This writer was enormously impressed by MILK KAN’S 2006 single ‘Bling Bling Baby’. Lyrically sharp as a razor, musically adventurous and great fun, it marked the Brixton ‘Anti-folk’ trailblazers out as a band to seriously watch out for.
The following year they signed to the vigilant Blang label (more recently the purveyor of fine platters by David Cronenberg’s Wife and Lucy’s Diary) and finally released their self-titled debut album as well as clutch of singles over the past 18 months or so. As I type, I can’t really explain how and why I missed out on them. I certainly would have been happy to review them.
Anyway, that was then and this is now and what’s more important is that their new single ‘Junkshop’ demonstrates this MILK KAN is still topped up with eclectic goodness. This time round, our favourite Sarf London genre-hoppers seem to have gone all Sarf American on us, for ‘Junkshop’ revels in a wobbly and delicious Caribbean vibe, all Colombian rhythms, saucy Ska leanings and Rico Rodriguez-style trombones. It’s still irresistible, still sharp as Sweeney Todd, but with a tangible air of menace lobbed in to ensure the protection money arrives on time.
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Just to ram the point home, we get a coupla smart remixes from fellow Sarf London dubstep drum’n’bass duo Hertzian. The first is especially good, recalling the much-missed Lo-Fidelity All-stars with an additional squadron of electronic dive bombers swooping around your ears in case your attention wavers. That scenario ain’t ever really on the cards though.
Milk Kan, then, still bring us the sound of London’s creative underground at its’ best. We bandy terms like ‘eclectic’ and ‘sonic mash-up’ around like they’re confetti these days, but these guys really are fearless. Spend a night with them at the ‘Junkshop’. What you leave with may well have come off the back of a lorry, but you needn’t worry about its’ quality. Of that, I can assure you.
Download the single from Finetunes
Blang Records online
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