Frontier Ruckus in Brighton

Indie-Americana outfit Michigan's Frontier Ruckus are heading for The Albert in Brighton on March 14 on a rare UK run.
Frontier RuckusFrontier Ruckus
Frontier Ruckus

Spokesman Thom Williams said: “They’ve just released their fifth album, Enter The Kingdom, a lovely mix of their 60s folk rock, 90s power pop influences and literary lyrics – recommended if you might be a fan of Teenage Fanclub, Magnetic Fields or Kings of Convenience.

“Enter the Kingdom, their most lush record to date, serves as an almost-desperate invitation into the band’s most recurrent setting: the suburban American household.

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“It is immediately apparent, however, that the emphasis this time is not so much on idyllic nostalgia but the very real and present tense disintegration of a personal kingdom once thought permanent.

“We are thrust into stained living rooms where dads search for work on Craigslist, carports prowled by drunken ex-spouses returning with dubious motives, megachurch rec rooms marked by lust and disrepair.

“Songwriter Matthew Milia has explained the album as a rather literal depiction of his father losing his job and relying on disability cheques to retain a tenuous grasp on his childhood home.

“The specificity with which this is conveyed to the listener is harrowing at times, though never in full abandonment of a dark and balancing sense of humour.

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“Anna Burch’s harmonies return once more to add a crucial softness to Milia’s rough emotional edges. David Jones’ jangly musical counterpoints combine with Zachary Nichols vast array of instrumentation and string arrangements to achieve Frontier Ruckus’ most sophisticated and deliberate sound yet.

“Recorded in Nashville with founding Wilco drummer Ken Coomer, Enter the Kingdom sees the band eloquently mixing their diverse influences into a truly-poignant, accessible tonic of sadness and sweetness.”

Frontier Ruckus formed at the turn of the millennium by Catholic high school friends Matthew Milia (vocals and guitar) and David Jones (banjo), who were then joined in their college years by Zachary Nichols (brass, musical saw, melodica) and Anna Burch (vocals and bass guitar).

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