Pitchfork reviews Mikal Cronin’s “MCII”
Pitchfork
The outcome is a great sounding album that sits nicely between the poles of “fuzz war” and “cooing balladeer.” Cronin has proved with this album that, like Cobain…
The outcome is a great sounding album that sits nicely between the poles of “fuzz war” and “cooing balladeer.” Cronin has proved with this album that, like Cobain…
“…the horn-enriched “Better Man” marries a winding, delicate melody to swaths of glowing distortion, resulting in a fragile but formidable tune…”
“Strap on a pair of headphones because SPIN has collected 10 albums that are ready for streaming…”
“…The free compilation, sponsored by Dr. Pepper and titled Garage Swim, collects 15 previously unreleased songs and is set for a May 6 release date…”
“MCII offers an even split of hooks, beauty and brawn…”
“But Mikal Cronin’s second album, MCII, mixes shambling rock with a perfectionist ear with quality control, as its star applies a beachy sparkle to 37 minutes of fresh, fun rock ‘n’ roll…”
“Not that he needs any more accolades, as there are about to be a ton coming down on MCII, but the album is a pretty hefty jump from Cronin’s debut.”
“”Weight,” the excellent track that kicks off San Francisco garage-pop hellraiser Mikal Cronin’s second solo album MCII (out May 7 on Merge), is about waking up on the morning you’ve vowed to turn over a new leaf but lacking the motivation– or maybe the good night’s sleep– to actually make the change…”
“Cronin’s accustomed to whipping up a frantic sonic storm as a sideman, but his solo work is more winsomely melodic and carefully crafted. “Don’t Let Me Go” and the aptly titled “Piano Mantra” are lovely and lilting, while “I’m Done Running from You” and “Am I Wrong” burst with giddy rhythm, high harmonies, crisp guitars, and effervescing melody…”
“The San Franciscan psych rocker and longtime Ty Segall co-conspirator Mikal Cronin is getting ready to release his new solo album MCII, and today he’s shared its opening track, the breezy and uplifting “Weight.” The song has all the finely sculpted fuzz-tone we expect from the Bay Area garage-rock underground, but it’s also got a furiously sharp classic-rock hook at its center, and it’s got me seriously excited to hear the rest of the album…”
“The above clip of a new, unidentified Cronin song arrived during the lead-up to the biggest fest in the Old Wild West, at a humble little shindig called Denton 35. While it doesn’t offer the “mondo, full of frenzied energy” affair that our own David Marchese witnessed a few days later, the MCII track is a lovely little slab of upbeat downer music about getting older and being bolder…”
“Mikal Cronin — former sideman for San Francisco garage-rock icon Ty Segall — has released perhaps the year’s finest power-pop album, MCII, using these latter methods; in addition, he’s written the best power-pop song of the year, “Shout It Out,” which combines all of the above gushingly, and features the priceless line, “Shit goes on and on and on and on.””
“I lounge comfortably while Mikal Cronin unfurls divine garage pop steeped in layers of guitar and decades of songwriting genius. You can tell all these great Bay Area garage bands compete with each other to hit the hardest; this set is so wonderfully intense and maximalist…”
“Even better was a Friday night sugar rush from Mikal Cronin, whose rock anthems came dunked in color, charisma and electricity. From song to song to song, you could see the stiff-jointed audience slowly committing to the music with their bodies — and then with their giggles, namely whenever Cronin, who looks like a grunge John Cusack, flung his hair skyward…”
“Cronin was more direct, but provided an equally timeless service. Though the band’s three-part guitar attack sometimes tripped over itself – one 20-second solo giving way to another giving way to a shout-along, misfit chorus – Cronin and his band of unkempt music geeks (they covered Wreckless Eric’s “[I’d Go The] Whole Wide World”) wrote songs for the boys and girls out of their league and all the hopeless romantics who have fallen in love with a record collection…”
“You can’t get too comfortable during a Mikal Cronin song. At the Parish, the ridiculously talented Bay Area power-popper and Ty Segall compadre would launch into music that was all welcome signs — his own high, crisp rhythms, lovely plaintive melodies — then he and his backing band would snap…”
“Mikal Cronin may be better known as being bassist in Ty Segall’s band, but that may change with the release of his terrific second solo album, MCII, which will be out on Merge in May…”
NPR’s All Songs Considered calls Cronin, “…the next big thing…”
“After a stellar, self-titled 2011 debut in 2011, Cronin is preparing for the release of his Merge debut, MCII, a thoughtfully arranged slab of shimmering, high-grade California power-pop”
“After a stellar self-titled debut in 2011, the Laguna Beach native is preparing for the release of his Merge debut, MCII, a thoughtfully arranged slab of shimmering, high-grade Californian power-pop that already sounds like one of the year’s finest outings.”
Mikal Cronin, coming to a city near you!
“At a time of year when many of us would trade our mothers for a temperature above freezing, Mikal Cronin’s “Shout It Out” is an instant blast of summer, like drinking an ice cold beer at a bonfire or tossing a frisbee around in the sunlight…”
“‘Shout It Out,’ from Cronin’s May 7 album MCII — his second overall and first for Merge Records — is melodic, jangling, hand-clapping, #90-hashtagging indie rock; sure, there’s plenty of distortion, piss, and vinegar, but you don’t ever worry that Black Sabbath are about to bite off some poor critter’s head here.”
Mikal Cronin will release MCII, his Merge debut, on May 7 in the US and May 13 in UK/Europe. Recorded in late 2012 by Eric Bauer at Bauer Mansion in San Francisco, MCII includes guest appearances by K. Dylan Edrich, Charles Moothart, Ty Segall, and Petey Dammit.
“Since the first record came out, my life has changed quite a bit,” Cronin explains in a press release, referencing his move to San Francisco and his work alongside Segall. “I was presented with a whole new slew of problems and situations that I was trying to work through.”
“I think I’m getting better at translating what I hear in my head to tape,” Mikal Cronin says. “I’m really excited about that. This record comes from the same place as what I’ve done before, but it’s bigger, more filled-out.”
“…unlike their distant cousins hardcore and ‘70s punk, Cronin and Segall’s refurbished garage jams are neither brooding nor predatory. Stunningly raw — fresh, even — Reverse Shark Attack prowls at the unsuspecting ear instead of tearing at flesh…”
Merge Records is thrilled to announce the addition of Mikal Cronin to the Merge roster!
Cronin has released this official statement concerning his recent signing with Merge, “YYYYYEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!’”
LA Weekly interviews Mikal Cronin.
Mikal Cronin: Making Sense Of It All