The Melancholy Connection, created in celebration of Millencolin’s 20 years of existence, is a collection that truly pays homage to the past. Every detail of the record is incredibly reflective, from the name itself – taken from the 1999 B-side compilation, “The Melancholy Collection”, to the album art – which is pretty much Pennybridge Pioneers aged a decade.
The recording is also paired with a DVD that takes you into the making of 2000’s Pennybridge Pioneers (arguably Millencolin’s best album) along with archival footage, interviews and gigs from throughout the years – including their stand out performance at Soundwave last year.
Opening the album are two tracks that are brand spanking new. “Carry You”, a polished track that bleeds with their famed sound, and “Out From Nowhere” which has taken a different route and sounds a little like Millencolin wearing Bad Religion shoes.
The rest of the album is made up of a collection of B-sides that the band has accumulated – truly showing their transition from their first, skate punk fuelled decade to an immortalised 20-year plus career.
There are certainly some snippets you may have already heard of before, many tracks in this set were used as fillers and bonus tracks on various versions of their previously released albums, including the 2003 Punk-o-rama 8, which featured “Bowmore”.
While many B-Side albums are doomed to fail, only a few tracks fall short of the mark (beware “Junkie for Success”). This album is sure to make the loyal Millencolin fan weak at the knees with nostalgia, and allow new listeners to understand why, after their latest two (not-so-amazing) albums, Millencolin are still going strong after two decades in the business.
– Tara Emily
