I’m not entirely sure what cinematic pop is, but Milo Greene definitely makes it look good.
The fivesome out of LA are touring on the heels of their sophomore album Control, which they released this year – the follow up to their self titled 2012 debut album – and they stopped by Lincoln Hall on Thursday evening. I was originally drawn to them because of the interesting name, so I looked up the band on Wikipedia and found the origin story. Apparently, back in their early days, the band made up a fictitious booking agent to make them look more legit – Milo Greene, a British, monocle wearing albino in a three piece suit who set up the band’s gigs – and the moniker stuck and became the group’s title. After reading that story I’m not sure it much mattered what kind of music the group produced – I was already a fan.
But just for bonus points, the band produces super catchy “cinematic pop” (although given a choice, I’d call them more indie folk – single “1957” reminds me nothing more than Of Monsters and Men). Making their way through “White Lies,” “Save Yourself,” “Heartless,” and “Parents’ House” from the new album, the band also played a smattering of favorites from their 2012 debut including “Silent Way,” “Don’t You Give Up on Me,” and of course “1957”. The songs often have a dark and ominous feel to them (give “White Lies” a listen, and tell me you don’t get shivers), while still retaining a bright, clear edge – it gives the group a super intense live presence that goes over well with the audience.
The band also clearly knows the value of a good cover (always a good way to get the crowd involved) – busting out Phil Collins’ “Take Me Home” as well as Sufjan Stevens’ dreamy “Chicago” and making it into an audience sing-a-long. Apparently the group is self described as “cinematic pop” because they wanted to make music that could be used in film and tv, but that’s not really necessary – clearly they’re just a show in and of themselves.