There's a moment in most every song on Avenpitch's third full-length, Cast Off, that will make you smile. While his voice and delivery may leave much to be desired there comes a time in each track where Todd Millenacker convinces you that it actually does fit in well with the music. It's certainly distinctive if not particularly tuneful. You may consider switching CDs in the first thirty seconds of every piece but I would entreat you to hang on for just a little longer because when the explosion comes it's like one of those strawberry candies with the gooey, sugary center that bursts in your mouth once the shell has dissolved - it's an over-the-top surprise that adds to the experience of an enjoyable confection.

Millenacker has built a name for himself as the Ringleader for the annual Twin Cities Electropunk compilations he puts together and distributes. In Avenpitch he tackles frontman duties with a band that hasn't undergone lineup changes during its recorded run. This is one of their great strengths as the players sound extremely comfortable with one another. The performances are impressively tight and the songwriting on Cast Off is more expansive and adventurous with emphasis placed on layering as well as a mix that showcases each musician quite distinctively.

There's no reinvention here, no real surprises. These ten tracks sound much like everything else in the Avenpitch discography only it's become clear that, as a group, the band is much more comfortable in their own skin and enjoying their time immensely. "Disappear" is the centerpiece of this set with the longest runtime at nearly four and a half minutes. It's got great instrumental interplay, enormous melody and an airy atmosphere of longing coupled with searching lyrics that aren't particularly "deep" but manage to strike a chord of poignancy just the same.

From the pogoing rhythm of opener "Pregnant Pause," which features wildly varied trade-off instrumentation, to the impossibly infectious chorus of "Desperado" and well into the delightful and almost childlike corrosion of "Blink" Millenacker has crafted some memorable gems that should win over plenty of new fans. Yet the album does drag its feet in a couple spots. Perhaps due solely to the fact that the vocals aren't as multi-dimensional as they could be the more downtempo tracks, such as "Don't Come Cryin' To Me" and the first half of the closer "Shadows Of Giants," weigh the set down and on a CD that lasts a brief thirty-three minutes they stand out a little too prominently. In any event it isn't as though these examples are totally unlistenable as the music is still quite tuneful. But Millenacker is much, much stronger when the energy is high.

Ultimately, I'm reminded of The Book Of Secrets, a guide to Tantric consciousness in which Osho recounts a familiar tale;

Millenacker is as much a student of philosophy as he is music. He isn't looking to recreate the magic of some classic act nor is he jumping on the latest bandwagon to ride its coattails toward success. All he's doing is being himself and writing the music that's in his heart. The sincerity comes through while listening to Cast Off. This is fun, silly music that will lift your spirit when that's what you need. As much as you could reference the New Wave stylings of the Cars, the endearing Punk of the Descendents, or any number of bands from years gone by what comes across is that there really isn't anyone out there that sounds quite like Avenpitch. And when you can take all your influences and channel them through your own personality to create something unique and invigorating it can't be considered anything short of a success.

See also: Review: Butterfly Radio

See also: Review: Twin Cities Electropunk - Volume 4