Like being accosted by Jimmy Sommerville...
“Thanks for coming! What day is it? Monday? What’s that all about?” puzzles percussionist/guitarist Eric Schwortz. It could only be a mid-winter Monday judging by the curious turnout for a gig by an indie band with recent good press and a record to push. If anywhere can generate a crowd on the most hated day of the week it has to be the Old Blue Last, the Hoxton HQ for hipster happenings.
Milagres, who have a new album out on US underground legends Kill Rock Stars, have drawn comparisons to Coldplay, yet strangely enough their opener, ‘Here to Stay’, might easily be an experiment involving Bloc Party and a box of valium.
All the same, it’s difficult to escape from the Coldplay references when listening to this New York five-piece. Songs such as ‘Gone’ and ‘Gentle Beast’ are played with a polished symphonic sound that belies their immediate surroundings – and given that the venue is a pub, their reach and ambition is very clear.
The sound is sweet as Schwortz, drummer Steven Levanthal and bassist Fraser McCulloch meld awkward rhythms and intricate textures with the (at times) falsetto vocals of Kyle Wilson. Aurally, it’s sort of like being accosted in a dark alley by a statuesque Jimmy Somerville with a philosophy book while Chris Martin tells everyone to calm down nearby.
The underlying problem with Milagres isn’t who they sound like but more about their actual songs. The set is accomplished and it’s pleasant, but there seems to be a lack of real warmth or pop to their repertoire and nothing that gives the uninitiated anything tangible to hold onto. Neither do the band seem interested in showing much stage presence, which doesn’t help.
“This is not one of ours,” says Kyle Wilson flatly, as they break into Tom Petty’s ‘Don’t Come Around Here No More’, the penultimate song of their set. While not considered a pop classic by any means, it offers a patient crowd something to grasp at and gives the set a well-needed focal point. The collection is polished and the sound dynamic but for the group to utilise it and fill the arenas, Milagres need to graft way more pop onto their music.
“I’m glad we didn’t have to go to work today,” Schwortz continues. “ We drove down from Glasgow though. Does that count as work?” On the basis of the songs played tonight, the hard work for Milagres might have only just begun.
Milagres' debut album 'Glowing Mouth' is out now.
http://milagresmusic.com/
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