Mikal Cronin - MCII
by Daniel Cressey
published: 14 / 5 / 2013

Label:
Merge Records
Format: CD
intro
Essential combination of Beach Boys-style and gritty Nirvana-style distortion on second album from Californian singer-songwriter and guitarist, Mikal Cronin
Mikal Cronin is getting a reputation for producing gloriously crafted American pop with a sometimes surprisingly gritty rock edge. Channelling the Beach Boys through a presumably Nirvana-laced childhood, he blends slow acoustic movements into furious guitar solos, all salted with a dash of sunny rock. It will surprise no one who hears this album to learn the man behind it hails from California. Pushing into his late 20s, Cronin can still just pull of the youth ennui vibe. On opening track 'Weight' he successfully marries his downcast outlook to a soaring, melodic chorus. On 'Shout It Out' he goes one better, plaintively asking “Do I shout it out/Do I let it go/Do I need to know/What I'm waiting for”, complaining that “shit goes on and on” and still getting away with it due to an unexpectedly welcome 'woo, woo, woo' harmony. Later he pleads, “Say you want me, say it loud” on 'Peace of Mind' – volume being stated in lyrics as well as produced instrumentally on 'MCII' – before going on to ask'“Can I help you?/Can I try?” in a way that implies he doesn't really think so. Even when he finally lets rip on 'Change', he still keeps a note of doubt and an ever so hesitant soft section between blazing through a percussive, guitar laced refrain of “Good God, just a little bit”. Toward the end of this short, 10-track release Cronin slows things down, letting his voice, a piano and just a touch of strings do the heavy lifting, but losing none of the intensity of what came before. Sunny even when it is miserable, uncertain even when it is strident, and easy on the ears even at its loudest, 'MCII' cements Mikal Cronin as one of the best things to have come out of America in recent years. This is as close to essential as records get.
Track Listing:-
1 Weigh2 Shout It Out
3 Am I Wrong
4 See It My Way
5 Peace of Mind
6 Change
7 I m Done Running from You
8 Don t Let Me Go
9 Turn Away
10 Piano Mantra
Band Links:-
https://www.facebook.com/Music.MikalCronin/http://mikalcronin.com/
https://twitter.com/mikalcronin
https://www.instagram.com/mikalcronin/
https://www.youtube.com/user/mikalpcronin
Label Links:-
http://www.mergerecords.com/https://www.facebook.com/Merge-Records-88476979019/timeline/
https://twitter.com/mergerecords
https://www.youtube.com/user/mergerecords
soundcloud
most viewed articles
current edition
Peter Doherty - Blackheath Halls, Blackheath and Palace Halls, Watford, 18/3/2025 and 21/3/2025Armory Show - Interview with Richard Jobson
Liz Mitchell - Interview
Lauren Mayberry - Photoscapes
Deb Googe and Cara Tivey - Interview
Max Bianco and the BlueHearts - Troubadour, London, 29/3/2025
Sukie Smith - Interview
Maarten Schiethart - Vinyl Stories
Clive Langer - Interview
Kim Wilde - Photoscapes
most viewed reviews
current edition
Davey Woodward - Mumbo in the JumboNigel Stonier - Wolf Notes
Wings - Venus and Mars
Only Child - Holy Ghosts
Kate Daisy Grant and Nick Pynn - Songs For The Trees
Neil Campbell - The Turnaround
Philip Jeays - Victoria
Darkness - Dreams On Toast
Suzanne Vega - Flying With Angels
Charles Ellsworth - Cosmic Cannon Fodder
Pennyblackmusic Regular Contributors
Adrian Janes
Amanda J. Window
Andrew Twambley
Anthony Dhanendran
Benjamin Howarth
Cila Warncke
Daniel Cressey
Darren Aston
Dastardly
Dave Goodwin
Denzil Watson
Dominic B. Simpson
Eoghan Lyng
Fiona Hutchings
Harry Sherriff
Helen Tipping
Jamie Rowland
John Clarkson
Julie Cruickshank
Kimberly Bright
Lisa Torem
Maarten Schiethart