Album Review: Milo Greene – Control
3 min read
Californian cinematic-pop group Milo Greene burst onto the music scene in 2012 with their self-titled debut album, and there’s been an obsession over their self proclaimed sound ever since; this month the group are dropping their sophomore effort, Control, and the hype surrounding the release has been enthusiastic. Over the last few months Milo Greene released five tracks from the upcoming LP, including White Lies, On The Fence, Lie To Me, Parents’ House and Heartless; with those tracks released, fans could be confident in what will be another decent release from the group. Here’s what we thought about Control.
An ambient one minute prelude transitions into White Lies, presented with a deep beat and a percussive arrangement, Marlana’s lead vocals also help make this track one of the most memorable on the album; what’s refreshing about this group is that four of the five members share lead vocals, so you don’t know what to expect from each track until you’re deep into listening to them, On The Fence has that refreshing feel and has a more upbeat arrangement than the former. Save Yourself has a more lighter vibe with its airy vocal parts and tap of the drums, yet the instrumentation still allows for a full sound; the group could not be more full of heart with the intense Heartless, they deliver this track with an emotion and power to be reckoned with. The deeper Parents’ House begins with an eerie introduction, its verses aren’t as intense as those in previous songs and gives us a chance to see a different side to the album; Gramercy has some addictive sounds going on with the energetic bass line, the intriguing keys and a slight change of timing just before the chorus.
After a slight interlude, Control picks up again with When It’s Done, which demonstrates a more in depth sound, another vocalist and the strongest bass part yet; Lie To Me brings back the airy feel we grew to love earlier in the album, the chorus somehow gives us this rawness amidst the indie/pop fullness. The finger picking of the guitar and bass in Not Enough hits the spot, also the duo lead vocals are a great addition to the already harmonic sound of this album; Lonely Eyes has a catchy melody with scratchy but effective vocals, this song is delivered with an allure that is both unavoidable and persistent. Last but not least, Royal Blue finishes the album on a different note with an acoustic intro and hails more to the group’s folk/pop beginnings.
Control demonstrates that Milo Greene are one hundred percent in the game, they certainly do have their own sound going for them and cinematic-pop seems to be the best fitting genre for them; there are so many wonderful things that happen on this record, from wonderful arrangements to captivating atmospheres. This group are undoubtedly in complete control of their direction, each track had their own story to tell and their own place on Control; it’s hard to tell whether existing fans of their debut will be alienated or not by the group’s new sound for this album, but we can guarantee that Control is still a strong release from Milo Greene and should help them accrue new fans.
