Milburn - Well Well Well Album Review

Milburn
Well Well Well
Album Review

You can view this debut album from the Joe Carnall fronted four piece in one of two ways. You could either listen to the first two tracks, 'Well Well Well' and 'Showroom' then come to the conclusion that the driving mod riffs and high pitched dialogue vocal swagger, renders Milburn copycat crime committers under the Arctic Monkeys Act 2006. However, you could also take note of the bigger instrumental sound and the personal nature of the Joe Carnall penned lyrics, sticking out in the thrusting chorus of the latter track and see something more;

"The book that you're reading is upside down,
The book that you're reading is upside down."

The Kooks skirting 'Send In The Boys' is the anthem that has no doubt helped Milburn's profile build up, long before this release that has been put back a few weeks to coincide with their UK tour. This number captures the potency of their live sound best of all and it helps you see why they sold out venues in their own right early on, despite being on the bill as the support act for The Rifles. The conjoined chant of the chorus is a step back into new wave territory, hinting early on that is a tad dangerous to typecast this passionate and swaggering outfit. The thundering percussion drilled potency of Joe Green, displayed in 'Cheshire Cat Smile', blends in some winding retro rock guitars akin to The Rolling Stones.

Variety reaches its peak in the ska littered 'Storm In A Teacup' that uses the same format of singing about stuff that happens to you, but approaches it in a refreshing musical way. 'Last Bus Home' is doused with heartfelt longing and displays Joe Carnall at his most vocally yearning. Whilst, on the whole, the lyrics are consistently bemused and a little downtrodden, the pace and range of the music produces different moods to give varying perspectives on universal and life-tackling subjects. There is enough here to separate Milburn from other acts around, as the tension releasing and anxiety airing nature of these Sheffield musos is not something that can be achieved by mere copying alone.

Rating; 7/10

David Adair

Catch Milburn on tour;
Oct 12 2006 Central Station Wrexham
Oct 13 2006 QMU Glasgow
Oct 14 2006 Brixton Academy London
Oct 16 2006 Cockpit Leeds
Oct 17 2006 53 Degrees Preston
Oct 18 2006 Waterfront Norwich
Oct 19 2006 Old Fire Station Bournemouth
Oct 21 2006 Thekla Bristol
Oct 22 2006 Fez Reading
Oct 23 2006 Wedgewood Rooms Portsmouth
Oct 25 2006 Guildhall Gloucester
Oct 26 2006 Octagon Sheffield
Oct 27 2006 Academy 2 Manchester
Oct 28 2006 Temple Bar Music Centre Dublin
Oct 29 2006 Belfast University Belfast
Oct 31 2006 Newcastle University Newcastle
Nov 1 2006 Sugarmill Stoke
Jan 8 2007 Club Quattro Osaka
Jan 9 2007 Nagoya Nagoya
Jan 11 2007 Liquid Rooms Tokyo


Label: Mercury Records
Release Date: 09/10/06