Ranking Millencolin’s 9 Albums
Millencolin is arguably the most successful punk band to come out of Sweden. Since their inception, they’ve been a significant factor in the skatepunk scene — starting in the 1990s and leading through the beginning part of the 2000s. One of the most striking details of this band is that through 9 albums, they’ve kept the same 4-person lineup of Nikola Sarcevic (vocals/bass), Mathias Färm (lead guitar), Erik Ohlsson (rhythm guitar), and Fredrik Larson (drums).
Many people, including myself, were likely introduced to this band through Epitaph record’s compilation series ‘Punk-O-Rama’ or through Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater. With their entire catalogue being available on Epitaph records, they’re one of the main flagship bands of the label. They’ve developed a musical style that is very much their own, and over these years (despite often subpar lyrics), it’s hard to deny the influence that Millencolin has had on the skatepunk scene, and after 26 years, they’re still pouring out solid tunes.
To review their records, I gave them all several re-listens, giving myself a chance to re-familiar myself with songs I’ve heard countless times when I was younger. I tried to review them based on the importance of the album at the time as well as the limitations they may have had at certain junctions.
So, take a read:
9. Tiny Tunes [Same Old Tunes] (1994)
As a debut album coming from a bunch of teenagers from Sweden, this record isn’t a bad first output. It came out at just the right time to join the hype of mid-90s punk and to get tightly woven into the skate and surf culture — although I’m not sure how much attention they drew while being in Sweden at the time. The songs aren’t particularly well structured, but there’s a clear youthful energy throughout that’s hard to dismiss, as are the significant amounts of cultural references, which was likely a nod to bands they derived inspiration from. Ultimately, their debut shows a band with a lot of potential, but not quite enough experience to know how to manage it. Also, knock some points off the record since this was when Millencolin thought they should write ska-punk songs… they shouldn’t.
Recommended Tracks: Leona, Mr. Clean, and Chiquita Chaser
8. Life On a Plate (1995)
Life on a Plate is very similar to Tiny Tunes, but shows a bit of progression in songwriting and some maturation in lyrics. Unfortunately, it still suffers from ska-influenced songs and too much reliance on silliness which doesn’t translate to particularly well-crafted songs or at least minimizes their potential. Bullion proves to be the first song to show glimpses of the direction Millencolin heads towards an embracing of a more somber mood in lyrics and sound. This album starts to see the pieces come together and is perfectly acceptable for some light mid-90s pop-punk, but shadowed by how good the band can get. The second half ends up being more-or-less forgettable.
Recommended Tracks: Bullion, Olympic, and Killercrush
7. Machine 15 (2008)
The first step in the wrong direction for Millencolin as this album was deemed a disappointment by most fans when it came out in 2008. It’s not necessarily a bad album, it’s just that it comes across as very lifeless for a number of reasons, such as the super-slick production which doesn’t really benefit Millencolin’s sound and several songs that don’t really seem to go anywhere, only adding filler. If you were to remove some of the worst tracks like the overly poppy ‘Detox’, the overly sappy ‘Vicious Circle’ and ‘Route One’ with its annoyingly long-held notes — you end up with a pretty okay record, but for Millencolin, a mediocre record gets placed at only 7th place.
Recommended Tracks: Machine 15, Ducks & Drakes, and Who’s Laughing Now
6. For Monkeys (1997)
For me, this is the record where the band is finally able to really incorporate the more mature songwriting capabilities they were picking up to write some truly excellent songs (like the 3 tracks mentioned below). Luckily this is the last album to incorporate ska upstrokes, but the few songs that do incorporate it noticeably bring the quality of the record down. This is also their only album that doesn’t start out with a banger — it starts with a fairly mediocre song which they could (and should) have been replaced with the far better ‘Lozin’ Must’, arguably the best track on the entire record.
