Rolling Out the Red Carpet for Milo Greene’s ‘Control’

Despite the singularity of their name, Milo Greene is not a solo act; rather, they are a collaborative five pieces that manage to blend their collective imagination into one harmonious vision. The latest manifestation of their concerted efforts is “Control,” a smooth, beat-heavy synthpop album that releases via Elektra Records on Jan. 27. Only two studio records into their career, Milo Greene have almost completely retired their folksy acoustic tools in favor of full-on electric ambiance that kicks their dance party into a new gear.

“Control” showcases why the Los Angeles based band elects to describe their genre as “cinematic pop” with its collection of vivid and dramatic songs filtered through a techno lens. Vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Marlana Sheetz explained to Entertainment Voice how the silver screen played an enormous role in the group’s songwriting process. “Everybody in the band is a huge film lover,” she said. “One of the things that we love most about movies is the soundtrack because that kind of dictates your emotions and how you feel about the scene or what’s going on. Music is so crucial to every movie, and we all think it would be cool to be part of something like that.”

Milo Greene was able to take a huge step toward their goal of enhancing the film industry through song this summer when their indie hit “Perfect Aligned” was featured in the official trailer for “Big Eyes,” a Tim Burton-directed dramatic comedy starring Amy Adams and Christoph Waltz. According to Sheetz, the band was extremely proud to be associated with such celebrated filmmakers. “I think it’s just awesome. It’s really awesome for me because my parents got to experience seeing the trailer while they were seeing a movie.” Milo Greene’s musical cinephiles hope they can someday write songs or scores specifically for the big screen on commission, but for now, they are focusing on the next chapter in their story that is “Control.”

This time around, Jesse Shatkin, who has also worked with noteworthy artists Sia, Foster the People and Ellie Goulding, added his name to the liner notes as the album’s producer and even opened up his Highland Park home studio to record the tracks. Meanwhile, celebrated drummer Joey Waronker (Beck, R.E.M.) contributed his talents to boost up their rhythm section.

Milo Greene was determined to ensure that their sophomore effort would be grounded by an engaging mix of beats. “We wanted to make [the new record] very up tempo,” said Sheetz. One of the biggest lessons taken from their self-titled first album was to pay more attention to the percussion component. Upon coming to the table with a vision and sound for their self-titled debut, the songwriters realized they had rendered their rhythms a mere afterthought. “Control” gave them an opportunity to flip the switch, putting their dynamic drumming front and center with Waronker’s veteran guidance.

While most of the record shows its strengths in shimmery synthesizers and melancholy lyrics, the first single, “Lie to Me,” provides a hint of contrast with as an upbeat, staccato anthem. Of the five musicians composing Milo Greene, four contribute vocals as they take turns on each track acting as lead and supporting singers (think Phantogram times two). Just about all hands are on deck when they sing “Lie to Me,” which gets one of the grandest choruses on the LP.

While having four voices to go around sounds tremendous, Sheetz explains that the lack of a designated frontman complicates the decision-making process for casting vocals on each song. “It’s very strenuous, and I like to say it’s a miracle that we are ever able to make an album,” she said. “It’s very hard. It’s very democratic, that’s for sure. It’s kind of like a majority rules type situation or whatever is right for that song.”

Milo Greene’s resulting harmonies prove that all the effort is worth it. “On the Fence” is another light and exciting dance hit that features many voices in the mix, switching singers up from verse to verse. The moments when the band seems to be having the most fun are when everybody gets to chime in.

Like any good work of cinematic art, “Control” also contains its well-placed scenes of drama and intensity. “Parents House” offers a poignant look at the loneliness of putting on a false face. This time, lonely vocals mumble out “At your parents house, I was never myself / and you were always someone else.” An electric guitar solos a melody one lonesome note at a time to effectively echo the singer’s melancholy.

The only female voice on the roster, Sheetz also gets a few stand out, emotional highlights with “White Lies” and the album closer “Royal Blue.” The later features solemn harmonies and the only appearance of a softly strumming acoustic guitar – and even that crescendos into a fury of shoegazing electric chords for a passionate ending.

The remarkable thing about Milo Greene’s moments of melodrama is that they maintain their commitment to pulsating percussion that refuses to let listeners sit still. Even when the album is not in full-on dance mode, it still invites hips to sway and heads to nod along in approval.

Milo Greene will be taking “Control” out on the road on a nationwide, headlining tour that launches off at SOhO in Santa Barbara on Feb. 10, 2015. Sheetz showed her enthusiasm for what the band has in store for their shows. “Lately in rehearsals we’ve been working on a really nice cover that I’m excited to play. Andrew [Heringer] gets to sing it and it’s going to be wonderful. I don’t know if I should tell you what it is, I probably can’t, but we pretty much play almost both of our records too.”

Like the album itself, their live set promises to be a cinematic affair.

Milo Greene’s “Control” releases on Jan. 27.