Ikarus Down

Milwaukee band Ikarus Down plays straightforward, nice-guy pop-rock that always goes down smooth and tuneful, even when the guitars get cranked. The group cites indie-rock mainstays like Death Cab For Cutie and Phoenix as influences, but its unabashed radio-ready slickness is more in line with Coldplay or even with a spacier Matchbox Twenty. A six-song EP from 2010 even contains shades of early Radiohead—you know, back when the band made actual songs. Ikarus Down recently released its long-in-the-works debut LP, Friction, which contains the bombastic and cinematic “Faulty.”

Updated 06/05/2012