Album Review: Good Morning Milo - Through The Chaos & Clatter (Part Two)

Glad to see you're back for more, I knew you couldn't get enough of California's hottest six-piece right now! Here's part two of Good Morning Milo's album review, Through The Chaos Clatter.

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!

Album Review: Good Morning Milo - Through The Chaos & Clatter (Part One)

Good Morning Milo are a fresh and exciting new band from San Diego, CA. They are an "an upbeat group of musicians that write songs about combating the obstacles in our lives that prevent our happiness" and I've recently been wrapping my ears around their infectious tunes. Their latest album, Through The Chaos Clatter has found its way into my playlist and below, as per, you can check out my track-by-track review. Be sure to stay tuned for Part two where I'll delve into the latter half of the album.

1/Pickup Lines - I love the first track of an album. The anticipation is mounting as iTunes figures everything out in 0s and 1s; my fingers poised at the keyboard and waiting. I think every album should start with drums, as Pickup Lines does here. It's energetic, it grabs you and really makes me want to listen. The guitar intro plays around a progressive riff-based kick with long changes in between the chords, before the initial hook of the song drops in on the lead guitar line. I feel this is shaping up to be a musical introduction, before the real album begins. It's a cool trend to follow and could be 'their thing'; starting each album and even live show with a musical opener.

2/Win Her - The segue is flawless as Win Her comes in unnoticed. On top of the band now stabbing away with the same chord progression - held in check with a punchy snare - the lead vocals burst in and the album is really underway. I like the confident feel that the vocals produce; an assured style that boasts hints of Country when it really lets loose. The song has really grown since the chorus hit; each musician straying away from their regimented intros and off exploring their own musical paths. It was great to pick out the synth in the second verse and hear it sticking around for the second chorus; the song is still building and the chorus has a great hook, whilst the overall feel of the song captures a great enthusiasm for music in general. I don't often like dual-layered guitar lines but it works in the breakdown section, as the drums and bass furiously build behind them. The solo feels short lived but this song is definitely about the chorus. As the breakdown builds before the final chorus the drums sound a little sloppy, just trailing behind the rest of the band but once the last chorus does come back around they catch up no problem. At exactly three and a half minutes, I love the ending, rounding off my first real encounter with the band.

3/Settling - This a really upbeat, frenzied and full-on pop/rock number. The dual-layered vocals idea is used again here and continues to work perfectly, as the verses build on top of great-sounding guitar parts that really showcase the song-writing capabilities of this band. It's a really commercial sounding song and the chorus has a great laid-back feel with the vocal melodies whilst maintaining the energy of the verses. The falsetto vocals sound just as strong as the initial range which is important; often a falsetto vocal can sound noticeably weaker. The bridge section isn't the strongest part of the song but works well as a link before the last chorus, which is bigger than its predecessors with the noticable inclusion of the synth in the mix. The fade-out definitely adds to the 'radio-friendly' feel of the track and is the perfect ending.

4/To Kill A Songbird - I love the funky solo groove at the beginning of this track and the acoustic guitar part works really well alongside as the track builds to the first verse. The disco-feel pre-chorus has a cool feel and although musically the song is quite busy with quick funky drums, picky guitar and fast-paced vocals it all seems to gel together well. The vocals themselves have a slight Brandon Boyd feel and the bridge section feels a lot more thought-out; once more the harmonies in the vocals are obviously well-considered. The sparse glockenspiel part sounds slighty atonal; I'm sure it's written with the home key in mind but I'm not keen on its placement in this particular song, it sounds like more of an after-thought. The choruses are really strong and I can imagine this being a real crowd-rousing number. I wasn't so sure of the outro section, the guitar-riff sounded a little amateurish and generally unnecessary whilst I thought it would have been better just ending on the final chorus.

5/Number One Killer - I like the feel the drums go for in this song, but feel they needed to be boosted a little more in the mix to stand up on their own, to make up for the lack of a sloshing hi-hat and the snare itself sounded a little dry. The groove though lends itself to the song well and it's nice to hear a drummer exploring and daring to be a little different rather than settling with the same feel for every song. The guitar work is simple but effective, and the choruses build well in two seperate parts and my head is definitely nodding along with the more metal-inspired guitar work. This song carries on the Incubus feel in my opinion, although I didn't like the melisma in the elongated vocal line halfway though the track; it would have sounded stronger had the vocalist just held the note without wavering. The piano really stands its ground after the solo section and is a welcome inclusion, once more displaying the song-writing abilities of the group and their understanding of song structures. The outro is really nice, as everything falls away leaving the drums easing off as the vocals and piano round off the song. A really nice touch and I've really enjoyed this song.

6/Feel The Crash - I think the piano player has staked a big claim for his place in the band, as he kicks off Feel The Crash, accompanying a really nice, heart-felt vocal. The cello is the perfect addition as the second verse comes around, the vocals now displaying more a Plain White Tees tone. It's really nice to take a step back from the full-on energetic numbers this band writes so well with a beautiful piano ballad.

7/The Proposal - An interesting intro greets me at the half-way point of the album. It blends into chugging electric guitar and a real electro drone before kicking into a great big riff laden, open hi-hat explosion complete with dual-guitars leading into...

8/Engaged - ...another cool segue as track 8 bursts in. The energy of the band are certainly back from the bar, joining the singer who's been here since the start and they're ready to go again. The sections of songs are often fast-paced, and so the subtle hints of the half-time feels every so often work really well to neutralise this and give the respective tracks a well-rounded feel. I like the syncopated disco grooves used; the song is a bit of a mix of styles which is great, it certainly doesn't feel odd or over the top. There's a lot of angst and passion in the solo section which really comes across strongly to the listener and I love the synth role as it comes in just after, once more building the final stages of the song. The best way to describe the song is, I think, organised chaos.

Be sure to stay tuned and check back soon for Part 2 of the review!