Millencolin
- Machine 15 (Epitaph)
The unrestrained and unpretentious (and far
from slick) pop punk on Machine 15 gently
builds alluring and rocking arrangements around
stories of everyday life ("Detox,"
"Broken World.") But they also weave
interesting stories, like "Brand New
Game, "Route One, and "Ducks and
Drakes" to the mix. On "Come On,"
they really shake things up pouring out fiery
riffs, accented by urgent vocals. All through
this album - and their last few as well -
Millencolin reclaim the land of the disenfranchised
with a lively, thoughtful new outlook and
unique sound for these disturbed times. As
a result, the Swedish group has become one
of the biggest punk bands in Europe and are
on the brink of becoming household names here.
The hard hitting and sometimes fuzzy chaos
of Machine 15 alternates noisy pop melodicism
with primal anarchy, and fevered singing.
Difficult and expansive, but Mellincolin pulls
it off with extra room to move. - Phil Rainone
Logs
In The Mainstream -
The Ridiculous And The Sublime (Logsinthemainstream.com)
I remember reviewing Logs In The Mainstream’s
first release "I Know I Am, But What
Are You," back in '96. I also spoke to
Mole (the main Log) on the phone around the
same time. I remember thinking to myself,
"Huh, this is definitely one of those
band's that has to know what the rules are
before you can break them.” In the world
of "alternative" rock, where bands
with big dreams must be colorful and offbeat,
but not too weird for radio, Logs in the Mainstream
are a record company’s worst nightmare.
Although loveable, and catchy as all heck,
Logs are like a mongrel breed of electric
folk rock mixed with richly diverse influences,
and enough built-in mystique and credibility
to last a career. "Don't Come To Maryland,"
“Tequila & Power Tools," &
"If Hitler Had Sideburns" are, well...
offbeat to say the least! Despite the potential
for instrumental calamity, Logs manage to
keep their sound on the edge, just this side
of primal garage rock, leaving plenty of room
in the varied arrangements. If Logs In The
Main Stream were a restaurant, it would be
an urban tiki bar with a kooky international
menu, efficiently run by the children of hippies,
serving fans of Frank Zappa & The Mothers
Of Invention. But, I'll let Lazlo from Blowup
Radio (Blowupradio.com), have the last word:
"A Logs shows always starts with confusion
and laughter but then everyone always seems
to dig it. After a few minutes, they get it...
and are enthralled." - Phil Rainone
CD Reviews 
