The Milk Carton Kids, "Prologue"

Stop, stop everything. This review isn't gonna be half as good as the album. Go listen now. Buy this album, and go to see these people perform live. Buy stickers and t-shirts and whatever else they're selling. If this band dies for lack of participation I swear to god I'll burn this world to the ground.

Melodic, passionate, real. I suppose now would be a good time to mention that I'm getting over a break-up. I couldn't have happened upon a better soundtrack for it. "Michigan" took me right to where I wanted to be in mourning. "Undress the World" got in my ear and helped me smile a little, then a lot.

I've spent years thinking "Who's gonna do this when Paul Simon dies?" Finally, and resolutely, I feel safe giving my heart to a band.

"Milk Carton Kid" says things I didn't realize I was thinking, to beautifully arranged and played acoustic guitars.

I don't care to dissect the influences, and the sounds-likes. I don't care about my credibility as a writer or a critic that much. I don't care about the cliche little bits that don't digest in the lyrics.

They can play, they can write, they're in a head space that feels like home as soon as I put them on. Break-up or not, this album is where it's at. It's simple, the way they've done it. And keeping it that way is where the complexity is. They could've brought in strings and pianos and drums and everything they could find or afford to play, and instead? They offered up what they could do with both hands and their voices. It's more than enough.

My only real complaint is that we've heard this before. So, not a perfect score, but so much better than most things branded "original" that I won't dock that many points.

Seriously, if you're all about that folk scene...this is where you're gonna wanna be. This is who you're gonna try and cover on YouTube in a desperate attempt to pull a First Aid Kit. <--It won't work because you've got pitch issues and you bought a Rogue instead of a guitar, but hey, it's more than most critics do...Anyway!

Go buy "Prologue".

Final Score: 4.99 repeating.