CD: Machine 15 Artist: Millencolin Label: Burning Heart Records Rating: 4/5 Best Song: Vicious Circle Reviewer: Bobby Gorman

In one memorable scene from High Fidelity, John Cusack sat on the floor of his living room sorting his vinyl into a personal timeline. Each record went in order of when he purchased it and each record had a story to go along with it. It was a collection of which only he could navigate and a collection with deeply personal meaning to him. Now, not all of my cds have such a personal meaning to me which makes it hard to order my collection in that way; however, there are certain CDs that not only play the music that is on it but also tell a personal story to my ears. Millencolin's famed Pennybridge Pioneers is one of those CDs. It was a record that I bought well after it was released during one holiday in France. I bought it at the massive Virgin Megastore on the Champs d'Elysee. We picked up it and went back to our mini apartment and threw it in the DVD player to hear. The CD then got stuck and it was the only album we played during the week in Paris before we finally were able to eject it. It was a CD that tells a deeply personal story and rooted Millencolin as one of my favorite skate punk bands around.

Now it's almost four years later and the Swedish punk rockers are back with their newest album, Machine 15. It follows up their sadly forgettable, albeit moderately entertaining, Kingwood, and while it doesn't come close to the same power of Pennybridge Pioneers it does effectively remind me of why the band means so much to me.

On Machine 15, the band has left most of their skate punk days behind. It makes sense, after being around for fifteen years (hence the name of Machine 15) the band has evolved and changed their style a bit - but at their core they're still Millencolin. Nikola Sarcevic's vocals are still spot on. No longer delivered with such speed and intensity as some of the band's older work, Sarcevic has gone for a slightly broader range here and Machine 15 rises with it. The band's overall sound seems to have a "bigger" sense to it too, with a slightly more rock oriented sound to it in as well. They've beefed up some tracks with delicately placed strings sections and even the occasional keyboard part; but instead of letting the new instruments take the lead like so many bands do, Millencolin uses them in the background to add an extra layer to the songs.

Don't fret though, Millencolin haven't deterred from their path all that much. Detox, the album's lead single, would fit nicely into Pennybridge's playbook as it is a classic pop-punk song with an insanely catchy chorus. Who's Laughing Now starts off with a darker guitar riff compared to anything else on the album and has an angrier side to it which reveals their punk rock side. Brand New Game is one the album's highlight as the lyrics gives numerous nods to prior Millencolin tunes (Do you remember Fazil's friend? / He used to live in the House of blend/ He told a story of his life, about a fork and knife) and also features one of the most striking choruses on the album. Machine 15 really hits its stride on Vicious Circle though. Slighty slower and with a depressing storyline, it reminds me of The Ballad and is delivered with such conviction that you can't help but be in awe.

The only really disappointing thing about Machine 15 is the few filler tracks thrown in. Centerpiece, an eleven second track used as a segway into Who's Laughing Now, is an obvious filler that only seems to be there to give the album 15 tracks and End Piece - the fifteenth track - doesn't do much better despite being a minute and a half long.

Machine 15 is a record for Millencolin fans. Not their strongest effort nor their weakest, Machine 15 sees a band staying true to their fans while still expanding their sound a bit and even with a few moments of inconsistency scattered throughout, they've given their fans a solid release.