Milburn - Well, Well, Well (Mercury)
3/5
By: Kevin Molloy
Accomplished. A word we use to describe the ambiguous albums that seem to sit quite happily on our shelves, and that we'll willingly lend our ears to for a re-listen, or bring out for the right occasion. Yet nonetheless, accomplished doesn't mean brilliance; in fact it means that in all probability the album will sink fairly rapidly from the public and critical eye and consciousness. Not to the muzac mire, perhaps, but far from the reaches of anyone's top-album list, save for a few hardcore fans and groupies.
Perhaps we're being unduly harsh, but it's as well to lay one's cards on the table before proceeding. This is the third 'proper listening' we've given this album, and that promising glimmer we perceived in the first listen, and that we ardently pursued, revealed itself to be a warm glow, and no spark or fire. So, disappointment aside, there is indeed a glow there is to this Yorkshire quartet. It emanates throughout, and its root source is a job-well-done. Accomplishment, you might say. The songs are well crafted, and played with precision, but not so analytically that you lose the fuzz. The whole thing is melody-infused too, Carnall's vocals carrying the tune right up to the brink of hoarseness he often approaches, but rarely uses. It's such a shame he so scared of screaming. And that the band is so scared of making a mistake. Every track has the silent sound of the click track to it, and Carnall's voice is kept from its limits by an exclusion zone too large to reach the feelings behind the words, if they are indeed there. It's just too safe.
Which is truly saddening, because the glow could be concealing the potential fire, we'd love to believe these aren't the embers. 'Cheshire Cat Smile' and 'Lipstick Licking' both demonstrate that Milburn have the balls to carry off this whole rock-band thing, whilst 'Showroom' and 'Storm in a Teacup' have a pop panache. There aren't any weak tracks to pick on, but it's only when you listen to 'What About Next Time' that you realise what's been missing. The track makes use of three different melodies in two vocals and the guitar part, each blending in and bouncing off each other. It's about as poppy as Milburn get, but it's also by far the best track on the album.
With a few notable exceptions this album makes one despair in its mediocrity in approach, and the exceptions only shine through because of some seriously catchy melodic work, they still suffer from the same disease. What Milburn could really do with is a garage, and only 2 days to record this album. Sadly, they leave us asking the question 'what about next time?'. We do earnestly hope that there is one, but that they act a bit more like a group of lads from Sheffield and less like a set of accent-donning young professionals next time around...
Artists in this article: Milburn
Your Feedback
Login to post your comment