#EDAS Album Review: Mikal Cronin, MCII

by Justin (@justasstrazdin)

Label: Merge – May 7, 2013

Artist-Fair Shopping: Merge Site

Style: Lesson in Summer Rock, Throwback Soda,
Rock N' Roll High School Reboot 

Audience: Your 90's Friends,
Your 10's Friends,
Kids Driving Nowhere All Night Gas Prices Be Damned

Better Tracks: Weight, Shout It Out, Peace of Mind

It does not happen all the time, but I sometimes pine for a record that sounds all 90's, loves the 70's, but could also pass for a throwback to garage pop from 2001. This loosely ties to my fantasy of an alternate universe where it is bizarro 1978 forever, I'm tearing it up in high school (I wasn't born yet), everyone has tube socks or kickass jeans, power pop is the only genre, and Big Star is the highest power. Yet some may question how sustainable or relevant a garage pop record is in 2013, when buzz blog forces continue to assault all forms of guitar's sanctity.

Don't despair, Mikal Cronin will fight for your right to tastefully rock. He knows that you can't have an ethereal avant-synthpop pool party this summer—you need to trick your friends who still heavily rotate Stone Temple Pilots CD-R mixes into finding common ground beyond Wavves with music made after 1998. It is noble of Cronin to craft an album that moves bodies, with a pile of nods to the 70's and 90's, and a solid economy to all of the mixes. I'm often wary of a love at first listen release, but this album plays its parts well. Cronin covered any garage pop deficiencies you may have this summer while you cruise a coastal highway, shoot Instagram selfies on an empty stomach, or order a large ice cream cone with three toppings.

Verdict: Like Eating Pizza in a Pool and You're So Making Out Later Tonight