ADM Chart topper

MCII

Mikal Cronin

MCII

Second album, and first on Merge, from the Californian garage punk / power pop singer-songwriter and Ty Segall collaborator

ADM rating[?]

8.1

Label
Merge
UK Release date
13/05/2013
US Release date
07/05/2013
  1. 9.1 |   A.V. Club

    When artists soften with time, their music often loses some of its appeal; rarely does a songwriter nail his voice as successfully as Cronin has here
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  2. 9.0 |   Consequence Of Sound

    Feels like something substantial, anthemic, and, to crib from Burt Reynolds, “out of this world”. Fuck this album’s a blast
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  3. 9.0 |   Uncut

    Hits you with the immediacy of a record you're listening to for the first time but feel like you've already heard a thousand times and yet still aren't bored of. Print edition only

  4. 9.0 |   Spin

    Somehow, every song here sounds urgent enough to feel like the album's centerpiece
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  5. 9.0 |   The Quietus

    This gem of an album is probably as addictive as crack cocaine
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  6. 8.5 |   Beats Per Minute

    A scintillating sophomore record, one stacked with some of the year’s best pop-rock tunes
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  7. 8.5 |   Bowlegs

    Cronin carefully investigates pop melodies through his controlled strumming and methodical monologues which places his sound somewhere between the Beatles and The Posies
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  8. 8.5 |   The 405

    A release that has the capacity to astonish on your first listen
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  9. 8.4 |   Pitchfork

    His most fully realized, beautifully arranged, and well-crafted work to date
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  10. 8.3 |   Pretty Much Amazing

    As an album set out to reappropriate pop rock, MCII succeeds
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  11. 8.2 |   Paste Magazine

    To write off MCII as merely another beach-pop record that dips a toe into grunge (or punk, or garage, or metal) is to miss the point
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  12. 8.0 |   No Ripcord

    MCII sounds much more concise and meticulously assembled than any of Segall's efforts
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  13. 8.0 |   The Observer

    Packs a surfeit of melody, an unexpected boogie-woogie piano solo, some violin, key changes to punch the air to, and references to Nirvana fed through the forthcoming disposition of the Lemonheads
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  14. 8.0 |   musicOMH

    A record that sees Mikal Cronin finding his way as a songwriter in his own right
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  15. 8.0 |   PopMatters

    Whether Cronin is breaking the boundaries of the genre he works in or redrawing them, you can’t help but be impressed by the way he delves into so many diverse styles, then assimilates them into his own musical profile
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  16. 8.0 |   Mojo

    Timeless classic pop that evades cliché. Print edition only

  17. 8.0 |   NME

    Too good for Mikal Cronin to remain in anyone's shadow for much longer. Print edition only

  18. 8.0 |   Blurt

    An immediate rush and a lasting pleasure
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  19. 8.0 |   Slant Magazine

    One of the most consistent and rewarding albums of the year so far
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  20. 7.0 |   All Music

    It's a very live and direct feeling record with none of the sterility you often find with one-man band projects
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  21. 7.0 |   Under The Radar

    MCII is the sound of someone who moved on and found solid ground
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  22. 7.0 |   DIY

    Cronin might have been previously better known as Ty Segall’s collaborator and live band member, but ‘MCII’ will certainly cement him as an excellent singer-songwriter in his own right
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  23. 6.0 |   Q

    It's a pleasant listen but never quite sparks. Print edition only


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Mikal Cronin: MCII

  • Download full album for just £7.99
  • 1. Weight £0.99
  • 2. Shout It Out £0.99
  • 3. Am I Wrong £0.99
  • 4. See It My Way £0.99
  • 5. Peace of Mind £0.99
  • 6. Change £0.99
  • 7. I'm Done Running from You £0.99
  • 8. Don't Let Me Go £0.99
  • 9. Turn Away £0.99
  • 10. Piano Mantra £0.99
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