Search - Cricket Rumor Mill :: If Only Then

Running The Mill

Mark Champion | San Antonio, TX United States | 11/18/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"As RENDERINGS was actually a compilation of CRM's first two EPs, IF ONLY THEN is their long-playing debut. It's a marked improvement over previous efforts, but there are some problems. The tracks on RENDERINGS were almost too laid-back for their own good - - it was easy to imagine the band thinking "Whoa, this is

way groovy, they'll love this". Quite pleasant, and extremely listenable, but its serenity seemed forced and self-conscious.



On IF ONLY THEN (like its predecessor a nominally instrumental collection) the Mill broadens its musical palette a bit with horns, strings and vocal samples. At least a couple of the tracks are truly remarkable - - 'Events Unfold' has a warm, summery ambience thanks to a lovely, plaintive synth line and a very pretty violin and piano melody. But the Willie Nelson sample on the coda only distracts this listener from what is otherwise the band's finest moment so far. 'Scorched By The Sun' ups the heat quotient in the title but is actually quite a cool little number that moves along on a repeated electric-piano groove and some understated guitar work. Elsewhere, 'Climbing The Big Tree' manages to evoke a nostalgic look at the past totally without lyrics (er, the title is a clue).



The only problem I have with IF ONLY THEN, then, is, again, CRM's propensity for self-concious cleverness - - this time when it comes to the (mostly sampled) vocals. 'Siamese William' would be better served as a pure instrumental rather than a bed for its lame rap, and the opener, 'When Eyedrops Were Animals', also has a distracting vocal sample. It's as if the band is afraid of being perceived as taking itself too seriously. Not a bad sentiment in itself, but given the beautiful artwork, the evocative song titles and the aching beauty of much of the music, you have to wonder . . . and think, 'if only'."