Cronin, Mikal

Cronin, Mikal

Seeker

Merge

***Recorded live with a crew of close friends and engineer JASON QUEVER at Palmetto Studios in Los Angeles, Seeker finds MIKAL CRONIN pushing his often devastating power pop into darker territory—from the isolation of “Show Me” to the desperation of “Fire” to the unadorned heartache of “Sold.”

Cronin, Mikal

Seeker (Limited Edition)

Merge

***Recorded live with a crew of close friends and engineer JASON QUEVER at Palmetto Studios in Los Angeles, Seeker finds MIKAL CRONIN pushing his often devastating power pop into darker territory—from the isolation of “Show Me” to the desperation of “Fire” to the unadorned heartache of “Sold.” Limited edition vinyl version pressed on green swirl vinyl with a bonus red/green colored vinyl 12-inch.

Cronin, Mikal

Undertow / Breathe

Famous Class

***"It’s easy to get caught up in an undertow, pulled down into the water, weightless and directionless. The current stirs and you lose your way. But eventually, if you’re lucky and patient, you can float back up to the surface and take a breath. This is my first new music in a while—my gulp of air. Many talented friends joined me, the basic tracks were recorded live together for the first time in my recording career. This felt good. JASON QUEVER recorded it in Los Angeles, December of 2018. Thanks for listening." (STREET DATE - 5/10/2019)

Cronin, Mikal

Mciii

Merge

***NOW AVAILABLE ON VINYL!!! MIKAL CRONIN returns with MCIII. Marked by the lush arrangements, stunning melodies, and deeply personal lyrical work for which Cronin is now known, the album is also a deliberate attempt to simply “go big.” As he did on his self-titled 2011 debut and 2013’s MCII, Cronin arranged and played nearly all of the record himself, including the tzouras, a traditional Greek string instrument he heard and subsequently bought while on tour in Athens. There’s French horn, saxophone, and trumpet. There are mood-altering crescendos and heartbreaking turns-of-phrase, guitars both gorgeous and pugnacious. No longer satisfied with the sound of “just one string player,” Cronin arranged parts for a full string quartet instead. “It’s a continuation of what I’ve been trying to do up until now, but I’m finding a better way to do it,” he says. “I’m finding a more successful way of working those unexpected elements and textures and instruments into a rock record, of exploring that wormhole and mushing everything together harmoniously. I like riding the line between the two,” he adds. “I like finding new ways to bring different musical worlds together.” LP packaged in gatefold jackets.

Cronin, Mikal

Mcii

Merge

***MIKAL CRONIN’s self-titled debut from 2011 was all about endings: the end of college, the end of a serious relationship, and the end of his time in Los Angeles, where he grew up. So it’s no surprise that his sophomore release MCII—and first disc for Merge Records—is all about new beginnings. “Since the first record came out, my life has changed quite a bit,” Cronin says, referencing his move to San Francisco and tours with Ty Segall as well as with his own band. “I was presented with a whole new slew of problems and situations that I was trying to work through.” “Am I Wrong” and “Shout It Out” dissect his fears over a new relationship, while “I’m Done Running from You” and “Weight” find him freaking out about what it means to grow up in the 21st century. Recorded in late 2012 by ERIC BAUER at Bauer Mansion in San Francisco (except for “Don’t Let Me Go” which was recorded by Cronin at home), MCII includes guest appearances by K. DYLAN EDRICH (viola and violin on “Peace of Mind” and “Change”), CHARLES MOONHEART (drums on “Change” and “Turn Away”), TY SEGALL (guitar solos on “Am I Wrong” and “I’m Done Running from You”), and PETEY DAMMIT (slide guitar on “Peace of Mind”). Other than these few exceptions, Cronin played all of the instruments. “It all makes total sense to me, but when I step back, it sounds kind of schizophrenic,” Cronin says. “Hopefully it all sounds enough like...

Cronin, Mikal

Tide

Goner

***The San Francisco scene keeps producing serious psychedelic clack ’n’ burble and MIKAL CRONIN is the latest. Everyone loved the fuzzed-out Fading Yellow pop-psych he delivered on his debut album, and Tide shows him just getting better at it. Good luck getting the knee-buckling guitar hook and woozy falsetto chorus of the title track out of your head. The flip might even be better—”You Gotta Have Someone” is a sweet, swirly collision of Ride and The Byrds.