| JC Milo Giant Bug |
| Toronto singer-songwriter JC Milo really likes Peter Gabriel. A lot. His vocal stylings on Giant Bug range the gamut from Lamb Lies Down on Broadway to So and points in between. In a lesser artist, this could be a fatal flaw. Thankfully, Milo has the talent and intelligence to rise above the merely derivative. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and you can't go wrong imitating the best. Standing on the shoulders of giants always makes for a better view... and Milo definitely does his antecedents justice. The first track, "In the End," starts things off on a positive note. Milo's imagery of ice ages and apocalypse recalls Gabriel's "Red Rain," complete with synthesizers and a melancholy acoustic piano. His hymn to materialism, "Absolutely Nowhere," has the same kind of beauty and dark grandeur. "What we don't know won't kill us/we don't believe in spirits anymore/leaving us absolutely nowhere," Milo croons over a sad cello line that evokes whistling outside a graveyard. It's one of the highlights of this CD. Milo's acoustic piano work stands out throughout this CD. His quiet elegaic chords on "In a Car" could have come from Tom Waits. Even the comparatively upbeat "As I Do" has an undertone of dread and longing, as he sings to a storm, asking the angry wind to "try to be polite." Perhaps the flowers will grow in the morning, but right now there's a storm on the horizon; he hopes his former lover "feels the same way as I do," but there are no assurances, and the jaunty piano lines ring hollow as old promises. Milo's songs are strong, and the creative instrumental arrangements only make them stronger. The creative cello opening of "Baby Blue Eyes" (and the superb cello work on "In a Car" and "Absolutely Nowhere") show Milo's fondness for that beautiful but sometimes unwieldy instrument. It's no small feat to incorporate a cello into a standard rock band lineup, but Milo manages to do so with flair and skill. Too many bands today rely on samples; somewhere along the way they came to the conclusion that programming skill could make up for musical talent or studio time. Thankfully, JC Milo isn't among their number. The chirping samples underpinning the twisted love song "Giant Bug" ("You could be the pusher/I will be the drug") and the electronic percussion of "World of Lies" are as catchy and well-done as the acoustic instrumental work. Milo uses modern instrumentation as skillfully as he uses the standards. This isn't Classic Goth: it lacks the Usual Cliches. It's not danceable enough to be synthpop. (I can imagine Voltaire covering "Devil's in Love," but that's just because I'm a twisted S.O.B.). But it's a Damn Fine Slice of Modern Rock. Some critics have described Milo's work as "acoustic electronica." I wouldn't go that far -- to me he's closer to Adult Contemporary with a twist of lime, Indie Rock with the snarky irony removed and a healthy dosage of intelligence added. The vocals resemble Peter Gabriel: the vision is uniquely JC Milo. Intelligent, thoughtful, well-done and highly recommended. 1) In the End Motherwest Records |