Elle Milano
Thanks for the Memory?
By Dany Sloan
I might be jumping the gun here, but are Brighton-based post-punkers Elle
Milano no more?
On Sept. 1st, they posted a succinct message on their MySpace blog that reads as follows, " Due to serious personal problems within the band, all upcoming shows have been cancelled. We are very sorry." If you read into this, they may be slipping down the slippery slope of band dissolution, but then again, they could just be entering a rough patch and need a few months to get sorted.
We all have our personal problems and while it's not my place to pry, I
can't help but wonder and be a little worried that the band is no more.
From the first time I heard "Swearing is for Art Students" in '05 to the
release of their debut album this year and finally getting to see them in
their hometown of Brighton, I knew this band stood heads and shoulders above
their peers.
I don't want to speculate on the future of the band or spread any nasty
internet rumors, but the loss of such a promising band would be a huge
disappointment. I've always been impressed with their knack of creating
instantly familiar music that never sounds tired or dated. They don't
reinvent the wheel, but they always take something comfortable and make it
new again.
Their lyrical dexterity is really what sets them apart, a sly cleverness
that often does not hit the listener on the first, second or even third
listen, but sometime down the road there are a million vocal barbs which
will eventually sink in, maybe even a year after the fact.
So is this a premature obituary? Perhaps, but I really don't want to think
about that quite yet. Bands break up every day, but it's the ones that you
really care about that hit you hard. I'm worried because this is a band
that I care about, but since it's not time to write them off, let's just
call this a long overdue testimonial.
|
