Milo Greene - "Milo Greene" Review

 Artist: Milo Greene

Album: Milo Greene

Label: Chop Shop Records

Release Date: July 16^th, 2012

Review by: Sean Kayden

For fans of Mumford & Sons and Of Monsters and Men comes Milo Greene, a five-piece outfit that doesn’t have a single member named Milo Greene in the band. These Southern California natives trekked to a cabin located in the Sierra Nevada Mountains to record their luminous debut self-titled record. Influenced by 70s soft rock and contemporary indie pop, Milo Greene exhibits a deep catharsis while never mimicking those that have inspired them. The thirteen tracks, albeit reasonably short in duration, is an incredibly easy listening undertaking. Despite their inexperience, Milo Greene exemplifies a pastoral and rustic style that has them sounding like hardened veterans rather than unproven rookies.

Four out of the five members of the band share vocal duties, which leads to a completely uncommon scenario for the listener. The most notably voice is from the single female in the band, Marlana Sheetz. However, no matter who’s providing the primary singing, they all satisfy without hesitation. Milo Greene skillfully developed a record that’s filled with beautiful harmonies, hints of folk and bluegrass. It never appears overblown while everything feels simple, but divinely elaborate. Lyrically, it’s a rudimentary presentation, but the songs still feel poignant juxtaposed with the flourishing background music. While many tunes offer a similar tone, there really aren’t any surprises if you listen to the record in sequence order. Therefore, every song feels like a substantial piece to something much greater. With titles such as “What’s The Matter,” “Don’t Give Up On Me,” and “Cutty Love” and lyrics to boot, it’s difficult to ignore the comprehensive theme of vanished love and irrevocable heartbreak. However, the record goes even further as it is incessantly alarmed by the disappearance of youth.

There are four tracks that play out like intermission tracks. It’s as if they break the album into separate parts demonstrating different themes between each interlude-resembling track. Technically, you’re left with nine tradition songs that are more or less superb. The closing track is definitely the weakest link here. It’s more barebones, heavy on vocals, light on instrumental arrangement. As the album ends, you wish you were sent off with something a little more prevailing. In spite of that, Milo Greene has easily produced a sparkling and bittersweet album that is connected to not only their generation, but also previous ones. They may be young and time will only tell what they may ultimately become as a unit. For now, it’s difficult to deny their strong presence in the increasingly growing arena of indie rock.

Grade: 8.3 out of 10

Key Tracks: “Don’t Give Up On Me”, “Perfectly Aligned”, “Silent Way”, “1957”

Published by Mountain Views News on July 28th, 2012

http://mtnviewsnews.com/v06/htm/n30/p10.htm