropunk label out of Chicago (Omega Point Records) described on its own website as an “Independent Electropunk Record Label” and rest snugly alongside labelmates like the Mystechs (who are hilarious) and Uber Cool Kung Fu (whom I cherish in a desperate and ugly way, to the point where I will visit venues repeatedly nobody should be visiting repeatedly with friends who fall off bar stools and punch me when I drunkenly ask them to do so). But this isn’t about my latent masochism, Uber Cool Kung Fu, or “electropunk” broadly: this is about Avenpitch’s Butterfly Radio. Avenpitch are good, and if Butterfly Radio is any indication they are becoming better... honed... sharp... biting - whatever you want to say about it. Their music matures while still sounding happily young and satisfyingly ironic.

Avenpitch write clever, poppy songs with the self-effacing joy of people who enjoy writing pop songs but recognize they’re writing pop songs and pop songs are, for lack of a better word, silly and, at the same time, potentially powerful. Hence the track “Disposable Pop Song” – “disposable pop song sing along disposable pop song sing along disposable pop song sing along.” And while they do this they get their political digs in, clearly indie-leaning and against the lock-jawed breeding media sheep... types.

What do they sound like? Break-beats combine with rock guitar, keyboards, quirky vocals, steady drum machine rhythms, and funny eighties swirls and beeps to create this weird brand of jumpy rock they call electropunk. In plenty of ways Avenpitch (combined with UCKF and the Mystechs) define in my mind this oddly satisfying genre that calls on you to get out and enjoy a fast rock show but dance like you’re in a club. “Jack the Idiot Dance” from Butterfly Radio is a perfect example of this breeding of genres to create the electropunk beast.

Not to complete an article without the opportunity to include an umlaut when such an opportunity arises, there’s a track called “Düsseldorf” on the album that’s pleasant enough, showcasing the dance insistence of the band, their disposition for strange and sarcastic vocals, and their practiced use of rock guitar right beside absurd-sounding samples and tasty little Casio cymbal crashes.

The track that shares the album’s name is hooky and starts up with a well-calculated introduction straight from the eighties (think New Order or bands like Orgy who call back to said era). A political screed against those who blindly follow (each band needs one of these), “Butterfly Radio” holds that forth spot on the album for a reason – it sounds like the single that’s going to get college/indie radio play, featuring a nice electronic violin interlude and then these weird video-game noises. It’s really a nicely crafted, catchy piece and should be good to freak out to live. -Kevin Anthony Kautzman


From The Onion - A.V. Club:

Besides acting as songwriter, guitarist, and producer for Avenpitch, Todd Millenacker is an invaluable archivist for the burgeoning local techno scene with his Twin Cities Electropunk compilation series. A third disc in that series should be out later this year, but right now Avenpitch has new material of its own in the uneven, but often rewarding, Butterfly Radio, a frenziedly modern spin on the synth-heavy pop of Devo and The Cars. "Disposable Pop Song," ironically one of the disc's catchiest tunes, shows that Millenacker isn't afraid to poke fun at himself, deflating any pretension with a chanting chorus of "sing along!" And unlike a lot of the electro-punk acts, Avenpitch is a full fledged foursome that includes a live drummer. The band will have a busy day on Friday, playing two different CD-release shows within six hours—an all-ages gig at the Varsity at 5 p.m., followed by a set for the imbibing crowd at the Spring Street Tavern in Northeast Minneapolis at 9 p.m.


From Synthpop.net:

This is Avenpitch's second album, following their self-titled debut which was also released on Omega Point Records in 2003. This ten track album features "Jack the Idiot Dance", which was also included on the second volume of the Twin Cities Electropunk compilation series, and a finished version of the title track, which was featured on the first Twin Cities Electropunk compilation. This second album finds the lineup of the band expanding to include Sarah France on keyboards, joining Todd Millenaker (Singer/Guitarist/Producer), Darren Siaw (Guitarist), and Paul Hudalla on drums.

This second album doesn't result in any major shifts in the sound of Avenpitch, but the rawness has been smoothed away, resulting in a energetic fusion of Punk, New Wave and Synthpop that still has the same punch to it, but with more clarity and sophistication. The band has also refined their songwriting skills, as songs such as "Jack the Idiot Dance" and "Disposable Pop Song" will easily lodge themselves in your brain and refuse to go away for hours on end. It's not a disc built on intense and catchy punk-pop tracks alone, though. "Smitten" is an extremely well-written love song that comes across as both sincere and very danceable.

Overall, Avenpitch has come back even better the second time out, with an album of songs that are still just as edgy, but more accessible. This is an excellent fusion of styles that I am even more impressed with the more I listen to it (and that I can easily). Highly Recommended!

5 out of 5 stars