There are people who accuse The Milk Carton Kids that each album sounds like an extension of the previous one. “I Only See The Moon” proves otherwise. Sure, it’s still a duo from California. That’s still Kenneth Pattengale and Joey Ryan walking in the ear canal with two guitars and voices whose harmonies sound like Siamese sound twins. It’s still a mix of folk, country and Americana that’s rarely dry, and they’re still songs that hover in the Simon & Garfunkel orbit, somewhere between Avett Brothers and Kings Of
Take a seat for convenience.
The Milk Carton Kids remain a fixed star in folk heaven
It’s like this with friends: sometimes you need those who are tried and tested. And sometimes you want to have the adventurous around you. On this album, The Milk Carton Kids succeed for the first time in being both: intimate and relaxed, shy and virtuoso, surprising and well-tried. After the duo returned to their minimalist basics on their latest record, The Only Ones, I Only See The Moon again approaches the temperature of 2018’s All The Things That I Did And All The Things That I Didn’ t Thu”.
The Grammy-nominated album was produced much more expansively at the time, testing strings, keys and horns. Strings also appear on “I Only See The Moon”, but what is particularly new is the interweaving of banjo sounds (“When You’re Gone”, “One True Love”). The title song is particularly impressive: film music, heavy, carrying and different from what we are used to from The Milk Carton Kids. Also strong: the tongue-twister number “Body & Soul”, the melancholic and brittle “Wheels And Levers” and the six-minute “North Country Ride”, which convinces with blues lines, melancholy and choir. This album teeters like a lamp through heartbreaking nights, when you realize what’s missing and what you want to remember. All ten songs, whether celebratory or filigree, have their own magic. The Milk Carton Kids remain a fixed star in folk heaven.
SIMILAR REVIEWS
Graham Nash :: “Now”
This unbroken belief in the better
Paul Simon :: “Seven Psalms”
Half Hour Suite: An Agnostic’s Soul Journey
The Lemonheads :: “Come On Feel The Lemonheads”
Evan Dando’s wasted near-masterpiece
SIMILAR ARTICLES
Pete Seeger: The Heart of the American Folk Tradition
Folk singer, activist and song collector Pete Seeger has had a decisive impact on American music history.
“Ennio Morricone – The Maestro”: A cinematic tribute to the composer
The documentary pays tribute to the life and work of the Italian composer, who wrote over 500 film scores.
Bob Dylan: Coming out as a rap fan
The 81-year-old musician talks about artists he likes to listen to. Among other things, he names Eminem, the group Wu-Tang Clan, but also Brenda Lee and Janis Martin.