Mikal Cronin walks onto the stage this past Saturday night for the third time this week, settling into the right corner; a spot he’s apparently comfortable in, given that it’s his usual post when playing in Ty Segall’s band.
Today, we profile San Francisco based Mikal Cronin, who has been getting widespread recognition for his skillfully crafted, smart, catchy power pop.
Yet with the 2013 release of his second album, “MCII,” Cronin finally may be escaping the shadows of his peers. The lauded release, which graced Rolling Stone’s year-end best-of list and a litany of indie-rock blogs…
Spin Managing Editor Nicole Sia placed MCII on her list of top albums of 2013 and called Cronin “the best pop star in the biz today.” That’s a huge title for the 27-year-old to live up to, and so far, he seems up to the challenge.
In a May cover story, we declared Mikal Cronin the best rock songwriter in San Francisco, based on the strength of his first album for the titan indie label Merge. Now that it’s December, we have no regrets.
Mikal Cronin makes the creation of strummy, jangly, shout-along songs seem as easy and natural as opening a window and letting the breeze whip past your steering wheel.
MCII finds Cronin as a twenty-something in existential crisis, confronting the transition — and associated questions and adjustments — from youth to adulthood.
Despite being generally averse to the spotlight, Cronin stole the show with his irreverent flair for dramatics. A bare minimum of his time was spent crooning to the mic, whimpering soft verses or bellowing jubilant choruses.
This swirling mix of emotions is also the best way to describe Mikal Cronin’s own mad dash from the world of psychedelic garage rock toward a lush garden of power pop beauty and sublime contemplation.
During his performance, though, Cronin kept things raw and fuzzy as he crammed 13 songs into 50 minutes with near-Ramonesque efficiency.
Thanks to everyone who attended Saturday’s The Bay Brewed 2013. The third annual installment of our rock and roll beer festival brought together hundreds of beer and music fans for a chance to sample…
On Thursday night (12/12), Mikal Cronin came through Chicago for a show at the Logan Square Auditorium with support from Yawn and Basic Cable. Cronin and co. performed tunes from his self-titled LP and MCII…
…I heard Ty Segall band member Mikal Cronin’s debut solo album, I loved it. The second time, I still loved it. The hundredth time, I couldn’t even hear it. I took a little break. But now that he’s back with a whole new album…
Simply put, MCII is as close as anybody got to pop perfection in 2013. Its mix of fuzzed-out guitars, Beach Boy-esque harmonies and Phil Spector-like production is hard to resist…
Prior to this year Cronin was best known for being a Bay Area garage rock crony to the likes of Ty Segall, who may have been the only person to see the sun-breaking-through-the-clouds brilliance of this year’s MCII coming.
Redd Kross and Mikal Cronin performed at The El Rey Theatre on Tuesday night. Cherry Glazerr opened the show.
..it may come as a surprise that Californian garage-punk lifer and Ty Segall pal Mikal Cronin is also in possession of a bachelor’s degree in music. On his Merge debut, the confessional Cronin puts both his formal and informal education…
Mikal Cronin is the next generation of alt-rocker. He was born in 1985 but his music channels early Redd Kross with salivating, no holds barred freakouts that switch between noise and pop.
“It’s good to start with a bang, and then lead them somewhere weird,” says Mikal Cronin, summing up the philosophy behind his second solo LP and first for Merge Records, MCII.
…the label currently home to Japandroids, Of Montreal, Xiu Xiu, Deerhoof, Saturday Looks Good to Me, the Dodos, and more, has announced a 2014 7″ singles series. Participating artists are Cloud Nothings, Mikal Cronin…
,,,The Bay Brewed will be headlined by none other than local breakout star Mikal Cronin, and the full lineup includes Shannon and the Clams and…
…The Bay Brewed, returns to Public Works for a third year of great music and beer. We’re now pleased to announce the festival’s lineup six amazing local rock bands, led by Mikal Cronin and Shannon and the Clams.
US garage-pop rocker Mikal Cronin has shared the dates for this debut Australian tour next month.
Mikal Cronin has shared a video for his MCII highlight “Peace of Mind”. It was directed by Lara Gallagher and stars Mary Timony of Wild Flag and Helium as a hotel maid who doesn’t seem to be having a good day on the job.
Cronin juxtaposes his upbeat “Peace of Mind” with this simple, not-exactly-upbeat plot to create a touching clip. Wild Flag member Mary Timony, an indie-rock…
The Bay Area’s most heavily reformed skuzz kid, Mikal Cronin, is still riding the wave of this year’s languid MCII. Today, the crest of that wave has resulted in a…
Mikal Cronin has shared a video for his MCII highlight “Peace of Mind”. It was directed by Lara Gallagher and stars Mary Timony of Wild Flag and Helium as a…
Mikal Cronin’s had a pretty good year, at least from what I can tell, having released the great MCII on Merge in the spring and touring extensively for it. He’s going to end 2013 with a quick victory lap of shows…
Cronin wailed as his stellar backing band ripped off garage jams. His poppier tunes, like “Weight” and “Shout It Out,” became full-fledged rockers…
A shaggy-headed Mikal Cronin delivered catchy, acid-drenched rock to the gathered masses Saturday afternoon.
