currently listening to: Dirty Projectors, Abbey Road, Buck Owens, The Byrds, The Louvin Brothers, Eric Walls, sports radio, Dana Sorey, Earth Wind and Fire, Whales and Cops, The Cure, Ella Fitzgerald, Herbie Hancock and others...
Sounds Like
> A video of outtakes from the making of The Corduroy Pants EP with an early rehearsal of "Emma, Please."
The MLMs play "Corduroy Pants" at The Trocadero in Philadelphia, PA.
The MLMs play "Southern California" at The Trocadero in Philadelphia, PA.
TICKETS ON SALE NOW FOR ALBUM RELEASE!!! (click the World Cafe Live logo)
“We try not to be pretentious at all,” says MLMs frontman Chris Gibbons. “We really like our music, we think our record is great ... but we don’t think we’re the next coming of Lennon/McCartney. We don’t think we’re revolutionizing the world. We think that we’re having a really good time and playing really good music.”
That mix of earnestness and fun has suited the MLMs well. It’s their kaleidoscopic sounds—changing minute to minute, song to song—that first catch the ear. Sunny shoegaze shifts to gritty Offspring-like choruses, followed by a pop-punk snippet even Panic at the Disco could call their own (albeit with heavy country/bluegrass overtones). And, of course, the unmistakable Nintendo-esque tones of the MLM keyboard—a tiny, plastic “Music Learning Module” used by beginners that gives each MLMs song its uplifting, playful vibe.
It’s fair to thank (or blame) the University of the Arts for the MLMs’ amalgam of sound. Fellow frontman Ben O’Neill received a bachelor’s of music in jazz performance there, which he says greatly influenced how he approaches music and songwriting. “I was trying to think of a way to sum up the band, and I think we try to look at anybody that’s writing a compelling song,” he says with a slight Southern drawl that belies his roots in State College, Pa.
“For me, that can be Lennon/McCartney, Duke Ellington, Wayne Shorter or Stevie Wonder, and then try to combine that with anyone that has a compelling energy ... My jazz education definitely helps me understand the mechanics of music and how we can apply that to our songs.”
Gibbons balances O’Neill’s studied, deliberate songwriting. “Chris has a natural touch for melody,” O’Neill says, “and that’s why I work with him. Despite my training and professional experience, he’ll still play a song for me and I’m like, ‘I hate you. I don’t know how you came up with that.’”
Hey guys, I just thought I'd have you know that I listened to your new EP 5 times back to back the other day. My favorite track is "I see Everything." Steve's is "Emma Please." You guys should be super proud of yourselves for creating such an awesome piece of work. It's reminiscent of "The Zombies." Anywho, good luck with your future endeavors, and we hope to see you again sometime. It was a pleasure playing with you guys.
Woah !! If you ever cover this song I'd be right in front of the stage !! Unfortunetly, the 16th isn't gonna work for me, I'm flying back to France that day.. :(
Hey Ben and Co., Glad to see that you all have some awesome shows coming up. I will definitely try to make it out to some. As for "Love is a Game" I think I had a case of A.D.D. - should a song have 20 chords changes in just the chorus? Talk to y'all Soon! :-) -Naeemah
