Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson - Summer of Fear

"Scene One: Angeline walks on. She's got a handful of lives. She's rollin' the dice."

Do you ever listen to a song or an album from a different decade and wish that you had been around then? When times were simple and people were different (or at least we'd like to think they were). When music was changing the world and everything seemed new. Maybe I'm describing a place that never existed but I can dream can't I?

In 2006, Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson recorded a demo with the help of TV on the Radio's Kyp Malone and Grizzly Bear's Chris Taylor and Chris Bear. Meant for friends and family only, the burned CD-R got into the hands of a few more people than expected. This demo turned out to be his first album which was self-titled. About a year later during the winter of 2007, Miles and all of the same people worked on his followup which was a recount of the previous and terrible summer that Miles experienced (more on that later). Finally, last week on October 20, 2009 the album saw the light of day.

Aptly titled Summer of Fear, the album is an anthem to classic rock. With mostly upbeat and catchy songs, it could fit in perfectly during the summers of the '70s. It's apparent very early on though, that beneath the disguise of these happy sounding songs there's a dark undercurrent. In both his lyrics and tone, there's something more, something scary. There were a lot of drunken nights, bar fights and heartbreak that summer. All of which, Miles has been very vocal about in interviews. This is all reflected upon in Summer of Fear, with lyrics about alcohol, drugs, and a girl by the name Angeline, we can almost feel the pain inflicted upon him while he was writing these songs.

Album opener "Shake A Shot" uses an electric piano, slide guitar and a shaker as the background to Miles' questioning. "After all the suffering and shame / They want to know is it worth it?" The abrupt answer is, probably not. A simple but effective first track which sets the tone for what's to follow. "The Sound" is the best song on the first half of the album, consisting of the same electric piano part for most of the running time. It's catchy as hell though, trust me. A powerful chorus with yelping guest vocals from Kyp Malone tops it off. The only other highlight here is "Hard Row" a slower track that has some beautiful slide guitar throughout. The first couple of tracks sound a little too similar at first, it just takes a few listens to get into them. The first half of the album is a little slow moving, not to say that's a bad thing. It gets you prepared for the one two punch that is the second half.

"Summer of Fear Part One" starts in one place and ends somewhere completely different. It's a slow-building track that will send a few chills down your back. It's a perfect prelude to "Death By Dust" which is arguably the best song on the album. The title perfectly describes this dusty track that would fit right in your fathers old record collection. The chorus channels Fleetwood Mac with it's harmonized "Songs that you had sung" which always puts a smile on my face when I hear it. Throw in a grungy guitar solo and a soaring string part and you have one of the greatest songs of 2009 (or 1979). "Summer of Fear Part Two" brings us back down to a slow thumping floor tom and some catchy whistling. Followed by the decent "Losing For Winners", Miles really knows how to play with our emotions.

The last two songs make up the amazing ending. "More Than A Mess" is the other best track of the album. A sprawling eleven minute masterpiece that grows and grows while Miles describes scenes of a relationship. At certain points he stops singing altogether and rambles out the story in the form of a play or movie script. He uses a wide variety of instruments and sounds that rely on the same chord progression and focuses mainly on the lyrics which really shine here. This eventually turns into "Boat" and it's slow, slamming drums and beautiful guitar riffs. It's hard to decipher what Miles is singing but it doesn't really matter because after the pain and heartbreak that occupied the previous twelve tracks and that fateful summer, it's nice to just let go and feel hope for something better.

Summer of Fear will impress people who are into a lot of different genres of music. It's refreshing to hear someone who is a legitimate songwriter, someone who focuses on everything as a whole. Someone who doesn't sacrifice one thing for another and who will write a song for what it is, simply something to listen to. Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson is writing music just to write it, to express what he's feeling, not to make it big and pick up the next paycheck. Summer of Fear is the stage for Miles' story. No, we don't know who Angeline is and we don't know exactly what happened that summer, but through his music we feel like we somehow do. His songs act as a script to the story. Whether it's the questions he's having trouble answering in "Shake A Shot", the literal stage directions described in "More Than A Mess" or the ending of "Boat" which wraps the album up nicely as an organ and fluttering guitar parts fade to black.

8.8/10