Album Review: Mikal Cronin - MC II
- Written by Kenneth McMurtrie
Following a label move to Merge Mikal Cronin, who's had a quiet couple of years after a very productive time in the previous decade, is back with his second solo album MC II.
Don't expect any great change in the Cronin blueprint though - this is 21st Century garage rock so it basically sounds like the same stuff from the century before & who's going to complain about that? There is exuberant fun being had herein.
'Weight' kicks things off with a cheery piano-backed initial 50 seconds before the guitar blasts in in joyfully distorted fashion. Over the top Cronin croons ever so sweetly and you know for a fact this'll be a winner of an album. 'Shout It Out' continues in the same vein and we've all experienced the same frustration that's expressed in the line "Shit goes on and on and on" & bounced back, having howled at the moon about it (maybe not literally for you quieter types).
'See It My Way' contains the sort of drumming that will have you flailing your arms about in the belief you're Keith Moon along with a couple of killer guitar solos which are more than enough to have you sharing Cronin's vision of whatever it is we're looking at. Guitar parts do not though come any better than the uber-fuzzed explosion that emanates from 'Change', the sort of song you hope will be twice as long when witnessed live before it reaches its 'Devil Went Down To Georgia'-like apogee.
The latter part of the album occupies more mature and considered ground, at least in terms of the distortion being turned off and the resonance of Cronin's heartily strummed acoustic alone providing a sonic underlining to his vocals on 'Don't Let Me Go'. This is no maudlin ballad though and as if to prove that his natural disposition is to smile rather than frown last-but-one track 'Turn Away' pulls out all the stops for a five minute blast of gung-ho, before things go a bit Ben Folds on final song 'Piano Mantra' which is, er, a maudlin ballad. Kind of. Whatever, you'll still have smile on your face at the end of it.
MC II is out on May 6 and available from amazon