Milburn - These Are The Facts
Every new phenomenon in music is undoubtedly followed by a spree of copycats and similes who, if they are quick enough, are lucky enough to ride the crest and get signed by greedy record company executives who promise them the earth. The Arctic Monkeys onslaught of late 2005 provided us with its fair share of these wannabees who, somewhat inevitably soon fall victim to the fickle industry that bore them, and fade into obscurity when the tide turns.
Hailing from the steel city of Sheffield, 4 moptop teenagers with a love of spiky guitar parts and fish 'n' chip lyrics like Milburn took full of advantage of this and cropped up without fuss last year and, albeit better than most, seemed like just another one of those bands destined for the scrap heap.
The trend for a great first album followed by a mediocre second is ripe in the world of indie at the moment, and lest we forget that the reverse can happen and has happened. The transformation of Radiohead from the lackluster 'Pablo Honey' to the truly magnificent 'The Bends' being the most prominent example of a band learning their trade instead of spending their force too quickly.
Milburn, although not quite up to that standard, can confidently be entered for a 'most improved band' award this year and can shake off any derogatory tags attributed to them by lazy journalists.
'Grown-up' is not a phrase I like to use, but it seems to perfectly sum up new single 'What Will You Do (when the money goes)', in relation to their old stuff anyway. "I can see a darker side..." and so can we at last. With its repeated stabs and 60's psychedelic pop melody it is clear that Milburn have decided that being the Coral is far better than being the Arctic Monkeys and it suits them a lot better. This striking similarity continues throughout 'These Are The Facts', with tracks like 'Cowboys and Indians', 'Come Away with Me' and 'Lucy Lovemenot' mimicking the Liverpool band's wild eyed haze and wicker-man melancholia down to a tee.
A negative point it may be to copy wholesale and you could easily label Milburn as bandwagon jumpers extraordinaire, but these songs really do stand up in their own right. The sense of escape and fantasy locked within the lyrics is irresistible. Talk of bedroom walls and suns that "may never come out of the sky" may seem trite and sixth form at first but are delivered gracefully well. Things like "My mouth has spoken without asking my mind again" are simply put, but utterly relatable.
There is a distinct 'loungey' feel to a lot of the album, particularly in 'Genius and the Tramp' with its wistful storytelling and 'la-de-da' backing vocals which get more and more charming with every listen. 'Rubicon', although way too short, builds up from simple acoustic beginnings to a lushly layered gem and is one of the best things you'll hear all year. The reverb soaked shimmer of 'Lo and Behold' and 'Sinking Ships' are also highlights on a record that really shouldn't be this good. On the down-side 'Wolves at Bay' and 'Being a Rogue' are not really up to scratch, but are made up for in spades.
Not a masterpiece by any means and the niggling resemblance to others is annoying, but it is somehow all forgivable as I am sure they can buck the trend and get better instead of worse like so many others disappointingly do (you know who you are!)