Millencolin - The Melancholy Connection
Longtime Softcore pioneers Millencolin have always been one of my all-time non-Metal favorites. And while they might not be typical Metal Curse fodder, they are from Sweden and have been recorded by Dan Swano. Isn’t that close enough? If there’s no spot in your heart for the lighter side of Punk whatsoever, I respect and pity you equally. I can’t help but love this band. Their ’90s output —classics like Same Old Tunes, Life on a Plate, and For Monkeys— helped shape my high school years. An instantly likable mix of Pop and Skate Punk with occasional hints of Ska that sounded as good in person as it did on record, as I was fortunate enough to witness back when I was alive. They seemed to fade into the twilight shortly after the turn of the century. Following up 2000’s solid Pennybridge Pioneers with 2002’s less-than-spectacular Home from Home (a fans-only release at best), they disappeared from my radar until now. The Melancholy Connection is a rare/unreleased compilation that serves as a companion piece to 1999’s Melancholy Collection, which chronicled their odds and ends circa 1993-1997. Connection also features two new songs and comes with a bonus DVD, a documentary on the making of Pennybridge Pioneers. Obviously this comp focuses on the missing pieces from the last twelve years, which as I noted, don’t quite match the energy and passion of the band’s first seven, but there are still gems here. “Queen’s Gambit” and “Dinner Dog” (b-sides from the Penguins and Polarbears single) are the heartfelt, catchy anthems these guys are known for. New track “Carry You” is stickier than pine tar after a few spins, while “Out from Nowhere” has an undeniable newer-Bad Religion quality. Other standouts include “Mind the Mice,” “The Downhill Walk,” “Junkie for Success,” and “Bowmore,” which all pack major league-memorable choruses. If anything, this collection has inspired me to dust off the old records, and has me anticipating the possibility of a new album for the first time in a decade.
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