Recommended Tracks: Lozin’ Must, Lights Out, and Twenty Two
5. SOS (2019)
The new album. I gave this record several spins before deciding where to place it on the list, hopefully preventing me from moving it around later. Right off the bat, this record gets directly to the “Millencolin” sound which means if you’re already a fan of, you’ll probably also dig this. While all of the songs are good, none of them really stand out except for ‘Do You Want War’ which is a song you may find yourself putting on repeat. That song brings out a particular brand of energy and excitement that isn’t as prevalent for the rest of the record. Apparently the band has become really invested in brewing beer lately as several of the songs reference the brewing process. Overall it sounds like a record they wanted to make more for their existing fans and not to branch out from the territory they’re already used to — which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but is a safe approach.
Recommended Tracks: Do You Want War, Sour Days, and Reach You
4. True Brew (2015)
True Brew came out after a 7 year break between records, the longest the band has ever taken (presumably due to the less than stellar reviews received by Machine 15) and the break seemed to do them good, reenergizing the band with a sense of aggression forgotten on the record prior. While True Brew doesn’t match up to the best of what Millencolin can offer, it still presented a mighty return to form, featuring some truly great songs to add to their “best of’” catalogue. While a couple of the songs towards the end are slightly forgettable lyrically and musically, the first half of the record holds up strong by incorporating the established Millencolin sound with impassioned vocals — giving you Millencolin in their stride.
Recommended Tracks: True Brew, Autopilot Mode, and Chameleon
3. Pennybridge Pioneers (2000)
This, to me, is the landmark/defining record for the band. As soon as the record starts and you hear the opening riff ‘No Cigar’, you immediately sense how much the band has progressed from their previous album. The song ‘No Cigar’ is still arguably their greatest song (or at least their most recognizable) and while the rest of the record can’t quite compete with the grandiose of this song, the rest of the songs don’t disappoint either — other than the misguided closing track ‘The Ballad’, with its very tongue-and-cheek lyrics and slow burn energy — attempting to sound deep, but coming off very cheesy. Besides this slight misstep at then end, this record stands high up as a classic Millencolin record and a centerpiece for several fans of skatepunk.
Recommended Tracks: No Cigar, Penguins & Polarbears, and Fox
2. Home From Home (2002)
From start to finish, this is one amazing record. Probably the most fun Millencolin album which certainly makes strong competition for the first place spot (but just barely misses the #1). There’s very few things to criticize on the LP. I would say that I preferred the original version of ‘Black Eye’ released on a compilation to the one on this record, but that may just be a case of liking the version you hear first more. I find this record comes across as the most ‘rock’ sounding of the Millencolin catalogue — starting off aggressive and never letting up on the gas until the the record ends. Home From Home find Millencolin right in the middle of their most success where it seemed like they couldn’t make a wrong move. The immediacy provided on this album will likely find you with an inability to sit still while listening.
Recommended Tracks: Black Eye, Man Or Mouse, and Kemp
1. Kingwood (2005)
The coveted number 1 spot. This album absolutely deserves it by surpassing any expectations anyone had for the band. It’s the one Millencolin album that really stands out from the others and it does it in a variety of ways. First of all, the production really sets it apart, moving away from the slicker sounds of their previous record and instead deciding to add an extra crunch/fuzz to the sound. It sounds as if they took their time working over every angle of production and took the nearly finished product, threw it around for a few hours until it picked up the grime needed to fit the darker tone set in the songwriting. Lyrically, this is the darkest Millencolin has gotten — at times belting out lyrics through a surprising scream (which you wouldn’t find on any other album). Lyrics are usually this band’s weakest point, but it seems they really put a lot of focus on this one, because there aren’t any lines that come across cheesy or out of place. I don’t imagine the band will ever repeat this performance, but their decision to take a few risks really paid off, creating a record so cognitively focused that it’s a gamble picking out which tracks are the best.
Recommended Tracks: My Name Is Golden, Cash or Clash, and Farewell My Hell
Overall Band Ranking: B+
Pros: Infectious melodies, one of the best of the skatepunk genre, helped pioneer punk music in Sweden, same members throughout the history of the band, seems like they keep playing because it’s still fun for them
Cons: Lyrics are often weak and cheesy (English isn’t their first language), first 3 albums had ska-punk songs (which is not their forte), really bad music videos, had a misstep after their best album
