Thomas Mills – Chicken/Egg
Despite what Thomas Mills will blatantly tell you behind the guise of anon in his ridiculously obvious shill threads on 4chan, Chicken/Egg does not take ten listens for one to denote it a masterpiece. The album is far from it – though it is deceptively good. Raw, abrasive recording equipment elicit a powerful down-to-Earth atmosphere. The large range of instrumentals are beautifully entwined and offer something new and interesting with every song.
The Chicken opens with a serene atmosphere and delightful whistle. The harmonious and tortured vocals are as alluring as they are damaged. The piano and accordion contain much flare in The Man who Only Eats the Yolk. The percussion throughout Clouds are care-free and complement the beautiful Neutral Milk Hotel-styled indie rock. Untitled-1 is rasping, chaotic and charming. The Eastern influences are well honed in instrumentally, demonstrating masterful range by Mills. The crescendo of strings abruptly end to a delightful strum of keys. The Sweet Smell of Cream blends in harmonious dissonance and ambience exceptionally well. Untitled-2 carries the spirit and tradition of the first untitled track, further absorbing the listener into Mill’s idiosyncratic world. Baby Birds, the longest track on the album, loses quite a bit of momentum. The nonchalant vocal samples are quite uninteresting, and the track sadly never feels like it amounts to anything. While the track often feels misguided, it nevertheless makes up for it in ambience and style. Untitled-3 once again continues the instrumental trend, almost to a fault. It’s second half is quite varied and interesting, however, and blends into the last song well. The EP ends with The Moon; a myriad of jammy, twangy guitars and focused keys. Unfortunately, there is little to differentiate in this song from the first half of the album, resulting in a disappointing finale.
Nevertheless, the EP is such a delightful length. In his own shilled words, Thomas Mills likes to compare himself to Daniel Johnson. As egotistical as it may sound, he’s not far from it. While his methods of attention seeking may be frowned upon, his music certainly demands attention. I wish Mills the best of luck with future releases and I look forward to what’s next.
Really Good
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