Mikal Cronin has said that he wanted his third album "to sound heavy, but heavy in more of a pop way," and it does; it's a beautifully arranged pop record, complete with string-and-voice compositions ("Different"), horns ("Alone") and a solo on a Greek stringed instrument called a tzouras ("Gold"). But to talk only of these things on MCIII is like talking only about the decorative icing frills and plastic couple on a three-story wedding cake. It's the construction here, the way Cronin has put it all together, that makes it special; it's the songs.
Cronin has always known his way around a melody, but on MCIII, he's refined it to a needle's point and woven that skill throughout a collection of immaculately written songs. Opener "Turn Around" swoops beautifully into its longing pre-chorus, "Feel Like" hops around innovative chord structures with ease and "I've Been Loved" beguiles with a melody that feels simple despite its dynamism and relative complexity. This is all amplified on the record's second side, a miniature concept LP that tells the tale of Cronin's musical turning point a decade ago, in which the lyrics, moods and music all complement the narrative.
It's a feat of musical arrangement and of lyricism, sure, but in essence, it's the songwriting on MCIII that really makes it such an achievement.
(Merge Records)Cronin has always known his way around a melody, but on MCIII, he's refined it to a needle's point and woven that skill throughout a collection of immaculately written songs. Opener "Turn Around" swoops beautifully into its longing pre-chorus, "Feel Like" hops around innovative chord structures with ease and "I've Been Loved" beguiles with a melody that feels simple despite its dynamism and relative complexity. This is all amplified on the record's second side, a miniature concept LP that tells the tale of Cronin's musical turning point a decade ago, in which the lyrics, moods and music all complement the narrative.
It's a feat of musical arrangement and of lyricism, sure, but in essence, it's the songwriting on MCIII that really makes it such an achievement.
