Review Summary: Millencolin continue to show me why they are one of my favourite bands.
Regurgitator wrote one of the most ironic songs ever with their album-opener “I Like Your Old Stuff Better Than Your New Stuff” from 1997’s
Unit. It’s a sentiment that we all know well. It’s ‘cooler’ to like the old stuff. No one wants to be seen to be jumping on the bandwagon. It really,
really sh
its me when I hear Punk Rawkers ignorantly snorting off the fact that “
Pennybridge is Millencolin’s best album”. Yeah, it was a great album, but probably no better than
Kingwood. And certainly not better than
Machine 15.
I avoid calling Millencolin “Punk” anymore. Technically, they probably are, but the Rock influence on their music since 2000 has been significant enough to merit a partial change in genre. But it’s not only their genre that’s changed since the turn of the century: their attitude, maturity and influences have all genuinely evolved – for the better. While I love all Millencolin, the regard with which
Same Old Tunes is held is quite honestly ridiculous. A great début album, no doubt, but it doesn’t hold a candle to any of their last four albums. I guess it gets back to the sentimental sides of us. Punk Rockers must find it hard to embrace change. Millencolin didn’t find it so challenging, and the result is more of their brilliant mix of Punk and Rock. (Which is not Punk Rock.)
Brand New Game embodies the band’s maturity and development. The album is named in honour of the band’s 15-year anniversary, and
Brand New Game has packed a 15-year retrospective in to three-and-a-half minutes. This one should bring a smile to the face of every Millencolin fan. It doesn’t hurt that it’s one of the strongest songs from the album, either.
The similarities to 2005’s
Kingwood are apparent – what with an overall similar sound, similar and sporadic use of acoustic guitar and mellow bridges, and exploring generally similar themes – and there are direct comparisons between songs.
Turnkey Paradise and
Danger for Stranger could be considered chapters two and three of the
Cash Or Clash series, and worthy sequels they are. Discussing metropolitan housing issues as a catalyst for greater concerns, and questioning the established social hierarchy in Western society, Nikola’s constant lyrical development is commandingly obvious. Sandwiched between these two tracks is the unapologetic, brutally honest
Route One. Nikola lays bare his personal issues yet again, to the backing of forceful guitars, while the overlayed backing-vocals and lead guitar - introduced later in the song - build imposingly to the semi-aggressive verses and impressively catchy chorus.
Continuing with the expansion of
Kingwood,
Saved By The Bell is a blood-relative of
Stalemate. Recounting troubles with his significant other, Nikola’s melancholy tone and the coy guitars create an ominous scene of discontent, giving the second-half of the album a decidedly more sombre tone than its predecessor. Although a decidedly more solemn affair than the first half-an-hour, the closing third is only slightly less engaging, highlighting the consistency of the album, as opposed to previous top-heavy efforts like
For Monkeys and
Life On A Plate. So obviously there are loads of goodies in the first few tracks then.
Machine 15 kicks-off the album with a blaze of sharp snare drums and palm-muted guitars, underlying Nikola’s typically alluring vocals. The bridge is particularly class, where the reputed Millencolin backing-vocals intertwine with the lead to build towards the closing choruses. Great album-opener. Well, great album.
The energy of the first two-and-a-half minutes doesn’t fade out, with the promise of
Done Is Done keeping the dream alive. The Swedish Chamber Orchestra is probably most prominent on this track, with the overlayed strings working well during the choruses, but most strikingly effective in the main ‘riff’, where the strings direct the momentum. While I’ve heard the use of the Orchestra as gimmicky, I think it shows a maturity to the thinking of the band, and certainly a level of maturity and depth to the sound. It’s probably a little unfortunate that
Done Is Done goes for 30 seconds too long. (The break-down could surely have been worked more tightly.) And so we come to probably the strongest section of the album, with the bouncy, infectious Pop-Punk of
Detox priming the ears for the more serious tones of
Vicious Circle and the introspective anthem
Broken World.
Vicious Circle is certainly one of the best songs on the album, with the acoustic introductory verse a particular highlight, but the choruses don’t deliver on the promise of the verses. Still, the verses are quite brilliant. And then there’s the superb
Who’s Laughing Now. The start of the second half (and it
is that defined thanks to the intermission,
Centrepiece) is as full-on as Millencolin get, and the stunted verses interplay with the bustling choruses magnificently. Really, this track is awesome.
So that’s about it. If you liked
Kingwood, you’ll like this. If you like fast Rock with Punk influences, or slow Punk with Rock influences, you’ll like this.
Machine 15 certainly doesn’t disappoint. Well maybe those fans who want another
Pennybridge Pioneers. But who cares about them. Millencolin continue to develop their sound and they’ve shown that the Machine isn’t even getting close to stopping. If the Machine keeps working this well, here’s hoping we get a
Machine 30.
The best songs:
Machine 15
Vicious Circle
Brand New Game
Who’s Laughing Now.
