'60s-style Pop Rock layered with catchy vocal melodies, bits of strings, horns and harpsichord -- and harmonies that teeter and swoon like a drunken barbershop quartet.

12 MP3 Songs
ROCK: 60's Rock, POP: 60's Pop

Details:
WHATFOR is more than just pop.
The man behind the moniker, Michael Sienkowski, has the mentality of the classics, a knack for sharp songwriting and a handsome set of pipes. This ensures that Whatfor's debut album is pointedly smart and crafty without compromising its levelheaded measure - the finest Midwestern gallantry tempered by the strong hands of wry humor and verse. With songs masking self-mockery in '60s-style pop, "Sooner Late Than Never" channels the sardonic joy of The Kinks, joined by Beatles harmonies and a vocal style reminiscent of Rufus Wainwright. Despite the oft-biting lyrical subject matter, the album sounds upbeat and manages to escape the trap of redundancy that can plague pop rock. Each track takes its own personality, from touches of baroque, finger-plucked rag to tongue-in-cheek misogyny that will put your hips in a twist.

Sienkowski is no stranger to the Madison, Wisconsin music scene. He's the drummer for spastic-pop trio Sleeping in the Aviary and was a founding member of the late, lamented Eyebeams. Whatfor finds him taking full advantage of his musical neighbors. SITA bandmates Elliott Kozel (guitar) and Phil Mahlstadt (bass) help flesh out Sienkowski's own work on piano, vocals and drums. Beth Morgan of Madison's Pale Young Gentlemen acts as cellist laureate, while UW music majors Erin Heinke (harpsichord) and Jamie Kember (trombone) add extra flavor to the mix. Cribshitter's Christine Christenson even busts out her tuba for a track. Overall, the crew conveys a sense of musical modesty, lending the album skillfully minimalist performances which Sienkowski has layered into an irrepressibly catchy whole.

"Sooner Late than Never", recorded by Ricky Riemer at Science of Sound in Madison, is scheduled for release May 20, 2008 on the Science of Sound label.

Instrumentation:
Michael Sienkowski- vocals, drums, piano, guitar
Phil Mahlstadt- bass
Elliott Kozel- guitar, backup vocals
Beth Morgan- cello
Erin Heinke- harpsichord
Jamie Kember- trombone
Christine Christenson- tuba

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Previously: Sleeping in the Aviary drummer Michael Sienkowski stored up some songs that didnât quite fit with the bandâs raggedy aesthetic, and the trio found some time last year to start arranging and recording them under the name Whatfor.

New: The songs on Whatforâs debut, Sooner Late Than Never, were written to work in a basic rock-trio format, driven mostly by Sienkowskiâs vocal melodies, which are meandering and catchy at once. At times he also slips in bits of strings, horns, and harpsichord, not to mention harmonies that teeter and swoon like a drunken barbershop quartet. Label Science of Sound will release Sooner on May 20.

Standout Track: The verses of âHomeâ recall a bouncing mid-tempo swagger that bands often forget about when theyâre reaching back to early kinds for inspiration. The chorus opens up to flutters of banjo and a sweetness thatâs usually there, but sometimes easy to miss, if only because Whatforâs throwbacks to â60s Brit-pop are so nervously clever and busy.

-Scott Gordon, The Onion A.V. Club

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madison, wisconsin musician michael sienkowski (sleeping in the aviary) will next month release his first solo album, called sooner late than never, under the stage name whatfor. the album has a loose, rollicking feel to it, and only one of the twelve tracks present clock in over three minutes, which both salts the fun with a sense of urgency - wait, we're almost through? already? - and effectively guards against an over-stayed welcome.

sienkowski's delivery at times evokes john mcrea of cake; his listed influences include the kinks and, well, that's it, that's the whole list. and in some ways whatfor does have a similar kind of energy & sensibility, irreverent humor. but that's a lofty comparison to start off with. let's say for now that what whatfor's done is put together a quick, fun, impressive debut album.

-Anyone's Guess Blogspot

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