Millions

Millions guitarists Scott Flaster and Corey Lyons are quarreling musical twins whose differences set the tension on which Millions' sound is based. Flaster and Lyons' dueling guitars create a codependent relationship of angst and grandeur - the neurotic impatience of Black Flag scraping up against the anthemic melodies of King Crimson. Driven by this tension, the sound of Millions is that of vicious mood swings. On Gather Scatter, Millions' debut full length (the Telephone Game EP was released in 2007 on Team Abunai Records), songs brood and boil, then erupt into manic fits, sometimes soaring toward light, sometimes crashing and burning. The pounding rhythm section of bassist Mark Konwinski and drummer Patrick O'Shea drives straight and steady through the storms. Gather Scatter's lyrics, penned and sung by Lyons, Flaster and Konwinski, tell real-life tales of drink, despair, and redemption in the band's hometown of Chicago. The words are as real as it gets but instead of striking a tough image to match, Millions delves into a fantasy realm of primitive computer technology and retro sci-fi paranoia. As Nat Damm's (Akimbo, Monotonix) artwork shows, the vibe here is Metropolis, Alphaville, and Blade Runner, not Mean Streets. Gather Scatter was recorded and mixed by Chris Owens (Akimbo, Young Widows) and mastered by Pete Lyman (The Mars Volta, Queens Of The Stone Age). Millions, having shared stages with Young Widows, Intronaut, Racebannon, and many more, will be touring throughout 2009, including dates with Lords, Gods And Queens, and Light Yourself On Fire.