9/Safe - I love the guitar work at the beginning of the song, it's a really nice progression with a great chilled-out feel as the drums drop in. As the vocals enter, so too does a gentle piano-arpeggio slightly behind the mix in a really suited place. It's a really passionate feeling song, as believable vocals perform alongisde a strong guitar part and you can't help but taking notice of the lyrics. The chorus is obvious and simple, but this is why it's perfect. The commerical-sound is one a lot of bands try to get away from but, at the end of the day, radio stations aren't going to play your music if their listeners won't like it. The guitar solo sounded a little wimpy; the idea was great but the execution not so, the sound just needed to be a lot fuller. The acoustic guitar section really highlights the talent in the vocals before we're back around for one last chorus, although the outro sounded a little unecessary again; ending on either just the chorus or returning to the original guitar part from the beginning would have worked, but I wasn't sure about the drums and electric guitar dropping in for just one bar. However, a really nice song overall.
10/Loving Without Argument - The drums hint at a shuffle feel to track ten, although fall in with a straight beat as the song starts up. It's a really grooving track and I love the feel of the chorus; the driving rhythm section alongside the high-pitched guitar riff really pushes it along. The shuffle feel is revisited in the latter half of the song; whilst the structure of this song is a little unorthodox but that's by no means a negative observation. It feels as if a lot of musical ideas have been bunched together and, although they don't necessarily sound out of place, it might have sounded slightly more convincing had they taken a leaf out of Green Day's book and bore in mind Jesus of Suburbia; making the song longer to accommodate the sections better, and perhaps revisiting more of them to add a feeling a continuity.
11/Waiting - This song takes a little while to kick in, with the drums and guitar parts sounding a little sparse for the first minute and counting, before the chorus comes around. At this point, it turns into a good song; a riff-driven number that exploits a lot of the band's usual trends; high energy, strong vocals and a believeable performance. I like the piano arpeggio section as the song breaks down before coming back in with a great-sounding guitar solo; it just sounds a lot fuller than it has done previously. The songs are definitely very imaginative and well thought-out by Good Morning Milo; they're well crafted and it shows.
12/Battle For The Nice Guy - From the very first second my feet and head are tapping along in unison; it's a great opening gambit. The verses are built with acoustic guitar and a moderate pace, and I like the electric guitar's outbursts. It's another big sing-along chorus and, therefore, another sure crowd pleaser. The breakdown is simply vocals with a hi-hat keeping time and it's all that's needed; it's a simple song with an effective hook and cool ideals.
13/Mr Robot Man - I love the synth intro, it's someting different again from the band that don't like to get too comfortable with one particular sound or idea and that's great. This song sounds really strong and something I could completely imagine on the radio or flicking through the rock video-channels. The electro hints with the synths and seldom with the vocal effects give it that little something extra and lift it up above your average rock song. In fact I think it almost sounds like a movie sound-track; I really like this song. The drums and indeed entire structure of the song are imaginative and the vocal performance is flawless. It feels like it's a lot longer than four minutes long, perhaps because so many ideas are packed in, and this song acts really well in picking up the very slight lull 3/4 of the way through the album.
14/Sunshine - I'm parcticularly keen to listen out for this track, not least of all because it's the very final track, the last offering, the final goodbye, but because it's been flagged as a 'suggested' song to listen to. So, is it going to sum up the band's sound as a whole and capture all of the many positives I've discovered along my journey with Good Morning Milo? At first, the characteristic energy isn't apparent but there's always room for that later. When the vocals come in I realise it's a clever and heart-felt part-cover of the lullaby 'You Are My Sunshine'. The vocals are, once more, perfect here; if there's been a constant throughout this album it's definitely the talent that the vocals produce. I feel that, when the full-band come in, I'd have preferred a surprise sudden impact rather than a little hint as the drums build up. It's grown into a really strong little song that encapsulates the album wonderfully; it's displayed the band's subtlety, passion, energy and reservedness in one fell swoop whilst showcasing the distinguishing vocals for what they are. It is actually the perfect end to a fantastic album that isn't necessarily without opinonated flaws, but is generally a great showcase for a fantastic sounding band with a bright future ahead of them. I'll be keeping my eyes and ears open for sure.
Although there are no published tour dates yet, and seemingly no plans to come to England in the near future, the band are working on getting back out on the road. I really get the feeling that this band are all about their fans, and that they really are the reason they're doing this.
You can have a preview of all the songs featured in both posts here and be sure to check out the band's Myspace page for the latest info on tour dates. Go forth and enjoy!
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thanks for taking the time to write :)