Frontier Ruckus hits solid note with newest LP

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I’m not a nostalgic person, but Lansing-based band Frontier Ruckus’ new album “Deadmalls & Nightfalls” could make anyone pine for Michigan.

From the familiar billboards on the highways to coming-of-age landmarks we all experience, Ruckus has made a CD that feels so close to home it would make anyone who’s kissed the mitten state goodbye want to pack up their bags and return home.

As the band’s second full-length LP since they released “Orion’s Songbook” in 2008, the follow-up leaves nothing to be desired — which is more than impressive for a band still in the midst of building itself.

The album opens with “Nerves of the Nightmind,” a song that follows what is becoming the band’s signature sound of switching up the rhythm and tempo mid-song. Few bands are able to pull off a radical mid-song change so well, but Frontier Ruckus does so with such grace you hardly notice it.

Lead singer Matthew Milia provides a set of vocals that allow each track to be delivered with its own calm and steady narration that, while sounding mature for his age, still maintains a naivety that keeps the tongue-twisting verses relatable.

In addition to the unique vocals the LP offers, the band holds on to the sounds that have made them stand out from the crowd on past albums, keeping the banjo and the saw as heavy hitters throughout the set of songs.

It’s been a while since I’ve heard a CD where I can honestly listen to the entire album without wanting to skip a song or two — but Frontier Ruckus have outdone themselves with a collection so well put together I can barely tear myself away from it.

The track “Springterror” takes the cake as my personal favorite off the album with “Does Me In” as a close second. The harmonies between Milia and back-up vocalist Anna Burch on both songs prove themselves as some of the most heartbreaking and beautiful on the album.

Those who already are fans of the band will be pleased to know the group has stuck close to its roots, both with regard to lyrics and overall sound, while not becoming boring or monotonous. As the band tell tales of the Great Lakes State and their own lives growing up, many Michiganders like myself just might feel as though they are listening to a close childhood friend tell them stories.

In the grand scheme of things, “Deadmalls & Nightfalls” is phenomenal. It’s nostalgic but not cheesy, intimate but not exclusive — just the mix fans have been waiting for on a new album and enough to make me want to call Michigan home for many years to come.

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