Chicago's
Kid Million released their first album, Pillow Talk, on Crank Records in 1996 under the name Fix Your Wagon. The record garnered some attention after which
David Singer, Tim Riff, Brendan Phillips, and Howard Windmiller signed to FlyBy Records and promptly changed their name to the catchy
Kid Million. Their proper debut, Heaven Smiles on Every Bastard, was released in 1998, received some serious college radio airplay, and made the CMJ Top 20. But then disaster struck. Their label went under, leaving
Kid Million out in the Chicago cold.
So the band quit, or at least took an extended hiatus. They bought themselves a digital recording studio on their credit cards, formed their own label, The Sweet Science, and spent two years recording their next album.
The result,
American Tabloid, was well worth the wait. It combines the best of indie pop, stadium rock, and power pop for a bombastic sound that recalls a little Jane's Addiction, early
Smashing Pumpkins, glam rock, shoegazer, and
the Beatles'
Revolver. The eclectic mix, held together by
David Singer's rasping vocals, a strong sense of psychedelia, and a Latin-tinged horn section, make
Kid Million truly stand out in the crowd.
–
Charles Spano, Rovi