If the Mamas and the Papas consummated with Crosby, Stills and Nash and had a baby, it would be named Milo Greene.  Releasing on July 17th on Chop Shop / Atlantic Records, the self-titled debut album sounds like a drowsy haze of California sunshine and a gnawing discontent that leaves you a little haunted.

Robbie Arnett, Andrew Heringer,  Marlana Sheetz, Curtis Marrero and Graham Fink use their 5 part harmonies as a soul-stirring centerpiece to their dreamy compositions.  Due to an early buzz about these Los Angeleans, RadioPotato profiled their crowning masterpiece “1957″ last July. Still their best song of their new album, there are some other standouts.  Milo Greene’s opener “What’s The Matter,” the hopeful “Don’t You Give Up On Me” and “Perfectly Aligned’s” ethereal joy could easily be the backdrop for a movie scene of dancing in the grass or a love sequence (stay tuned as I plan on using this song in a video for an upcoming life event).

The one downfall this album has is something that ultimately, has it’s own brilliance.  The simplicity of “Orpheus,” the urgency of the percussion in “Wooden Antlers,” the calming “Moddison,” and “Polaroid’s” emotive build are all just a few seconds of transition between songs but each sound like the beginning of a beautiful untold story…and then it’s right into the next song.  As a listener, I wanted to hear more.  But each song has it’s own layered beauty full of wonder, intelligence, and harmonies that just wouldn’t quit.  The final song “Autumn Tree” fashions the close of the album dwelling in memories that inhabit the darkest parts of the mind.

is this my old shape,
my mind is away,
how long have you been gone
the cold winters aged the soft of your face

The band name came from a “fake” publicist fabricated to build buzz around previous bands they were in and stuck with their current line-up.  Milo Greene recently toured with The Civil Wars and there are two things of note.  One, it’s challenging to perfectly blend a female voice against 4 other male voices without sounding like an ear-bleeding out-of-tune train wreck (they sounded like perfection).  The second is how versatile and strong each band member is on their multiple instruments.  Their talent was captivating to behold and as a band and they were engaging live performers that pumped energy into an alcohol-free audience at Agnes Scott College’s auditorium in Atlanta.  Playing Atlanta’s Drunken Unicorn on 7/21/12, Milo Greene is on tour now and will be performing live on Letterman on 7/26, Lollapallooza on 8/4 and appearing on Conan on 9/6.

Milo Greene Official Website | Facebook | Twitter | NPR Interview with Milo Greene | Download