Kingwood - Millencolin > Reviews > I believe in Kingwood days.

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Average
Lyrics	Thought-provoking
Quality and consistency of tracks	Flawless
How does it compare to the artist's other releases	Outstanding
Value for Money	Excellent

Advantages:	Return to top form for the Swedish four - piece .
Disadvantages:	Not as good as Pennybridge Pioneers, but that's impossible really .

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Introduction
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Well, what can I say? Millencolin return after a three year absence with an album that left me pining to be able to see them live. Kingwood is a fantastic album, it really is. All 12 songs are different in their own right, and while not being ground-breakingly original or innovative, produce new and improved sounds.

Main Review
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Kingwood is brilliant. Enough said really. Although it doesn't quite equal the sublime existence of Pennybridge Pioneers, it can't really be compared anyway. The two albums sound virtually non-related, and it just shows the leaps and bounds Millencolin have made as they'd matured and grown older together. Their music is tighter and more defined, and at times far more serious. While Pennybridge Pioneers had serious songs like The Ballad, Duck Pond and No Cigar, they didn't sound 'mature'. Compare the tracks Farewell My Hell, My Name Is Golden, and Stalemate (all from Kingwood) with the 3 mentioned above. They are so much more serious in my opinion.

It is travesty of justice that Millencolin are not far bigger than they actually are, as their music has consistently across all 7 albums been fantastic. It's easily clear to anybody the progress Millencolin have made by listening to all 6 of their main albums (the Melancholy Collection is a collection of B-sides and demos and the like, so can't be regarded like this). From Same Old Tunes to Kingwood, the band have become tighter and tighter, more and more close-knit and more and more mature. It's strange to think of the band as 'veterans' because they've been going more than 12 years (and they're all over 30 now!) but I suppose that's what they are now. And Kingwood is their latest chapter in their aging adventure. But what a chapter it is.

Track Listing
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1. Farewell My Hell
2. Birdie
3. Cash Or Clash
4. Shut You Out
5. Biftek Supernova
6. My Name Is Golden
7. Ray
8. Novo
9. Simple Twist Of Hate
10. Stalemate
11. Mooseman's Jukebox
12. Hard Times

Track Reviews
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Farewell My Hell: 2 minutes 52 seconds.
Brilliant opening track for an album, it hits like you a smack in the face. While Millencolin's music has always contained references to suffering and anguish and the like, Kingwood seems more mature than any of their other albums, in particular this song. Farewell My Hell shows the direction that Millencolin are heading, towards serious powerful music, and as far as I'm concerned they're heading in the right direction. Great song. 10/10

Birdie: 2 minutes 32 seconds.
Concentrating on the ideals of freedom, this song continues roughly in the same vein as Farewell My Hell, with emphasis on emotion towards one person, in effect you. This song is more inspirational than the title suggests, with lyrics such as 'you're free now, you're free to be all that you want to' and 'all you gotta do is try' urging you to fulfil your dreams and push on. I've always said Millencolin are writing my life story, and this song doesn't do anything to discourage that feeling, urging me to make the most of my life. Top song.
9/10

Cash Or Clash: 2 minutes 40 seconds.
Seems far less serious than the two before it, it provides a sort of break from the unusual change to Millencolin. However, it isn't like the Millencolin of yesteryear either. It's different, but good. If that makes sense. Again, the idea of Millencolin writing my life story comes up with the line 'I got a name that you can't spell', which fits me perfectly. The track is a sort of sing-along bouncey jokey song and is good fun to listen to.
8/10

Shut You Out: 3 minutes 39 seconds.
Another serious song on the album for the guys. 3 out of 4? What's going on!? Anyway, it seems a sad song more than anything, lamenting the vocalists idiocy at ignoring the person who makes him happy. Not the best song on the album, but as there are no real weak links it still holds its head up high. The second release as a single from this album.
7/10

Biftek Supernova: 2 minutes 18 seconds.
This was the first song I heard from this album (a taster was put on the Millencolin website), and it blew me away. The fastest-paced song on the album, Biftek Supernova has good use of guitars and strange lyrics (an opening line of 'I had a dream last night, a dream about a bear, dancing in a trenchcoat and vest'). Overall the tune works for me and is one of their better tracks.
9/10

My Name Is Golden: 3 minutes 8 seconds.
One of my favourite songs on the album. The riff is brilliant if simple, and the song fits together well. Nikola actually seems angry in this song, not deviating from the serious edge that Millencolin have developed on this latest offering. Great little song.
9/10

Ray: 2 minutes 52 seconds.
Millencolin's first release as a single from this album, Ray is typical of the band, fast-paced but almost bouncy. This song has a great little riff and a catchy chorus that is likely to stay in your head for a while. Harks back to the less-serious days of the 'Colin, when their music seemed happy (even if the lyrics weren't). Great track.
9/10

Novo: 2 minutes 58 seconds.
Starts with a cool riff from both guitars as the song builds. It seems just a standard song for the majority of it, but it improves as the song carries along. Again, this fits in with their new-found serious nature, with lyrics such as 'Destroy the light' flitting their way through the song.
8/10

Simple Twist of Hate: 1 minute 29 seconds.
This is definitely early Millencolin revisited, they haven't had a track like this on any of their albums for a long time. You expect to find this sort of track on the Melancholy Collection rather than this new offering. That isn't to say it's a bad track, because it isn't. It harks back to their roots as a very frantic band, and it's a good track. Though it doesn't really fit the rest of the album.
7/10

Stalemate: 3 minutes 18 seconds.
Seems a pretty simple song from the off, with an uncomplicated riff throughout the verses, great chorus though! The song itself seems to be talking about a love relationship that's become stale and boring, e.g. 'nobody's killing more time than you or I, everybody's willing somehow to say goodbye'. Good track from the boys, it isn't particularly heavy or fast, but it still fits the general pace and setting of the album.
8/10

Mooseman's Jukebox: 2 minutes 12 seconds.
Now this is a happy bouncy song! Brilliant track, great verse riff, great chorus riff, it all fits great. The lyrics make absolutely no sense but that isn't the point. One of the best choruses Millencolin have ever put together, it just sounds brilliant. Needless to say, I love this song.
10/10

Hard Times: 4 minutes 9 seconds.
A bit different to anything else they've put together, this song is well thought out and sounds great. Great pounding drumbeat with a simple but effective guitar riff. Hard Times is a good ending track; it wouldn't fit well in the middle of the album, or the beginning of it, as it is hard to follow this track. Another serious one, it has the ability to make you tap your fingers/feet along to it without being confused by the drumbeat or riff. Great song.
10/10

Album Artwork
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The front cover of the album has a definite hunting theme, with 3 members of the band dressed up in hunting outfits with guns and with Nikola as a proud stag with antlers. I'm not really sure what it's trying to convey, but it's interesting nonetheless.

Conclusion
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A great album from the band. It can't match the sheer genius of Pennybridge Pioneers (by far their finest moment) but it is the closest thing to it out of all their other albums. A massive step-up by the band in terms of style and maturity. Nikola Sarcevic has been working on some solo stuff, and has already released one album with a second due very soon, and Mathias Färm has another side-project band in the shape of Franky Lee. However, these are not permanent options from what I can tell, and providing there are no bad arguments, this band will be around for a long time to come.