Millicent Friendly's music is born of an intricate relationship between powerful songwriting, deeply affecting lyrics, and the skillful, innovative interplay of heavy and melodic musicianship. The band members, brought together as friends and collaborators over the years by their common interests in music, have emerged, newly formed, onto the Dallas music scene. As songwriters, their years of musical journeymanship have resulted in new songs that are steeped in precision and craft. Rich both in chord structure and melody, these songs hinge on everything from retro pop stylings to heavier rock, and often approach musical organization in manners and modes that have been all but forgotten in recent years. Millicent Friendly's songs burn with passionate innovations, with graceful stylistic overtones, and with a lyrical unwillingness to turn away from even the darkest concerns of the human heart.
Pick of the Week - Millicent Friendly's Downtime (www.texasgigs.com)
At some point in time someone said to me that progressive rock, post rock and all that jazz was the only music worth listening to because those guys were breaking new ground and expanding the horizons of music as we know it.
This statement is what we on the East Coast like to call horse s***.
Millicent Friendly comes to you without the fluff, without the groundbreaking technological feats and mind bending guitar virtuosity, minus the revolutionary sonic explosion one might (for some reason) expect from my pick of the week. Millicent Friendly will not change rock n rollguess what? I dont care and neither should you.
Nowhere is it written that good music has to change the world and nowhere is there a finer example than these boys right here. Absolutely solid, amazing, toe tapping pop/rock goodness that demands to break out of the Dallas scene and be heard on radio stations nation wide, not just mine.
Poison Ivy is a perfect example of how a wah-wah pedal can sound freaking awesome. As an owner of a Cry Baby, I am a big fan of that sound, and Ive got to say it is really sweet in this song. Everything about this song is such an awesome rock song; its got everything from distorted guitar solos and that kick-snare-crash combo that made the 1990s such a sweet time for rhythm sections.
Bete Noire and Before I Go are perfect representations of Millicent Friendlys greatest strength; awesome lyrical word play. Its the thorn in my side Ill confide/When the bane of my life wont abide/ foolish lips dont know when to quit/ and when they do youre all left by yourself ,ok, maybe not the greatest lyric ever written, but it always strikes me as a really solid line, added to the wukka wukka noise on the guitar you cant beat this stuff people. Meanwhile have you ever tried to rhyme a word with war? What are your choices? Door, core, more, pour.troubadour? Ill think well take that last one thank you.
In addition to that, half way through the album you get treated to a song dedicated to the evil that is the blue screen of death thats an incredible pop culture reference and really shows off the wit (or geekyness?) of the band who, as I said before, does some fine word play throughout the album.
When rock n roll was founded it was created for the purpose of entertainment, namely dancing and sex. Millicent Friendly brings the fun back into rock with maybe a little less of the sex (though Chris Machart is pretty hot). This band is good, its pretty simple really, and if you enjoy distortion, good drum beats/bass lines and sing-along lyrics you should check them out and go get Downtime, a CD I think was designed almost entirely for the purpose of picking it out and jamming while cruising the strip.
Review from Bruce Brodeen (www.notlame.com)
Years from now, music fans will be talking about the importance of a little San Francisco band from the early 90s and their continual influence on musicians who have a commitment to updated Beatles melodies and spark-spewing vocal harmonies. That band? Jellyfish, but of course. Millicent Friendly, like other present-day pop bands like Checkpoint Charley, Tiny Volcano and Fred, embrace their inner-Jfish and create their own style in the process. Millicent Friendlys lead singer Chris Machart has a voice very much like Chuck Jenkins from Ice Cream Hands, a band Machart mentioned to me as one of his favorites. Well, its a unusual one for an U.S. Based band to have , but boy is it a great one for talented pop band to embrace. Other bands and DNA-laced refrains embedded in each massively hook-heavy track include Imperial Drag, The Grays, Del Amitri and T. Rex. "Downtime" is over-stocked with smart, classic pop arrangements, head swaying vocals sweetly sung for luring (we suspect) young ladies to meet them.
Review from www.whitsbrain.com
Dallas, Texas pop-rockers MILLICENT FRIENDLY produce big hooks and bigger goose bumps on "Downtime". Super melodic songs with shiny vocals are the order of fare available to anyone who happens upon this extremely smart, extremely addicting release. Think Sugarbomb, Jellyfish, The Tories, Evelyn Forever, Star Collector, etc. We're not sure how Power Pop gets much better than this.
