Pick of the Week – Millicent Friendly

by Andrew Johnstone

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’ roll–guess what? I don’t 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 I’ve got to say it is really sweet in this song. Everything about this song is such an awesome rock song; it’s 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 Friendly’s greatest strength; awesome lyrical word play. “It’s the thorn in my side I’ll confide/When the bane of my life won’t abide/ foolish lips don’t know when to quit/ and when they do you’re 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 can’t beat this stuff people. Meanwhile have you ever tried to rhyme a word with war? What are your choices? Door, core, more, pour–.troubadour? I’ll think we’ll 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” that’s 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, it’s 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.

Listen to more of J-Stone's picks on The Lonestar State, www.WMUCradio.com, Wednesdays from 6-8 PM EST.