There's something about the way Milwaukee singer-songwriter Trapper Schoepp writes songs that belies the fact that he's barely old enough to vote, let alone have a catalog of life experiences to draw upon. Meanwhile, Schoepp's Milwaukee-based band, a folky rock outfit of recent high school grads, taps into the spirit of growing up and asserting one's self-identity, all the while searching to find the right words to describe the experience.
The band's debut album, A Change in the Weather, kicks off with a track of the same name that tops layers of piano, strings and guitar with a style of vocal delivery that's more reminiscent of David Gray than Dave Matthews. It's a refreshing departure from the old college-bound jam-band cliché, and it showcases Schoepp's talent for crafting a pop hook. On the second track, "Running Away From the Day," the band approaches another college-music cliché - the Bob Dylan imitation - with a harmonica introduction but discards it in favor of a gently rambling style of piano-rock with a touch of Britpop. The group seems to take even more cues from across the pond on "Programmed," which, surprisingly, evolves into a melody that's more David Bowie than David Gray.
While the album's lyrics, like most college students' freshman-year essays, would benefit from some tightening, there are several turns of phrase that are pleasant enough to make up for the ones that flop. Lines such as "Band-Aids, bubble gum and untied shoes / The days of our youth were never misused" strain to rhyme. But then there are asides like "I hear nothing but respond to everything I'm told" that cut through the lyrical fog. Simple poignancy from a songwriting talent in the making.