After spending the better part of a year as a member of
indie stalwart Ty Seagall’s touring group, one man band Mikal Cronin follows up
2011’s hazily psychedelic self-titled debut.
Although MCII sees him cleaning up his sound significantly, that
doesn’t mean that Cronin has forgotten the power aspect of the “power pop”
equation. Just in time for summer, MCII
is a bright, focused, full bore rock record that highlights Cronin’s unique
ways with melodies and instrumentation.
Because Cronin has taken on the role of auteur, playing all
the instruments himself (aside from the strings, whose parts he still composed
himself) and overseeing the production down to the most minute detail, MCII
is a remarkably consistent listen. Every
song here has a strong hook and small, but noticeable, touches that distinguish
it from stereotypical “power pop” records.
In addition, most likely thanks to Seagall’s influence, Cronin hasn’t
forgot to add significant amounts of fuzz to both the guitars and drums,
providing a welcome garage rock edge to everything here. Elsewhere, strings, bouncy piano, slide
guitar, and more appear, only enhancing the summery feel.
Despite the upbeat nature of most of the music, Cronin takes
a more desperate tack lyrically throughout MCII, detailing a guy who’s
growing up, looking for direction, taking on more responsibility; MCII
is essentially a treatise on maturity.
Opening the record with a tune titled “Weight” helps solidify that
theme, offsetting the sprightly bounce of the tune itself. This paradoxical style continues on “Shout It
Out”, Cronin declaring “time is running low, and I’m getting closer to the
door,” as jangly guitars and harmonies
cascade around his sweet lead vocals, culminating in a chorus declaration of “shit
goes on and on and on.”
“Am I Wrong” and “See It My Way” continue the high quality,
the former sounding like an outtake from The Rolling Stones’ Between The
Buttons, thanks to some off-kilter piano playing and fuzzy guitar soloing,
while the latter is a glammed up acoustic strut that explodes into a
Weezer-esque chorus of wailing guitars and earnest vocals. “Change” is one of the standouts on the
album’s latter-half, a hard charging punk tune that still retains Cronin’s
tunefulness, these qualities carrying over to follow up track “I’m Done Running
From You.” But the album’s most
affecting highlight comes in its most low-key moment, the acoustic
plaintiveness of “Don’t Let Me Go,” whose title again reinforces the insecurity
and doubt present in Cronin’s work.
The balancing of light and dark is key to the success of MCII. However, there doesn’t need to be any greater
understanding of the song’s themes to make the record enjoyable; it’s surface
elements are immediately appealing, which makes repeated listens rewarding as
the record reveals its darker layers over time.
MCII is a great achievement in a young career that only continues
to grow in promise. And it’s a hell of a fun listen, to boot.
Grade: A-
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