CONTROL

The sophomore full-length album from California's Milo Greene, 2015's Control, provides an excellent showcase for the group's melodic and moody pop sound. The album follows up the group's self-titled 2012 debut, and finds the previously introspective and folky five-member Los Angeles unit moving in a more sonically adventurous, rhythmically varied direction. Working with producer/drummer Joey Waronker (Beck, Paramore) and engineer Jesse Shatkin (Kylie Minogue, Sia), Milo Greene have crafted an inspired collection of songs that touch upon such influences as Giorgio Moroder-esque synth pop, modern chillwave-infused R&B, and experimental post-punk. In some ways, the move brings to mind the stylistic change that occurred in bands like Jefferson Airplane and Fleetwood Mac as they transitioned from the acoustic-, folk-, and blues-influenced style of '60s and '70s rock to the synth-heavy, image-conscious aesthetic of the '80s. Clearly, if the group's touchstones for the first album were the multiple harmonies of Fleet Foxes and the frenetic Afro-pop of Vampire Weekend, then Control is all icy R&B and sharp-edged, '80s-influenced post-punk. Think artists like the xx and Jessie Ware, and you're fairly close the the sound Milo Greene achieve here. And, while they still utilize their multiple male/female lead vocals, especially those of Marlana Sheetz and Robbie Arnett, Milo Greene's streamlined, early-'80s, Moroder-soaked atmosphere works best when Sheetz is at the mike, applying her burnished, resonant coo to cuts like "White Lies," "Heartless," and "Lie to Me." Of course, Arnett, with his throaty, sandpaper voice, along with the other male members of the band, can be heard throughout the album and the juxtaposition between Sheetz and her bandmates certainly adds a tangible layer of drama to Control. ~ Matt Collar