July 2002 • Rockbites Alternative Daily
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Ten years on, Miles break into US market with new LP 2 July 2002
If you have the sort of off-center pop sensibility necessary to appreciate bands like The High Llamas and The Boo Radleys, who launched pyrotechnics fueled with the genius of The Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson, meet Miles: a German quartet (originally a trio and briefly called Miles From Nowhere), formed at the University of Würzberg in 1991, who have gained a rabid underground fan base just about everywhere in the world apart from the Americas. Ironic, since their sound is so very American. Like UK pop subversives The Boo Radleys before them, Miles—front man Tobias Kuhn, guitarist/pianist Mike Silver (born Gilbert Hartsch), drummer Ronny Rock (born Andreas Wecklein), and new bassist Nina (René Hartmann, who joined as Miles’s bass player soon after they formed, left after their last album)—write complicated, challenging, and compelling songs that on first listen present themselves as simple and lightweight. And, like The Boo Radleys, they stand stylistically-speaking on the shoulders of giants including The Beach Boys, The Beatles, and The Buzzcocks. But musical cleverness and quotation of greatness don’t mean shit if you can’t write songs. I’m honored to have this opportunity to tell you that, like makeup over beautiful facial structure, Miles’ stylistic brilliance does not obscure or outshine the quality of their songs. They’re the real deal. Today, tiny New York city label Feel records brings Miles to North America with the release of Structure Vs. Happiness, a 15 track, 58-minute compilation of songs from Miles’ last two (Europe-only) albums, 1998’s The Day I Vanished and 2000’s Miles—themselves partly compilations of singles and other music previously self-released by the band, including their debut, limited-released 1994 LP Baboon. But ignoring this complicated heritage, each one of the songs on Structure Vs. Happiness is strong enough to stand as a single in its own right. And like The Boo Radleys’ Giant Steps or Frank Black’s Teenager Of The Year LPs, the density and quantity of pop hooks & substance on Structure Vs. Happiness is a bit much to take in one sitting—until you learn how to swim in these waters. At which point you don’t want to get out. There’s head-spinning range on this record, including the ironic My Friend Boo which name-checks their faves while musically quoting Pale Saints, and Girl From Pasadena, which seamlessly blends Beach Boys falsetto and harmonies with Buzzcocks crunch. Nah, you probably wouldn’t expect masterful pop to pop out of the land of Chicks On Speed, Can, and Kraftwerk, but make no mistake: Miles make masterful pop to die for. Four bites out of five. Rockbites ratings 5: life changing, 4: stunning, 3: captivating, 2: amusing, 1: annoying. Since winter, the band have been recording a new studio album at their home studio in Hamburg and in Dusseldorf. | Miles | | Feel Records | | Miles fan site | | top of page | |
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