Reviews

“milton’s Widget Inspires with melodic innovation”

In the aspirations of youth, idealism tends to fuel ambition, providing the drive to persevere against seemingly insurmountable odds. The ironic tragedy is that disillusionment often arises only after the goal is attained, as the afterglow of achievement fades and the achiever is left to ponder the worth. Such existential tension emerges as a recurrent theme in Milton’s Widget, the vigorously inventive concept album credited to Golden Sunset Music, a pseudonym for the project developed by musician, Rip Winkler in collaboration with Charlie McCluskey and Bob Ashley.

From the foreboding pulse of the opening track, My Time, through the reflective rhythms of the closing epilogue, Regroup, Milton’s Widget takes listeners on a propulsive journey of self-discovery focused on young Milton Moorehead, a brilliant but naïve inventor. Though the titular invention is never detailed, its impact on the popular culture is enormous, bringing Milton a level of success beyond his wildest dreams. And then things take a turn...

Richly nuanced lyrics combine the unassuming observations of Harry Nilsson with the emotional vulnerability of Sufjan Stevens, while Winkler’s lead vocals are enveloped in layered harmonies that suggest Milton’s prevailing mindset, evolving from the “off to see the world” optimism of the title track to the “if you’re looking for a reason...it’s not there” ennui of Here in the Moment.

Along the way, Milton experiences the lovestruck romanticism of Retro Girl, a spellbinding reverie for a woman unbound by time and space. The ethereal quality of this attraction makes its fated demise in The Things That You Can’t Decide hit with a visceral sense of sorrow.

The entire venture is scored to an eclectic musicality that veers from manic heights of aspiration to contemplative depths of dejection. During the album’s most frenetic moments, the combination of spiraling keyboards and searing backing vocals (exemplified by Triangulator) echo Pink Floyd at their most thrillingly unrestrained. Throughout it all, however, the bedrock of bass and drums establish enough rhythmic ballast to keep the music from careening over the stratospheric brink.

Further surprises abound throughout the album, most notably the soaring orchestral flourishes contributed by violinist Olya Prohorova and cellist Dmitri Yanov, a dynamic combination that lends passion to Yellow Pearl and pathos to The Greater Science, the latter of which escalates into an immersive soundscape culminating with the omniscient command to, “Wake Up!”

But while such bombastic sequences make a striking impression, it’s the quieter spaces the really leave an emotional mark. This is exemplified by Tough Love, a brooding rumination evocative of Sinatra save the New Wave reminiscent instrumentation.

Therein resides the true measure of this tremendously accomplished work. Rip Winkler and company have recorded a captivating album that manages to reinvigorate timeless themes with captivatingly original musical innovation. Just as Milton is left reeling but enlightened, listeners are likely to feel caught up in the audacious rush of this singular album’s exhilarating musical invention.

- Brad Richason 08/28/18