If you travel back in time 18 months and take a look at my original review of More Than A Machine, you’ll see that I rather liked it. And as if this needed a further seal of approval as one of the great British punk records: I still love it just as much.
Even now, after seeing them live lots of times, and playing the original release and the EPs and split almost to death, I’m still in love with Milloy. Household Name have thrown a few bells and whistles in the direction of the tracks – most notably in the intros. They’re a little bit tidier and give the extra bit of oomph as each song kicks in. The guitars have also received a similar tidying up on a few songs which allows the intricacies to be most easily heard against a masterfully-layered cacophany of noise.
The two extra tracks, previously only available on vinyl, are markedly weaker than the first 10 songs. But I mean that in terms of power and volume and not in terms of standard. But you could snap them in half and you’d still see Milloy running right through their hearts. And, to the uninitiated amongst you, what that means is that it’s catchy northern punk rock with an unmeasurable level of passion behind it which is unparalleled in the UK today.
There’s no way I can give this any less than a five this time – it’s got some lovely new matte artwork and 2 extra tracks when compared to the top-scoring original. Quite simply a must for anyone who doesn’t already own the Crackle original.