Alright, I admit it. Every critic wants to find the next big thing. We critics label everything that's out of the ordinary
with large adjectives (such as amazing, incredible, and fantastic) and then say it's 'about to break'. If only we ruled the
music world. But, as it is with everything, consumers rule. And they usually don't agree with what the next big thing should
be.
That being said, "Your Code Name Is: Milo" may not be the next big thing. I want them to be, but who knows. All commercialism
aside, I want this to 'get discovered' because it's some fantastic music.
YCNI:M is a post-hardcore band. No, seriously. This is not your whiny emo-wants-to-be-hardcore post-hardcore. This is true
hardcore that got messed up and toned down. You can't call it emo cause there's a sense of urgency and power that is missing
from real emo.
Their guitars are pushed to the max on every song, but in a different way every time on the four songs. On "All Roads Lead
to Fault", they lay out dissonant chords to make you have a reaction. You're going to love it or hate it, and that's the way
they wanted it. The vocals here only help that, as they are screamed out in a frenetic, erratic style that is completely awesome.
The song ends up feeling extremely urgent and pushing, which leads straight into "Iron Chef".
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Reason to Buy: Frenetic, crazy guitar lines.
Genre: Post-Hardcore.
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Now "Iron Chef" has a completely different feel. It has more of a verse/chorus/verse format, whereas the previous song
was more of verse/chorus/verse/verse/verse/halfverse/halfchorus/other thing/other other thing, etc etc. "Iron Chef" is a
good song in itself, but it doesnt have the complexity that "All Roads..." did.
In a return to their frenetic roots, "The Problem" throws in sharp contrast between soft and loud and shows their efficiency
with guitar effects, as the guitars have a wailing, siren sound that lends a crazy feel to the song. They also have a great
breakdown placed in the middle of this song.
The closer of this EP (Lions, then the Donkeys) is quite possibly the best song here, as it is the best example
of their sound: noodling, ever-twisting guitar lines over a solid bed of distortion. Complicated chaos like this takes a long
time to put together, and I'm glad that they took the time to do it.
This EP is a maniacally wonderful album. If you love Radiohead, emo, or hardcore, then you will love this band. This intellectual,
thoughtful music is Radiohead for the emocore generation. Now, if we could just get YCNI:M onto the I-Pods
of American teenagers.
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