Quick Hitters:: Milks & Rectangles Civic Virtues

Enough with the PEI love fest! I know you might be wondering when our torrid affair with the smallest province might end, but dammit, this relationship has been going on for years. Plus, PEI makes us feel special and always calls us back.

All jokes aside, the PEI scene has been going strong for years and Milks & Rectangles take on across-the-pond boomers is quite enjoyable and polished for a debut effort. Civic Virtues is a concise six-song EP (no song breaks the 3:45 mark) and on first listen, you get hit with the Franz Ferdinand like stomp of tracks like Heart's the Target and Armchair General. Of course, those tracks are instantaneous, but the quartet is far from a one-trick pony. They often visit the other coast and give tracks a gentle California sun kiss to contrast the big city sprawl.

Thanks to some solid production/recording work from IFS keyboarder Dan Ledwell, the six songs really show a knack for hooks and intricate transitions. They play with tempo nicely - the slow grind of Slander Debunked is the perfect chance for the listener to catch a breath without derailing the flow of the EP (especially when the horns take over) - and honestly, if you told me this EP was from a group of seasoned vets playing over seas, I wouldn't blink an eye.

So many bands are ashamed to write tracks that make you dance and hint at dreams of something bigger and better than the opening slot in a shitty club and I think M & R show that even though that's where they are now, only time will tell where they end up. From my chair, it's not hard to picture tracks like Motel Fire Drill booming over loud speakers at a Festival with happy fans singing along.

MP3:: Milks & Rectangles - Heart's The Target
MYSPACE:: http://www.myspace.com/milksandrectangles
LABEL:: http://www.thisisnightdanger.com/

Labels: Best-of '09, EP, Milks and Rectangles, Music, PEI, Quick Hitters